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Monday, December 30, 2013

12-30-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

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






“They ask only opportunity”: Helen Keller and Those Who Will Not See
The evolution of my fully understanding formal education began when I was very young and learning moment by moment at the feet of my mother, who taught my sister and me to play canasta (a complicated two-deck card game related to rummy) and love Dr. Seuss well before we started first grade. Of course, I thought I knew something about school after 16.5 years that culminated in my undergraduate deg
by plthomasedd / 13min 


12-29-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): A Reminder: “The Children Do Notice”Most of us who teach are now in a moment of pause, between semesters, between classes. Although we are mid-academic year, we are facing a new calendar year, traditionally a time to reflect, recommit, and redirect. I offer below a repos
by mike simpson / 9h 

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12-30-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:



Eric Nadelstern: Farina Had Better Have 100% Graduation Rate in Five Years Time
The ever youthful Eric Nadelstern, former deputy chancellor to Joel Klein and the architect of many a reform idea, showed up in both the Huff Post and Capital NY stories about Carmen Farina's appointment to chancellor.In the Capital NY story, he has a particularly telling quote:Eric Nadelstern, a former deputy chancellor under Joel Klein credited with helping to implement some of the Bloomberg adm
by reality-based edu... / 8min

NYSED Commissioner John King: Critics Of SED/Regents Reforms Are "Misinformed"
You thought the Gospel of the Common Core Tour starring Merryl Tisch and John King was over?You thought wrong - the propaganda-fest continues:ALBANY—State education commissioner John King argued in a letter to New York educators Monday that concerns raised by teachers and parents at a series of public hearings were based on “misinformation.” Particularly, he refuted claims that students are facing
by reality-based edu... / 43min 

Wait And See On Carmen Farina
There is much rejoicing in the twitterverse and on the edu-blogosphere over the announcement that Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio has finally appointed Carmen Farina to replace Dennis Walcott as NYC schools chancellor.Farina has "progressive" educator credentials, spent decades working as a real educator, and has recently fought charter school land grabs in Brooklyn, so there is certainly som
by reality-based edu... / 28min

Cuomo Attacks De Blasio Behind The Scenes
Sheriff Andy looking to promote his own agenda and taking it out on anybody he thinks is in his way:Gov. Cuomo, in his first major battle with Bill de Blasio, is engaged in a last-ditch effort to block leftist Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito from becoming council speaker, Democratic insiders have told The Post. Cuomo has been working behind the scenes with city Democratic leaders, including Ass
by reality-based edu... / 46min 
De Blasio To Appoint Carmen Farina As NYC Schools Chancellor
Given all the rumors around this selection, I'll believe this when I see it:Carmen Farina, a Department of Education veteran and a longtime informal adviser to Bill de Blasio, will be named chancellor Monday after months of speculation about who would manage the city’s school system.De Blasio will name Farina head of the nation's largest public school system at M.S. 51, the Park Slope middle schoo
by reality-based edu... / 2h 
12-29-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: NYCDOE Investigator Demanded Sex From Teacher To Save Her JobHere's Mayor Bloomberg's NYCDOE in action - the story is so horrifying via Susan Edelman at the NY Post, I repost it in full:A Department of Education detective tried to have sex with a Brooklyn teacher he was probing in exchange for letting her keep her job, she charges. Investigator Lawrence Scott, 40, allegedly
by mike simpson / 9h 


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Teach for America recruiting undocumented 'dreamer' college grads | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

Teach for America recruiting undocumented 'dreamer' college grads | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

Teach for America recruiting undocumented 'dreamer' college grads

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | 

Lisa Lake/Getty Images

There is room for Teach For America teachers, but what about the people that actually want to be teachers for a living?
The national teacher placement group Teach for America has announced a new recruitment target: undocumented college graduates.
The group is going after "dreamers" - in part to diversify its teaching corps - but it's also making a statement.
“This decision reflects our belief that if you’re brought to the U.S. as a child, you should be able to pursue an education without fear of deportation, and have a path to contribute to American society through achievement in education," the group's co-CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard said in a written statement.
Teach for America gives recent college graduates and professionals two-year stints as 
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CASU | CALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION : : Our struggles are one. Our victories are one

CASU | CALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION : : Our struggles are one. Our victories are one. *** UNDER CONSTRUCTION ***:

Napolitano Protest



DOE College Affordability Initiative
[Synopsis to come... If you would like to help conduct & analyze research, please send us an email at castudentunion@gmail.com and let us know!] Resources CSU Dominguez Hills Hosts U.S. Department of Education College Affordability Forum | Amy Bentley-Smith | Dateline Dominguez Obama’s college-rating plan is met with skepticism at forum | Stephen Ceasar | LA […]
by castudentunion / 6h

The Push for Online Education
[Synopsis to come... If you would like to help conduct & analyze research, please send us an email at castudentunion@gmail.com and let us know!] Resources A University’s Offer of Credit for a MOOC Gets No Takers | Steve Kolowich | The Chronicle of Higher Education A Plea for Close Learning | Scott Newstok | Inside Higher Ed […]
by castudentunion / 7h 

Sign the Petition to Drop the Sanctions Against UCSD Students!
STATEWIDE ORGANIZING / UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Sign the Petition to Drop the Sanctions Against UCSD Students!

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SIGN THE PETITION! Tell Chancellor Khosla, Assistant Vice Chancellor Gary Ratcliff and the Office of Student Conduct to drop the sanctions brought up against students for peaceful protest and stop trying to intimidate students from organizing at the University of California San Diego! From the UCSD Strike Committee: “We are a coalition of students formed … Continue reading »
Featured Video: The Corporate Privatization Raiders
PRIVATIZATION OF EDUCATION

Featured Video: The Corporate Privatization Raiders

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The Corporate Privatization Raiders Destroying Public Education & Our Unions | Danny Weil Danny Weil is a teacher, author, and journalist who is an expert on privatization and charters. He writes for “Truth Out,” “Daily Censored,” and other publications. At an education conference on Privatization of Public Education and the Unions in San Francisco, he … Continue reading »
Put Organizing Before Organization
STATEWIDE ORGANIZING

Put Organizing Before Organization

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As published in Viewpoint Magazine, Issue 3: Workers’ Inquiry | August 19, 2013 Reposted with permission by the authors We are still find­ing lessons from the last cycle of California’s stu­dent strug­gle. Among them, the need for chan­nels of stu­dent com­mu­ni­ca­tion, an orga­ni­za­tion that could reg­is­ter and rec­ol­lect insur­gent knowl­edges to guard against the dan­gers of under­grad­u­ate … Continue reading »
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7 Things You Need Before You Fill Out the FAFSA | ED.gov Blog

7 Things You Need Before You Fill Out the FAFSA | ED.gov Blog:

7 Things You Need Before You Fill Out the FAFSA

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Nicole Callahan
If you need financial aid to help you pay for college, it’s important that you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The good news? The FAFSA is simpler than ever! Did you know that, on average, it only takes 23 minutes complete? That equates to roughly one episode of your favorite TV program, so no excuses about not having the time. Record that TV show and watch it later.
The 2014­­–15 FAFSA becomes available on January 1, 2014, at 12 a.m. Central Time. You can fill it out for FREE on the official government site, www.fafsa.gov. To speed up the FAFSA process, get prepared early. Here is what you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA:
  1. Your Federal Student Aid PIN* — In order to sign your FAFSA electronically, you’ll need a Federal Student Aid PIN. You can help to prevent processing delays by getting a PIN before you begin the FAFSA. Find out how to get a PIN and what to do if you forgot your PIN. It only takes a minute.
  2. Your social security number* — If you don’t know it, it can be found on your social security card. If you don’t have access to that, it may be on your birth certificate or permanent resident card. If you don’t have one of those, or don’t know where it is, ask your parent or legal guardian. If you’re a dependent student, you’ll need their help with portions of the FAFSA anyway. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you’ll also need your Alien Registration Number.
  3. Your driver’s license number — If you don’t have a driver’s license, then don’t worry about this step.
  4. Your tax records* — Use income records for the tax year prior to the academic year for which you are applying: so if you are filling out the 2014–15 FAFSA, you will need 2013 tax information. If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, you can always estimate the amounts using your 2012 tax return, just make sure to update your FAFSA once you file your 2013 taxes. If you have filed your taxes already, you may be able to automatically import your tax information into the FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
  5. Records of your untaxed income* — This includes a whole bunch of variables that may or may not apply to you, like child support received, interest income and veterans non-education benefits.
  6. Records of all your assets (money)* — This includes savings and checking account balances, as well as investments like stocks and bonds and real estate.
  7. List of the school(s) you are interested in attending — The schools you list on your FAFSA will automatically receive your FAFSA results electronically. They will use your FAFSA information to determine the types and amounts of financial aid you may receive. You can list up to 10 schools on your FAFSA. If you’re applying to more than 10 schools, you can add more later. Be sure to list any school you’re considering, even if you’re not sure yet.
*If you’re a dependent student, you will need this information for your parent(s) as well.
Still have questions?
We’re here to help. Connect with us: StudentAid.gov/social.
Nicole Callahan is a new media analyst at the Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid.
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Why This Teacher Of Color Is Staying - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

Why This Teacher Of Color Is Staying - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:

Why This Teacher Of Color Is Staying

by JOSE VILSON on DECEMBER 30, 2013
in JOSE
Jaime Escalante Folded Arms
In the last month, there were a plethora of highly publicized articles on why teachers quit, the most poignant came from the Atlantic’s Amanda Machado, whose title “Why Do Teachers Of Color Quit?” hit me square in the jaw:
That life-long aspiration is the last issue that teachers from lower-income backgrounds struggle with. There is something disheartening about working so hard to honor your family’s sacrifices, only to find that your job has not improved your family’s situation. Twenty-seven percent of Teach for America teachers of color are the first in their families to earn a college degree. Many more are the first to go to a top-ranked school. To people from our backgrounds, admittance to college is not seen as only an opportunity for intellectual pursuits. It is seen, as my mother always used to tell me, as “a great equalizer,” a way of escaping the lower social status and finally gaining the respect or financial success of the upper class.
I have a hard time telling others the path they choose after leaving. Right now, most working
- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/teacher-color-staying/#sthash.7GSBti93.dpuf
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NYC Educator: Why Do Teachers Quit?

NYC Educator: Why Do Teachers Quit?:

Why Do Teachers Quit?

There are a lot of reasons, of course, and we face them each and every day. This piece focuses on why teachers of color quit. Admittedly, I lack color, so I can speak personally only as to why I see people quit, and I'm afraid I don't pay much attention to what color they are. For one thing, this is a tough job. You don't instantly walk in and reach kids, and there are few things more frustrating than failure.

And let me tell you, you don't need to be observed 4-6 times a year to know you're failing. Kids will tell you instantly. They will ignore you. They will do whatever the hell they please, and you'll be standing there like an idiot. If you don't get a handle on that, and you don't quit, I don't know how you do it.

Financial matters can further alienate teachers of color from coworkers. Teachers from well-to-do families have the advantage of accepting a low-paying teaching position and still having money available to them through other means.

Apparently, I come from a background of extreme wealth. I didn't realize that until this guy told me. Actually, when I decided to turn down the first regular tenure-track assignment I'd ever been offered--teaching English at what was then Springfield Gardens High School, I should have 
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

E.L. Doctorow (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
E.L. Doctorow at National Book Awards
We in this room especially have to appreciate metaphor. We're the descendants of writers who saw the sun as Helios' chariot riding across the sky. And yet... when was the last time, hearing the word mouse, that you thought of a small gray rodent? Or heard the word web and thought of a spider? -- "The Promise—and Threat—of the Internet" 
N.Y Times on de Blasio's pick
The choice [of Carmen Farina] reflected Mr. de Blasio’s desire to depart radically from the educational policies of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, including his emphasis on data and his policy of shuttering low-performing schools. --"Veteran of City School System Is Said to Be Next Chancellor"
Carmen Farina
CUNY Prof. David Bloomfield
“Clearly the teacher evaluation system will be on 
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