Louisiana Educator: Education Issues for 2014

Louisiana Educator: Education Issues for 2014:

Education Issues for 2014

Many of the posts on this blog in the past year have been critical of recent education policy, and as a result have repeatedly struck a negative and somewhat pessimistic tone. I believe that tone was dictated by the fact that practically all the Jindal/White “reforms” have been extremely destructive to our educational system. That goes for higher education which has had its state funding cut to the point of seriously damaging college programs and running off some of our best professors. But it particularly goes for K-12 education, where it was concluded by our non-educator leaders that teachers were the primary cause of low academic performance of some of our students. Starting with that incorrect assumption, they launched a war on teachers and public education in general. This shotgun attack on public education has had an extremely demoralizing effect on teachers and has caused the early retirement of many of our best teachers. Thus the negative tone of most of my blogs this year where I have defended public school teachers and have attempted to identify the real causes of poor student performance.

In this post of the new year, I would like to present an assessment of the current status of K-12 education and the prospects for positive changes in public education. I want to look at the national trends in education and their impact on our Louisiana schools and the teaching profession.

I believe we are seeing a change in the attitude of the news 

1-6-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Excellent “60 Minutes” Video: “Volcanoes: Nature’s ticking time bombs”

60 Minutes did an excellent segment last night titled Volcanoes: Nature’s ticking time bombs. I’ve embedded the video below, and it has additional resources at its website, including a transcript. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Volcanoes.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h hide  //  save

Learning About Tamales, Holiday Food Traditions & Three Kings Day

ELLs learn about tamales, holiday food traditions and Three Kings Day at my latest New York Times Learning Network post. It includes a student interactive and teaching ideas. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa, which also includes more info on Three Kings Day (which is today). You can see all my New York Times posts here.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

1-5-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: From The Archives: “Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do”I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do is an article I w

by mike simpson / 8h 

1-6-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Forum on charter schools. Looking at the research.

Please attend this public discussion featuring a panel of experts and researchers who have asked this important question, or have researched some of the charter scams and corruption cases associated with charter proliferation. Thursday, January 23rd, 2014 6:30 PM till 8:30 PM, Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave, Batavia, IL. 60510. In Chicago, Rahm Emanuel has shuttered 50 neighborhood scho

by Fred Klonsky / 20min 

Bob Lyons. The TRS law suit.

Bob Lyons is a member of the Teacher Retirement System board of trustees. He represents all retirees in the TRS system. The IRTA in suing the state over the pension reduction bill sued Governor Quinn, State Comptroller Judy BarrTopinka, and the Board of Directors of the Teachers’ Retirement System.  When the IEA and IFT file their suit, the individual members of the TRS Board will also be include

by Fred Klonsky / 45min hide  //  save

Chi-beria.

3 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

Rahm’s guy pleads guilty.

  Amer Ahmad, who Mayor Emanuel hired as City Comptroller, has pled guilty to charges of money laundering. He faces 15 years in the slammer. He was hired by Rahm advisor Lois Scott. Scott still works for the Mayor. According to that plea, Hampton, 39, of Canton, Ohio, made secret payments to Ahmad, who steered state of Ohio securities brokerage work to Hampton. Ahmad and Joseph M. Chiavaroli, 33,

by Fred Klonsky / 3min 

The in box. High praise, indeed.

Hey Fred, You remind me of Mike Royko. I met the Chicago Sun times columnist Royko at Billy Goats at the bar once. Told him I was a fan and had read all of his articles. He told me, “You didn’t read all of my stuff…fuck off!”.. My wife and I treasure that memory. I am a retired teacher from Wheaton, Il. Thank you for your work as there are many who use your blog to update ourselves on the current

by Fred Klonsky / 34min 

There’s nothing in the contract about the temperature.

At 6:30 I got up to let Ulysses out. He didn’t want to go. The thermometer read -12 degrees. By the way. Now – three hours later – it says  -14 degrees. Up until yesterday afternoon CPS boss Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Mayor Rahm Emanuel (who was vacationing in the South Pacific with his family) were saying the the schools would be open. Faculty and staff were expected to show up for work. Parents c

by Fred Klonsky / 6min 

Welcome to Anchorage on the Lake.

by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

1-5-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.Glen Brown. The sinners of the last round lie completely sealed in ice… Canto XXXIV, Circle 9: The Inferno Chicago schools making AYP (Adequate Yearly Pooping). When he was young and smoked dope, I bet David Brooks was not the kind of guy you would want to get high with. You know the kind

by mike simpson / 7h 

1-6-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Trickle-Down Administration: Education Reform in a Culture of Distracting Outrage

Trickle-Down Administration: Education Reform in a Culture of Distracting Outrage. via Trickle-Down Administration: Education Reform in a Culture of Distracting Outrage.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

2 by plthomasedd / 2h 

1-5-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: I wonder if Secretary Duncan heard their stories?Last spring, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited my school. Following the unfortunate tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook, the purpose of his visit was to meet with students, and staff, to discuss school and gun violence. The video below (4:23 minutes) is a condensed version of the hour-long discussion. The full video (51:36

by mike simpson / 8h 

1-6-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:

An Educator's Reflections on School Segregation and the Enduring Power of Race in Louisiana

Still think we live in a post-racial society? Recent events in Louisiana provide some of the most convincing evidence of the continued significance of race in our society. Defenders of Phil Robertson-star of A&E’s Duck Dynasty-claim the controversial comments made by the patriarch of the family was not about race, but about freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Robertson’s comments-which

by Mark Naison / 2h

 

1-3-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent: With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All WeekThe Rich Who Hate Unionized Government WorkersI have rarely met a wealthy person who does not publicly express contempt for unionized public workers- police officers, firefighters, sanitation workers, teachers- and doesn't think they are lazy and over paid. Many blame them for bankrupting government and undermining the dynamism of the

by mike simpson / 9h 

1-6-14 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):

King’s Next Shining Novel: More “True History of the Torrance Family”

Stephen King’s career reminds me of the career of Kurt Vonnegut in three ways: (1) they suffered the negative consequences of being associated with writing genre fiction, (2) they are often devalued as being too popular to be credible “literary” authors, and (3) as many popular writers are, they are often associated with one work—King with The Shining and Vonnegut with Slaughterhouse-Five. King, a

1 by plthomasedd / 23min hide  //  save

Capitalism, Silencing Women, Silencing Teachers

A central aspect of my blog about Classroom Teaching Experience and Whose Voice Matters highlights that the silencing of teachers is a subset of the silencing of women. That post followed my claim that teaching is an invisible profession. Since posting that blog, I have read A Feminist Critique of Marx by Silvia Federici, which in part asserts the invisibility of women in Marx’s analysis of capita

10 by plthomasedd / 1h 

1-5-14 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): Trickle-Down Administration: Education Reform in a Culture of Distracting Outrage“One of the strange things about our politics is the disconnect between what sorts of things lead us, collectively, to express outrage and what sorts of things we don’t notice,” David Kaib b

by mike simpson / 7h 

1-6-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Cuomo To Be On Defensive This Legislative Session

Fred Dicker tells us Cuomo plans to stroke himself in his State of the State speech on Wednesday:Expect an “orgy of self-congratulation and promise-making’’ in Gov. Cuomo’s election-year State of the State Address Wednesday, including pledges of tax relief, job creation, medical marijuana and some funding for new Mayor de Blasio’s pet pre-K program, Democratic insiders have told The Post. Cuomo, w

by reality-based edu... / 56min 

Looks Like We'll Have Another Day School Day Affected By Weather

It was 57 degrees and mad foggy this morning, the streets looking like something out of a Dickens novel.A dense fog advisory was in effect until 10 AM this morning. According to the Weather Channel, the high for the day is supposed to be 49 degrees (although it seems to me the high has been reached already with the 55 degree morning temperature?)Tonight, the temperature will fall to 10 degrees.The

by reality-based edu... / 9min 

Cuomo To Call For More Common Core Professional Development For Teachers

Just in case you thought he was going to walk back his support of his education reform agenda:Cuomo is also expected to propose additional funding for professional development to help teachers who are struggling with the new, more rigorous Common Core standards, a source said. Both the Regents and the Senate's education committee chairman have pushed for the professional development funds. Cuomo h

by reality-based edu... / 3h

1-5-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: How Fighting Education Reform In NY State Is Like Getting A Shift In Medical Marijuana PolicyThe NY Times reported last night that Governor Andrew Cuomo is shifting his stance on medical marijuana in New York State:ALBANY — Joining a growing group of states that have loosened restrictions on marijuana, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York plans this week to announce an executive

by mike simpson / 8h 

The Educated Reporter: Ten Questions To Ask On Expanded Learning Time

The Educated Reporter: Ten Questions To Ask On Expanded Learning Time:

Ten Questions To Ask On Expanded Learning Time

Amid the push to improve public education, a frequent complaint by educators is that there isn’t enough time in the school day to adequately cover everything students are supposed to be learning – or to address the myriad challenges they bring with them to class every day.

As a result, school districts nationally are looking for ways to expand learning timefor students. In some instances, that effort means adding minutes to the traditional day or providing weekend programs. In others, the focus is on stemming the well-documented and often substantial learning loss that occurs during the long summer break.

Much of the attention is put on minority students and students from low-income families who are already struggling in school. (For more on the educational equity gap in high-poverty schools, and how expanded learning time might be used to address it, consider a recent op-ed by Lucy Friedman, president of ExpandedED Schools by TASC (The After-School Corporation), which provides programs and 

NYC Educator: Gotham Charter Schools Will Become Chalkbeat Charters New York!

NYC Educator: Gotham Charter Schools Will Become Chalkbeat Charters New York!:

Gotham Charter Schools Will Become Chalkbeat Charters New York!

From now on, Gotham Charter Schools will be Charter Chalkboard New York. We have lots of exciting changes for you, our readers, and we can't wait to get started! You can read our future posts at charterchalkboardNY@blogspot.com.

First, we're going to have a big fundraising party, where you can all give us money. And after that, we're running a conference with teachers to discuss teacher stuff. For those critics out there, we want you to know that two of the three teachers we've selected have never stereotyped ATR teachers in these pages. (After an extensive search, we were only able to locate one such teacher, but we feel we deserve credit anyway.)

Second, we're going to actually start reading the comments section. It's pretty tedious, actually, as it appears to mostly be a lot of crap about how teachers shouldn't get pensions, and how awful teachers are, and how they don't do any work. Still, we feel we'll be more credible if we sort out the obviously insane comments and leave only the questionable ones. Of course, there may not be any more comments once we do that, but that's fine since we won't need to read them and can get back to the important work of whatever it is we do around here.

We will continue to bring you fabulous guest posts from not only E4E members, but also people who may or may not be E4E members. We'll let them coyly deny being E4E, while sort of being E4E anyway, and we won't demand clarity from them at all. When E4E finds a hundred people to sign a petition demanding more work for less pay, we'll be the first to cover it! We vow to bring you widely 

Are DC charter middle schools “better” than DC public middle schools? | Ward 8 DC Teacher

Are DC charter middle schools “better” than DC public middle schools? | Ward 8 DC Teacher:

Are DC charter middle schools “better” than DC public middle schools?

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According to DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, charter schools “know how to do middle school really well.” When it comes to defining the phrase “really well,” are education reformers basing their narrative on quantity over quality, i.e. proficiency rates versus growth? What do you think? In this piece, you can compare the data between charter and traditional public middle schools within DC’s most notorious ward. The data in this piece is available here and here. After examining the “tale of the tape” between Ward 8 charter and traditional public middle schools, feel free to offer your perspective, or “sound off,” in the comment section.

2013 DC School Equity Reports: Ward 8 Middle Schools

Two PCS

KIPP DC – AIM PCS

Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS – Middle

Three Traditional Public Schools

Hart Middle School

Johnson Middle School

Kramer Middle School

Tale of the Tape

Breakdown

The chart above illustrates the total number of Ward 8 D.C. middle school students enrolled 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

"Hobnobbing with masters of the universe has its limits..." --  Crain's

Greg Hinz

The prototype for the Emanuel mayoralty was Michael Bloomberg's New York: rich guys, bicycle lanes, central control, the whole schmear. Mr. Bloomberg's popularity waned dramatically after his first two terms and his successor, Bill de Blasio, is a liberal who has good relations with unions and minorities. The message to Mr. Emanuel is clear: Hobnobbing with masters of the universe has its limits, however good their advice seems. Running a city takes a wider reach. -- Crain's Chicago Business

Times Editorial

Studies have shown that suspensions and expulsions do nothing to improve the school climate, while increasing the risk that children will experience long-term