Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Top 8 Things That Are Just Like Apartheid, By Grant Wiggins

by JOSE VILSON on JANUARY 12, 2014

That’s it. I’m proposing that, as of now, there be a Mandela’s Law, a Godwin’s Law corollary, which states that anytime you make inappropriate use of apartheid in an argument, you’ve already lost. Exhibit A (and Ground Zero): Grant Wiggins’ latest salvo on teachers and students having different restrooms and cafeterias.

Um, what?!

For one, I know plenty of schools where the students’ cafeterias and restrooms are in better shape than the teachers’ restrooms. Secondly, and more importantly, kids aren’t getting shot and killed for looking different from teachers, much less for wanting to share the same facilities. With all the inequities we have, one of the few things society has generally agreed upon is the

- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/top-8-things-just-like-apartheid-grant-wiggins/#sthash.BDuM8M7x.dpuf

Diane Ravitch’s ideas on school policy are worth listening to, even if you disagree - The Washington Post

Diane Ravitch’s ideas on school policy are worth listening to, even if you disagree - The Washington Post:

Diane Ravitch’s ideas on school policy are worth listening to, even if you disagree

By Jay Mathews, Sunday, January 12, 1:29 PM E-mail the writer

I’m a fan of school policy pundit Diane Ravitch. On the jacket of her latest book, “Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools,” I say she is “our best living historian of education.” Her passion and intellect are a great national resource.

Yet we often disagree. I think the growth of charter schools is the best thing that has happened to American education in the past 20 years. Ravitch would shudder at that. She was once, like me, a strong supporter of charters and assessing schools with standardized tests. But she changed her mind.

(Knopf/Handout) - “Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools” by Diane Ravitch.

We Americans have mixed views of apostates. We tend to like Ronald Reagan, but not Benedict Arnold. Ravitch’s switch is a plus, I think, because she appreciates the desire for change shared by her old friends on the other side of the argument. In “Reign of Error,” instead of just tearing into current reform leaders, she offers positive suggestions for making schools better.

Her proposals read like New Year’s resolutions, perfect for this time of year. We need some fresh thinking. Ravitch seems to me as smart and creative as she was when I agreed with her on almost everything, even if her arguments sometimes lose touch with the facts. Here are what she calls her

NYC Educator: Why We Need Merit Pay

NYC Educator: Why We Need Merit Pay:

Why We Need Merit Pay

by guest blogger Educator for Excellence

First of all, it's important for teachers to be recognized. That's why I'm so glad we're no longer rated satisfactory or unsatisfactory. I, for one, am excellent. That's just one reason I don't teach anymore. Another is all that money I get to run this organization. Let me tell you, we have offices all over the country. I fly here, I do this, I meet rich people, and I go to gala luncheons. You better believe it beats the hell out of that school cafeteria.

There are lots of us E4E folks around. The important thing to remember about us is that we don't really want to be teachers. For example, Rubin Frisbee, a good buddy of mine, didn't even get tenure. Rather than bother trying again, he quit, took an Ivy League course, and now runs the whole damn school. Isn't it great that someone who never earned tenure can just tell everyone else who did how to teach? Only in America!

So anyway, on this merit pay thing. For one thing, we still have people out there teaching, and I can assure you they won't hang around waiting. And between us, I happen to know they're holding back the good stuff until they can get that bonus. OK, to tell you the truth, they won't hang around even if they get the bonus. There are higher-paying jobs than teaching, and they

On the Fourth Anniversary of the Haitian Earthquake my Family Survived: end the U.N. occupation, end U.S. exploitation, and end corporate education reform on Haiti! | I AM AN EDUCATOR

On the Fourth Anniversary of the Haitian Earthquake my Family Survived: end the U.N. occupation, end U.S. exploitation, and end corporate education reform on Haiti! | I AM AN EDUCATOR:

On the Fourth Anniversary of the Haitian Earthquake my Family Survived: end the U.N. occupation, end U.S. exploitation, and end corporate education reform on Haiti!

By I AM AN EDUCATOR on January 12, 2014

Four years ago today, my wife, my one-year-old son and I survived the earthquake in Haiti.

Here Jesse (left) is shown bandaging a badly injured Haitian women hours after the earthquake struck on January 12th, 2010.

While we were lucky—the lobby of the hotel collapsed by not our room—many thousands of Haitians perished from the natural disaster, which was compounded by the U.S. and U.N.’s neglectful and exploitative response to the quake. On this fourth anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, I am thankful to be alive, thankful to have a wonderful family, and thankful for the never-ending resistance of the Haitian people. In the aftermath of the earthquake we did everything we could to help in the medical care and relief effort, while the U.S. and U.N. acted as if Haiti was a war zone and the people needed to be contained and controlled.

Haitian’s will only begin to achieve justice when the U.N. apologizes from infecting the Haitian water supply with cholera, pays reparations and funds Haiti to build a clean water system, and ends its occupation of the

1-12-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

My Comment on Ravitch Defense of Randi

Diane,I support your choice in defending Randi (Why I Defend Randi). When you changed your mind the turnaround has had an immense impact. But you as an academic affected policy. Randi's positions had a direct impact on the working conditions of teachers. As a union leader her pushing of positions that turned out to be wrong emasculated the union membership's ability to fight back against the force

by ed notes online / 8min

1-11-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineSexy Bitch-gate: Fred Smith - A Sonnet on SED’s Glorious IneptitudeKing's Sexy Bitch Quizzes are to NY what Christie's Traffic Problems are to NJ!.. CTS listserveJust when you think it can't get any better after the NYSUT call for a no confidence vote on John King, it does.Leonie wrote:Yesterday a parent, Anna Shah, found a link on the NYSED Resources page to a seri

by mike simpson / 45min

1-12-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Pryor schedules Corporate Education Reform Industry Lobby Group for Alliance District Meeting

And that is just the tip of the iceberg… Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, and his sidekick and aide, former Achievement First principal Morgan Barth, are pushing the ethical envelope ever further while telegraphing where Malloy really stands when it comes to teachers, parents and public education in Connecticut. While Malloy is touring […]The post Pryor schedules Corporat

by jonpelto / 19min

1-11-14 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?: Wait What? All WeekMalloy and Pryor traveling in “Radio Silence” when it comes to Vallas Farewell ReceptionTwo days after the media requests were submitted, neither Governor Malloy nor Commissioner Pryor’s communications staff have bothered to respond to the repeated question of whether either of them will be attending Paul Vallas’ “Farewell Reception” that is being hosted by Mayor Bi

by mike simpson / 41min

Dollarocracy | Seattle Education

Dollarocracy | Seattle Education:

Dollarocracy

Perfecting the Propaganda State through Dollarocracy

We saw this when the WalMart Walton’s and Bill Gates poured millions of dollars into our state to bring in charter schools, a privatization of a publicly funded system.

We also saw this with the GMO initiative that would have required the labeling of our foods in the state of Washington.

Per McChesney, one of the authors of the book “Dollarocracy”, from a report in theEvergreen State College student newspaper:

McChesney explained how the term dollarocracy captures the “crisis” in American politics today. “Instead of ‘one person, one vote,’ you have ‘one dollar, one vote,” he said. “Those with lots of dollars have a great deal of power, and those with no dollars have no power.”
McChesney and Nichols lectured about the role money has in American politics and how the judicial decision commonly known as Citizens United has increased the influence money has in politics.
“Washington state is the number one example in the United States of the crisis of Dollarocracy,” Nichols said, referencing Initiative 522, concerning labeling of genetically modified foods, which did not pass in the Nov. 6 election. Nichols explained that the initiative failed, despite the overwhelming public opinion support for genetically modified foods to be

1-12-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

The Ravitch Conference, Featuring Randi Weingarten

Diane Ravitch and Anthony Cody started a new organization a year or so ago called the Network for Public Education. Board members were chosen, and the chosen board members chose Ravitch as President and Cody as Treasurer. As NPE president, Ravitch will be the Keynote Speaker at a UTexas based two-day conference in early March that, according to Cody, will "bring together activists from aroun

2 by Jim Horn / 21min

Ravitch Announces Randi's "Decoupling" of Common Core from VAM

With light diminishing between Diane Ravitch and Randi Weingarten's positions, Dr. Ravitch posted this this morning. My comment at her blog follows.A reader who calls himself or herself “Democracy” left comments criticizing me for defending Randi Weingarten–or perhaps for not attacking her.Here is my response to Democracy:Democracy, you ask a good question, and I will answer as best I can..As you

by Jim Horn / 14min

1-11-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter: Schools Matter All WeekWhen Corporate Psychology Replaces Child Development, KIPP StyleDr. Martin Seligman is the most prominent leader of the popular movement and corporate cult known as positive psychology, which Dr. Bryant Welch describes as modern day version of Norman Vincent Peale's "power of positive thinking."Dr. Seligman is also the richest leader of the movemen

by mike simpson / 11h

Chicago Teachers Fight Removal of Special Ed Student Cap - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Chicago Teachers Fight Removal of Special Ed Student Cap - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Chicago Teachers Fight Removal of Special Ed Student Cap

By Anthony Cody on January 12, 2014 1:17 PM

Should there be limits on the proportion of special education students in regular ed classrooms? This Chicago teacher thinks so.

Guest post by Michelle Gunderson.

Every child who enters my first classroom is treated with dignity and respect and learning takes place in an atmosphere of joy. Children with special needs are supported through a matrix of services with other professionals. Most of the work, though, is done solely by me, the classroom teacher. I repeat directions, use visual clues, check often for understanding, reduce assignments, provide sensory breaks along with a host of other modifications and accommodations. How is this possible? Because according to Illinois school code there is a limit on the percentage of children with special needs in my class. Without these limits the work becomes impossible.

This is not a matter of school funding or expediency. This is a matter of human capacity. There is only so much that one person can provide a classroom of children. Without these percentage limits the work load comes to a breaking point - and no one wins. No one learns.

The Illinois State Board of Education is seeking to eliminate a cap on the percentage of children with special needs in our classrooms. The current regulations allow for a cap of 30%.

Walker Opposes Raising the Minimum Wage | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Walker Opposes Raising the Minimum Wage | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Walker Opposes Raising the Minimum Wage

Filed under: Economy,Poverty,Scott Walker — millerlf @ 12:15 pm

In a year-end interview on national television Scott Walker was asked if he supports raising the minimum wage. He answered a definitive No! He responded saying that the nation should instead follow his Wisconsin footsteps in job creation. What alternate universe does the Governor live in?

Quarterly data rank Wisconsin 37th in private-sector job growth

By John Schmid and Kevin Crowe of the Journal Sentinel 12/18/13

The nation’s most recent employment report, which examines job creation in all 50 states, raises a familiar question with renewed urgency: Why is Wisconsin a chronic laggard?

According to Wednesday’s report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wisconsin gained 23,963 private-sector jobs in the 12 months from June 2012 through June 2013, a 1.0% increase that ranks the state 37th among the 50 states in the pace of job creation during that period.

The state’s ranking slid from a revised rank of 32nd three months earlier, which covered the 12 months through March 2012.

Wisconsin continued to trail the national rate of job creation, as it has since July 2011. The United States created private-sector jobs at a rate of 1.9% in the latest 12-month period, nearly double Wisconsin’s 1.0% rate, the data show.

“It’s like déjà vu all over again,” said Dale Knapp, director of research at the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, a nonpartisan pubic policy group in Madison.

While management of the economy and job creation are politically charged issues in Wisconsin, not least ahead of next year’s governor’s race, Knapp and others were quick to point out that Wisconsin’s subpar performance is hardly a new phenomenon.

“These are persistent patterns we’ve seen over a long period of time,” said Charles Franklin, a social scientist and data specialist at Marquette University.

Since the turn of the century, Wisconsin appears to have a natural “speed limit” in its private-sector job

Why I Defend Randi | Diane Ravitch's blog

Why I Defend Randi | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Why I Defend Randi

A reader who calls himself or herself “Democracy” left comments criticizing me for defending Randi Weingarten–or perhaps for not attacking her.

Here is my response to Democracy:

Democracy, you ask a good question, and I will answer as best I can..

As you know, I have criticized the Common Core in many posts. I have criticized the lack of transparency and the lack of educator participation in its development. I have criticized the fact that the Gates Foundation paid out nearly $200 million to develop and promote the CCSS, which really means they are the Gates Standards. I have said that rigorous standards will not solve–let alone address–the economic dysfunction at the root of educational inequality–and is likely to exacerbate it.

Randi Weingarten is certainly more positive about Common Core than I am. She is the president of the AFT and has been willing to engage on the issues, while the NEA has remained supportive of Common Core and silent.

I have long believed that Randi would ultimately change course, and she has done so recently. First, she called for a moratorium on testing. only days ago, she came out in opposition to VAM, saying that VAM is a sham. She has followed her reasoning to its logical conclusion, which is that Common Core should be decoupled from testing. If Common Core is in fact decoupled from testing, it loses its power as a means of rating and ranking students and teachers and principals. It becomes a set of standards that may or may not prove useful but has no power to ruin lives and careers

The next, inevitable step is to recognize that Common Core must be amended by teachers and scholars. As it currently exists, it is an infallible edict encased in concrete. No standards are so perfect that they need never be updated.

I will not attack Randi, not only because she is a personal friend, not only because she is showing the capacity to evolve and change her mind, but because we who object to the current demolition derby can’t prevail without the support of at least one of the major unions. In short, we need her leadership. To turn against her is to wound our cause irreparably, our cause being the survival of public education and the teaching profession. To attack one of our few national leaders in the middle of a crucial war will aid those who are attacking public education and teachers. If we who are allies fight one another, we lose. I prefer success to defeat. Too much is riding on the outcome of these questions to indulge in ideological purity and cast out those who are not in complete agreement.

1-12-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

‘The Procedure’ and how it is harming education

Do you know what “The Procedure” is and why it is a problem for education? Here to explain is Marion Brady, a veteran classroom teacher, who has written history and world culture textbooks (Prentice-Hall), professional books, numerous nationally distributed columns (many are available here), and courses of study. His 2011 book, “What’s Worth Learning,” asks and answers this […]

by Valerie Strauss / 2min

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 1-11-14

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetCommon Core chaos: NY state website sends kids to offensive test prepThe rollout of the Common Core State Standards in New York state has been riddled with problems that just keep on coming. Here are some of the latest, from award-winning Principal Carol Burris of South Side High School in Nassau County, who has been chronicling New York’s standardized t

by mike simpson / 35min

1-12-14 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.:

Ten minute drawing. Will you remember in November?

by Fred Klonsky / 23min

Michelle Gunderson. Special Education class size limits.

Michelle Gunderson (right). Photo: Fred Klonsky From Anthony Cody’s Living in Dialogue. - Michelle Gunderson is a Chicago teacher, activist and leader in the CTU. Every child who enters my first classroom is treated with dignity and respect and learning takes place in an atmosphere of joy. Children with special needs are supported through a matrix of services with other professionals. Most of t

by Fred Klonsky / 7min

Sunday reads.

There is no such thing as clean coal. A tiny padded room at KIPP Star Washington Heights Elementary School was a real-life nightmare for two young boys who were repeatedly detained in the tot cells. Parents and students charged Chicago charter schools Tuesday with targeted expulsions intended to raise their test-score averages. Sad to hear about the passing on Friday of noted art educator and Sta

by Fred Klonsky / 0min

1-11-14 Fred All Week 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.: Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher Bev Johns. Another attempt at raising Special Education class size.Bev Johns is a long-time Special Education activist and advocate. From: Beverley Holden Johns Date: Fri, Jan 10, 2014 at 12:41 PM Subject: new ISBE plan to elimin

by mike simpson / 48min

1-12-14 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman:

Normalizing "Plausible Deniability"

I don't normally watch the Sunday talk shows... but how could I not this week? All Christie, all the time.The big question the punditocracy seems to care about now is "What did Christie know and when did he know it?" That's fine, to a point -- but it's also a problem. Because it sets a default position for Christie, and every other politician, that I find dangerous:In this point of view,

13 by Duke / 28min

1-11-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All WeekThe GWB Is Not Chris Christie's Greatest SinUPDATE: Apparently, there was a fatality connected to Bridgegate. Did this woman die directly from the delay? Who can say?I'm no lawyer, but it seems to me these people ought to be brought up on charges.Well, I guess this is one way to boost your national name recognition...We will, of course, be hearing more

by mike simpson / 46min

Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Nite Cap 1-12-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best:

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

YESTERDAY