LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-22-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Message to N.C. Teachers “We Hope You Die Young”

This teacher deconstructed the proposal to change compensation for teachers in North Carolina, which follows on last year’s full menu of legislation intended to reduce the pay, job security, and rights of teachers in that state. Bear in mind that the specifics of the plan are evolving, but here goes, from Kafkateach: “I originally started this blog as a coping mechanism to deal with the absurdit

11 by dianeravitch / 1h 

David Sirota: Who Is Thomas Friedman?

Yesterday, Thomas Friedman published yet another article lambasting American public education. Every time he writes about public schools, it is a put-down. He said in one article that America is “in decline” because of low scores on international tests, because McKinsey & Co. said so. Google his name and “Teach for America,” and you will get more than 100,000 hits. David Sirota, an investigati

11 by dianeravitch / 48min

Charter Chain Defends Teaching Creationism

Last week, Slate published an article about a large Texas-based charter chain that teaches creationism in its science classes. A spokesman for the chain, Responsive Education Solutions defended the practice. “According to the article in Slate, students in Responsive Education Solutions charter schools get a different spin on biogy and history, to accord with religious dogma. “ Zack Kopplin wrote:

6 by dianeravitch / 1h 

Lodge McCammon in 2011: Flipping the Classroom, Larger Class Size, Pay per Pupil

A reader pointed out that Lodge McCammon proposed his plan to change teacher compensation in North Carolina at least two years ago. McCammon is the author of the much-discussed 60-30-10 proposal. Actually, Lindsay Wagner cited this article in her report this morning. The article was written by McCammon, not taken out of context. He wrote then: “RALEIGH — Our nation is plagued by a failing system o

by dianeravitch / 1h 

I Left My Heart in San Diego

Must be something funny in the water in San Diego. Back in the 1990s, when it was widely seen as one of the best urban districts, the San Diego business community de died it was no good and needed a tough master to bring it to heel. So they hired Border Czar and attorney Alan Bersin as superintendent, and he launched controversial, pedal-to-the-floor reforms that I wrote bout in “Death and Life of

by dianeravitch / 1min 

Update on North Carolina Proposal: The Story Evolves

This morning I posted about a bizarre proposal to change (demolish) the teaching profession in North Carolina, called the 60-30-10 plan. It included features such as, all teachers re-applying for their jobs in 2015. Flipped classrooms. Larger class sizes. Teachers paid per student. No teacher allowed to teach more than 20 years. Constant churn. No profession, just a temp job monitoring work on co

2 by dianeravitch / 10min 

A Video of My Talk in Bedford, NY, about Common Core, Teacher Evaluation, and the Mess Caused by Federal Policy

I spoke at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York, on January 16. Here is a video of my talk.  I explain how federal policy has taken control of every public school in the nation, promoting policies that have no research or evidence behind them, closing schools, and causing demoralization among teachers and administrators. I recommend a moratorium for testing of the Common Core. I recommend reg

7 by dianeravitch / 29min 

Author of NC Proposal Responds

Lodge McKammon, author of the 60-30-10 plan for teachers in North Carolina, which would encourage larger class sizes, sent this comment: “For the record, this article in NC Policy Watch was published before I had a chance to speak with the author. These are, in a sense, some of the ideas that I have been brainstorming over the past few years. However, this write-up (including the document) is tak

by dianeravitch / 11min 

Oprah’s Star Charter School in New Orleans Is Closing Down

It seems like only yesterday that the Oprah television network featured an exciting new charter school in New Orleans that promised to turn around the John McDonogh school. The new charter group was led by Steve Barr and his Future Is Now organization. “One year after the Oprah television network featured New Orleans’ John McDonogh High School in “Blackboard Wars,” hoping to depict a successful c

33 by dianeravitch / 1h hide  //  save

Tennessee Parents Fight Back Against Corporate “Reform”!

Please support this wonderful new organization of parents and other citizens in Tennessee, organizing to reclaim public schools from bad policy and corporate takeovers. Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence MISSION: TENNESSEANS RECLAIMING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE (TREE) IS ROOTED IN FIGHTING FOR STRONG, EQUITABLE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND IS COMMITTED TO GROWING CHILD-CENTERED EDUCATION POLICY.

12 by dianeravitch / 2h 

North Carolina: Greatest Insult to Teachers Ever Cooked Up in Backroom

I thought this must be a joke. It is not. North Carolina legislators are considering a law that would demolish the teaching profession and encourage teacher turnover. Call it the “here-today-gone-next-year” policy. The goal is to cut costs by increasing class sizes, pushing out senior teachers, and using technology to “flip” classrooms. According to NC Policy Watch: “A new plan to raise some t

200+ by dianeravitch / 3h  

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-21-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Jersey Jazzman: The Newark 5 Are Not Alone!The indefinite suspension (firing) of five principals in Newark–who spoke out against the closure of their schools– by Chris Christie’s appointee Cami Anderson is going viral! Time for an anti-bullying program in New Jersey. Jersey Jazzman shows in this post that the bullying agenda of Gov

by mike simpson / 9h 

1-22-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

Shout-out to great ed reporter

Nick Anderson, a veteran education reporter and editor at The Post, wrote the following about a great young colleague of ours, Jenna Johnson, who spent four years covering American college life while breaking some important news stories. Her coverage was memorable. Here’s what he wrote:   By Nick Anderson Before the new year gets any […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 3min

Why do schools open when it feels like 4 below outside?

According to the Weather Channel,  it is 12 degrees Fahrenheit in Newark., but it feels like 4 below outside because of the wind chill. According to the Star-Ledger, “treacherous driving conditions” on Wednesday morning “prompted school officials to cancel classes in most of Essex County. So what’s wrong with this picture? Belleville – closed Bloomfield […]    

1 by Valerie Strauss / 33min 

A revealing thought experiment about student achievement and school reform

In the following thought experiment, you are asked to assess data about two states and identify the one in which an average child is likely to achieving more in school. Created by educator and researcher David Berliner, it reveals just how off-base current school reform efforts have been in targeting what the real problems are […]    

4 by Valerie Strauss / 41min 

Gov. Cuomo seeks changes to ‘flawed’ Common Core implementation

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), who just a few months ago was defending the state Board of Regents’ implementation of the Common Core State Standards, now says it has been “flawed” and that he is creating a panel of education experts and legislators to review the problems and take speedy “corrective action.” He […]    

20 by Valerie Strauss / 5h

1-21-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Dogs vs. cats: Their oh-so-different teaching stylesFor a laugh, watch this to the very end. And for all you cat lovers, it’s just a joke!    25 by Valerie Strauss / 5h  1-20-14 The Answer SheetThe Answer Sheet: Why Christie’s school ‘fix’ is misguidedNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently proposed extending the school year and school day in State of the State speech as reforms

by mike simpson / 9h 

1-22-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common Core

Stan Karp, at Rehinking Schools, knows how to get to the heart of the matter and has a way with words. Thanks for providing us teachers with some good reading on a snow day."Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common Core"Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common Core  January 22, 2014  |  This is a revised version of a talk on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) delivered in

by freetoteach / 29min

1-21-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Tennessee Politicians Squirm As Gates Classroom Cameras and Biometric Devices Become Public KnowledgeFrom Clockwork Orange“Track me” is an oft-repeated command barked by the positivized would-be teachers and temporary missionaries who receive a modicum of training to stand guard over children incarcerated in segregated corporate reform schools that have come to be regarded by Wall

by mike simpson / 5h 

1-22-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:

Pam Stewart’s Empty Arguments for the Status Quo

Miami Dade superintendent Alberto Carvalho presented the case to the State Board of Education this week that implementation on Common Core in Florida is best done along with a pause in school grades. “So much has changed as far as accountability that I am advocating suspending letter grades for schools for two to three years, because during a transition time, what is the value of an “A” versus a “

24 by Bob Sikes / 5h 

Revisiting Florida Tea Party Influence on Common Core

From Peter Schorsch’s ever useful Sunburn morning mail comes this William March story in the Tampa Tribune which revealed that Florida leads the nation in Tea Party membership: A study by a liberal advocacy group says Florida leads the nation in tea party members and organizations.  The study, done by the Seattle-based Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights finds Florida, the nation’

by Bob Sikes / 3h

1-21-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Familiar Story in Tennesee: Gov, Ed Boss Want Common Core – GOP Legislators, Not So MuchLooks like a familiar story is unfolding in another republican dominated state. Joey Garrison reports in The Tennessean: Republican lawmakers are putting the final touches on legislat

by mike simpson / 9h 

1-22-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Danny Dromm Gives Us All a Voice

Can the ed deform world be coming apart any faster? I just loved this piece from Eliza Shapiro at Capital.Dromm echoes educational philosophy of de Blasio, Fariña By Eliza Shapiro 4:25 p.m. | Jan. 22, 2014 Daniel Dromm's immediate priorities as the City Council's newly appointed education committee chair reflect the tone of the de Blasio administration: More pre-K, less testing, and a focus on pro

by ed notes online / 35min 

Internal President's Letters Expose NYSUT Rift and Support for Iannuzzi?

The inaction of the legislative office has forced Dick's hand to move the discussion in our favor. He has twice sued the state (APPR and Tax Cap) and pushed the June 8 rally (despite Andy's opposition).... The leader, as I see it, of this insurrection is E. V. P. Andy Pallotta. ... President, Westchester union localUnity began as a vehicle to represent all members of the State but in Washington la

by ed notes online / 1h 

YESTERDAY

Saturday Jan. 25: Stop and Reverse the Disappearing of Black and Latino Educators in NYC

Sean Ahern has led the efforts to bring this issue to the fore almost since I met him when we helped form ICE 10 years ago. He has moved steadily forward by building coalitions with all the groups named below. This Saturday the Ad Hoc committee for Teacher Diversity is sponsoring a meeting to address the issue. If this were only happening in NYC we would be able to look at the local conditions alo

by ed notes online / 9h 

Portelos Update - Clear Evidence of support for him

My bad back prevented me from attending recently but this report was sent from two of the MOREistas there observing and some anon comments from what appear to be parents.  - I was hoping to go today but have to drive a friend to the doctor. And there's another session scheduled for Weds though the snowstorm may kill that.These are the 2 MOREista retirees who have attended most of the hearings.Reti

by ed notes online / 9h 

Loretta and Gene Prisco 70th Birthday, Jan. 19, 2013

Photo from the Goldfine/Rashal wedding 2 years ago. Loretta and Gene back row. We all gathered at Gene's memorial on Jan. 5. (video to come)We all met in the early 70s and have remained a tight group politically and socially since. Gene Prisco's memorial a few weeks ago reminded us of the ties - and Loretta struggles with a very serious illness. Here is something to remember from happier times jus

by ed notes online / 9h 

1-21-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: PS 106 Update: Instead of Holding Bloomberg Accountable, NY Post and Eric Cantor Calls For VouchersIf you tried to write the most bizarre stories you can imagine it is really hard to match the NY Post. Chalkbeat lists loads of NY Post PS 106 stories (see below for links), including Cantor's call for vouchers as the answer to the PS 106 neglect. Cantor says, "Decisions over ed

by mike simpson / 9h 

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 1-22-14

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:

Another Dolphin Season Comes To An End

Recently due to the exposure of Dolphin hunting in Japan thousands of American animal activists have been outraged by the violent ways of Japanese fishermen. An unnamed fisherman expressed that the dolphin hunting season only lasts from September to late March and this tradition runs strong in Japanese culture. I'm sure the majority of us has seen the disturbing ways these animals are treated. Bot

by Dorian Cox / 27min 

Threats to Sochi

On Wednesday of last week e-mailed warnings were sent to The United States and various European countries targeting the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. In response to the ominous video footage of terrorists stating that they have a "present for Olympic visitors" both the Russian and American authorities have provided massive bulk to the Olympic security team. Although the stereotypical depic

by Dorian Cox / 2h 

50 Million And Counting!

The U.S. has nearly 50 million (46-47 million in 2012, to be a little more precise) poor people, including those on government aid. Without the aid, the number of poor people, which is nearly 16% of the population, would be even greater. Isn't that great news? It's a good thing that the programs our government offers actually help people and aren't just sucking up money (money that people who make

by Chayce Davis / 3h 

North Carolina Gives Compensation for Forced Sterilization

“A moron is a person whose mind never develops beyond that of a ten year old child.”In a yellowing 1950s pamphlet, being a moron seems to be the only apparent requirement for subjugation to North Carolina’s old sterilization program. Eerily, it entails the benefits and reasoning behind Eugenics, and its necessity in preventing the ‘feeble-minded’ from rearing children. Decades later, victims of th

by Heather Mewton / 8h

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 1-21-14

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Former Virginia Governor and Wife Indicted     Former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell and wife have been indicted by a federal grand jury for accepting an estimated $140,000 in loans and gifts in exchange for the ex-governor to promote dietary supplements. McDonnell is accused of lying on loan applications by failing to report money donated by Jonnie Williams Sr., the c

by mike simpson / 14h 

1-22-14 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.:

The adventures of Bruce Rahmer in Bizarro World.

3 by Fred Klonsky / 1h

A fair income tax for Illinois? Dude, that’s so not cool!

  Lyman Stone, Transylvania University, class of  ‘13. Capitolfax is reporting that a group called the Tax Foundation will be holding a press conference today to oppose efforts to create a fair tax in Illinois. Currently Illinois is one of the few states in the country that has a flat tax, which means that Rahm and Rauner’s best bud, Ken Griffin (Illinois’ riches man according to Forbes), pays th

by Fred Klonsky / 7min 

All is lost.

. I said at the time that the Robert Redford movie, All is Lost, was among the worst films I have ever seen. Even worse that Pooty Tang. Which I actually never saw, but love writing the name. It was so obviously a set-up for the aging Redford to get a late-career Oscar nomination other than another one of those honorary ones. He’s never received an acting Oscar. Only for directing the endlessly d

by Fred Klonsky / 14min 

Fighting Rahm and The Hawk to stop Chicago charters.

  Sue Sadlowski Garza, Kristine Mayle, Sarah Chambers and Nathan Goldbaum pull an all-nighter outside CPS HQ. The Polar Vortex is rolling through Chicago again and the temperature dropped to minus four degrees last night. But that didn’t keep parents and union teachers from camping outside of Chicago Public School offices over night. Today the board will follow Rahm’s directive and approve 21 ne

by Fred Klonsky / 42min hide  //  save

Ten minute drawing. Two Squeezy posters.

2 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

1-21-14 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.: Coffee with Aaron Goldstein.  Candidate for the 40th Illinois House seat, Aaron Goldstein. Former Machine Democratic Boss Dick Mell gave his daughter the 40th State Rep seat on Chicago’s north-west side. Machine bosses do that kind of thing. Just like Cook County Democratic Chairman Joe Berrios. He ga

by mike simpson / 7h