2-2-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:

Snow Days

Snow days are good for lesson plans.Lesson in Democracy 101.How can we save our schools if grassroots education activists can't endorse or support candidates running for public office?This in my in box from Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action. The love fest is over. The high stakes have gotten too high.If SOS can not support Network for Public Education which has political clout and

by freetoteach / 1h 

Knoxville Letting Bids to Install Cameras in Classrooms?

From Tennessee Bid NetworkInstall Camera Systems in Each Classroom and Externally       Owner Type: Public Buyer: Telamon CorporationWebsite: http://www.telamon.org Website: http://www.telamon.org

by Jim Horn / 0min 

TREE Sponsors Elaine Weiss to Talk about What NAEP Means

Elaine Weiss offers a primer on NAEP and recent gains in Tennessee.  Make a cup of tea and enjoy.

by Jim Horn / 4min 

Join the Battle to Stop Corporate Shutdown of Memphis Schools

Action News 5 - Memphis, TennesseeMEMPHIS, TN -(WMC-TV) – Parents and students from Westhaven Elementary have been fighting for their school for months. Saturday they took to the streets to get signatures to try to keep their school open.They are asking the community to get behind their efforts and it's not every day you see this kind of support inside a mall.TN House Representative Karen Camper s

2 by Jim Horn / 34min 

2-1-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekA better way to deal with summer loss in readingSent to the Seattle Times, Jan 31, 2014There is a much cheaper and much more effective way to deal with summer learning loss than adding 20 days of school to the school year ("How to solve summer learning loss and close the opportunity gap," January 30): Provide more access to interesting reading mate

2 by mike simpson / 1h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-2-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

INVITATION: An LAUSD Briefing on the NCLB/ESEA Waiver granted to CORE Districts

by e-Mail Please join Dr. John Deasy, Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 from 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. for an important briefing on the NCLB/ESEA waiver that was granted to districts who are members of the California Office to Reform Education (CORE). This is an opportunity to hear the District’s perspective on the new federal waiver and

by smf / 35min 

How We Teach Kids To Cheat On Tests

  By Vicki Abeles from Valerie Strauss’ Answer Sheet/The Washington Post | http://wapo.st/1nEqIKp February 2 at 10:00 am  ::  Here is a piece about a cheating scandal in Wisconsin that speaks to a much larger problem about how and why kids cheat on tests. It was written by Vicki Abeles, a filmmaker, attorney and advocate for students and education. She is the

by smf / 16min 

Nine Lausd Schools Compete In Healthy-Cooking Contest

By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News | http://bit.ly/1bk7Vi8 LAUSD "Cooking Up Change" culinary competition for high school students held at LA Trade Technical College. First place winners from Manual Arts High School are Jenifer Mendez, left ,and Kimberly Sanchez. BBQ Chicken Pizza, Spicy Bean Dip and Tropical Burst salad. (Thurs. Jan 30, 2014 Photo by Brad Graverson/The Daily Breez

1 by smf / 51min hide  //  save

El Camino, Marshall #1 & #2 In Lausd Aca-Deca Super Quiz, A Tie In La County Super Quiz, Irvine Uni High Wins Jpl Science Bowl

El Camino Real Charter High School wins LAUSD Super Quiz By The LA Times Staff  | http://lat.ms/MNmIt9 The citywide academic decathlon Super Quiz took place Saturday at the Roybal Learning Center in downtown L.A. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times / February 1, 2014) February 1, 2014, 9:44 p.m.  ::  El Camino Real Charter High School won the Los Angeles Unified School

1 by smf / 1h  

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-1-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  IS THE AMERICAN SCHOOL SYSTEM DAMAGING OUR KIDS? Education has become an American institution—of the worst kind.By Peter Gray from Salon.com / Also published in Reader's Digest Magazine January 2014 | http://bit.ly/1bfWIPB Parents send their children to school with the best of intentions, believing that formal

2 by mike simpson / 1h 

All Week 2-2-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

School Discipline: The U.S. vs. The Brits

Quality teaching and student learning cannot occur in a chaotic classroom. Organized chaos, i.e. student-centered stations and activities, is extremely productive. Disruptive behavior, however, is extremely unproductive and problematic, to say the least.  So, it’s rather interesting that while the USDOE is calling for schools to relax its “zero tolerance” disciplinary policies, the Brits are calli

1 by Angel Cintron Jr. / 22min 

SC’s Low Self-Esteem, Florida Addiction, and Education Policy

In the 1980s and 1990s, the decades of my career as a public high school English teacher, South Carolina was early and all-in as an accountability/standards/testing education reform state. One interesting aspect of that commitment is that SC has had at least 4 generations of standards and tests (including the current adoption of Common Core), […]

10 by plthomasedd / 2h  

All Week 2-1-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE A Critical Truce in the War between Traditionalists and ProgressivesA Critical Truce in the War between Traditionalists and Progressives. via A Critical Truce in the War between Traditionalists and Progressives.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical1 by plthomasedd / 1h Student Slang 102As a follow-up to the first version, here a

by mike simpson / 1h 

2-2-14 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):

3. Open for Inspection (1944)

3. Open for Inspection (1944).

by plthomasedd / 39min

New Criticism, Close Reading, and Failing Critical Literacy Again

When the Common Core debates drift toward advocacy or critiques of the standards themselves, I have refused, mostly, to engage with that conversation because I believe debating the quality of CC concedes too much. I remain opposed to CC regardless of the quality of the standards because of the following reasons: (1) CC cannot and will not be decoupled from the caustic influence of high-stakes test

by plthomasedd / 39min hide  //  save

SC’s Low Self-Esteem, Florida Addiction, and Education Policy

SC’s Low Self-Esteem, Florida Addiction, and Education Policy.

by plthomasedd / 2h 

2-1-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

THE BECOMING RADICALRadical ScholarshipEmpathyEducates!the becoming radical  A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by EmpathyEducates!The “Grit” Narrative, “Grit” Research, and Codes that BlindBy Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. January 30, 2014 The answer to Grant Lichtman’s Does “Grit” Need Deeper Discussion? appears to be an unequivocal yes—based on the exchang

by mike simpson / 51min 

2-2-14 EmpathyEducates!

empathyeducates:

Fight Over Effective Teachers Shifts to Courtroom

Some of the students who are suing the State of California over tenure for teachers walked to a news conference this week outside Superior Court in Los Angeles. Monica Almeida/The New York Times By Jennifer Medina | Originally Published at The New York Times. January 31, 2014 […]

by empathy / 5h 

2-1-14 EmpathyEducates!

1-25-14 empathyeducates All Weekempathyeducates: The “Grit” Narrative, “Grit” Research, and Codes that BlindBy Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. January 30, 2014 The answer to Grant Lichtman’s Does “Grit” Need Deeper Discussion? appears to be an unequivocal yes—based on the exchange in the blog post comments, the Twitter conversations, and comments at my blogs [

by mike simpson / 18min 

2-2-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School:

Ed Notes Online: Randi Weingarten Is Behind The Rebellion Against NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi

When the stories of the rift between the UFT contingent in the NYSUT and the Iannuzzi supporters first surfaced, I thought there was no way UFT President Michael Mulgrew was behind the plot without Randi's okay.I have never seen Mulgew take any actions that weren't already Randi-approved - from the Thompson endorsement in the 2013 NYC mayoral election to the APPR deal Mulgrew and Iannuzzi made wit

by reality-based edu... / 11min 

Oldie But Goodie: Chris Christie Will Get His

A Perdido Street School post from November 3, 2013: Chris Christie Will Get His Governor Chris Christie had another "Beat Up The Teachers" moment yesterday that has people in the education and progressive blogosphere upset.While Christie's bullying of a female teacher is upsetting to me as well (as is the clear glee with which his wife watches the bullying from the side), I would note t

by reality-based edu... / 46min 

Three Snow Events For The Week

We're supposed to get some snow tonight into tomorrow, perhaps as much as four inches before it's done.There's another storm on tap for Wednesday that could be a snow/ice/frozen rain event, making for hazardous travel, downed powerlines and overall misery around the region.And models are showing a significant storm for next weekend, perhaps Sunday into Monday, though with that time frame so far ou

by reality-based edu... / 18min 

David Wildstein Ruins Super Bowl Weekend For Chris Christie

Ever since that the letter David Wildstein's lawyer sent to the Port Authority alleging that Christie had lied about the GWB lane closures made it into the news on Friday night, Chris Christie has been having a miserable time.First he had to sneak into Howard Stern's 60th birthday party on Friday so as not to have to respond to questions from the press about the Wildstein memo.Then yesterday he go

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

2-1-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: Perdido Street School WeekChris Christie Has Three Scandals Dogging HimThe Newark Star-Ledger editorial board was brutal on Christie last night.The DN editorial board is brutal on him this morning: All the king’s horses and all the king’s men will never put Chris Christie together again if New Jersey’s governor fails to refute the accusation that he knew of the George Washin

by mike simpson / 48min 

NYC Educator: Governor Andy and the Unions

NYC Educator: Governor Andy and the Unions:

Governor Andy and the Unions

Last month at the Delegate Assembly, Jamaica HS chapter leader James Eterno introduced a resolution to withhold support from NY Governor Andrew Cuomo in his bid for a second term. This makes a lot of sense to me. After all, Governor Cuomo ran for his first term on a platform of taking on the unions. I'm a lifelong Democrat, and he was the first Democrat for whom I declined to vote. With Democrats like that, who needs Republicans?

Since then, Governor Andy has supported and implemented a 2% tax cap for school budgets. While this does not affect NYC, it affects almost every other district in the state. When I go to see my kid's guidance counselor, she can't promise me that the courses my daughter wants will even exist come September. Yet Governor Andy not only opposes a millionaire taxthat might supplement lost revenue, but also finds the audacity to compare said opposition to his father's stand against the death penalty. Do we really need a governor who passionately defends the bank accounts of the uber-wealthy against the education of our children?

As if that were not enough, Governor Andy passionately defends the junk-science based APPR system, sitting mute against John King's insistence that Buffalo use it to fire teachers even if it's untested and unreliable. In fact, as King and Tisch wandered the state in their fake listening tour, as parents overwhelmingly condemned their implementation of Common Core, we've heard very little from our esteemed governor on what action he'll take. He'll appoint a panel to study it. Weren't the voices of outraged parents and teachers all over the state evidence enough? Or do we need to make sure the conclusions are OK with DFER, Students First, Moskowitz backers, and whoever else wields the suitcases full of cash that lubricate our political process?

It's certainly true that Cuomo took a stand against the odious LIFO legislation that would have affected only NYC teachers. But he didn't really 

"That no children died or were even seriously hurt is... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

"That no children died or were even seriously hurt is... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

"That no children died or were even seriously hurt is testament to the caring and resourcefulness of those frontline workers" 

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FROM NATHAN DEAL'S WEBSITE

At about 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal attends a state Capitol ceremony to unveil Georgia’s new Gone With the Wind-themed tourism guide. Later he posed with actors portraying Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. From left to right: state Economic Development Commissioner Chris Carr, Gov. Nathan Deal. To the far right is state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, head of the House Committee on Economic Development and Tourism. (The individual behind Scarlett O’Hara is unidentified).

Previous Posts

• Storm shows why Georgia should believe in its teachers
  February 1, 2014
• Remember our debate on how Georgia looks to rest of country? Snowzilla didn't help.
  January 31, 2014
• I was wrong and this photo and lots of readers explain why. Clearing the air.
  January 31, 2014

By Maureen Downey

The AJC investigative teams are hard at work on how less than 3 inches of snow turned 30 minute commutes into 18-hour nightmares and stranded thousands of schoolchildren, some stuck on buses for hours without heat or food.

The reporters are asking critical questions: "Questions raised by Snowjam 2014 — or whatever we call it — go beyond reading weather warnings and deciding when to send out sand-spreaders, though. If Atlanta’s emergency system can’t handle 2.6 inches of afternoon snow, how could it ever withstand a more serious crisis, such as a chemical spill or a terrorist attack? For that matter, what if it snows again?"

Many people are talking about what would happen to them in the case of a mass evacuation of any kind.  Would they be able to get their children from schools? Would schools be able to move children out quickly to safety?

Here are excerpts of two great pieces this weekend.  There is also a good story on how Florida and other states handle mass evacuations.

First, an in-depth review of the failures of the state to take the storm seriously until it was too late. The piece is by reporters Johnny Edwards, Dan Chapman and Shannon