3-23-14 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.:

If you like ALEC’s Mayor then you will love ALEC’s Governor.

1 by Fred Klonsky / 19min

Why does Tim Meegan want to be a Chicago Alderman?

  It was such a cold Chicago morning that even with two layers of gloves my fingers started to tingle with frost bite.  I was knocking on doors for Will Guzzardi with Tim Meegan, who I had just met for the first time that morning. “I’m gonna run for Alderman,” he told me. I must have had a funny look. I asked, “Why would you want to do THAT?” Here’s why. I’m Tim Meegan, an independent progressive

4 by Fred Klonsky / 20min 

Sunday reads.

NYC Educator runs for union office. More like him should. They pissed away $3 million supporting the candidate from ALEC, an idea the membership wouldn’t buy.  The bill is the best charter bill of the season and deserves your immediate support.  David Sirota. Annual pension shortfall = $46B. Annual corporate subsidies = $120B Unions kick ALEC out of Oregon. But they endorsed ALEC Chairman as Gove

by Fred Klonsky / 9min 

3-22-14 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 teacherKeeping retirement weird. The viagra trial.It must be a sign of old age. I see a news item about the Vegara Trial in California? I read it as the Viagra Trial. The Vegara Trial, The California law suit that challenges teacher seni

by mike simpson / 48min 

Chicago 4th Grade Activist-Scholar, Asean Johnson, and his mother, Shoneice Reynolds , Give the Moving and Informative Keynote at the NYCORE - Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:



Great Keynotes From the NYCORE2014 Radical Possibilities Conference



Chicago 4th Grade Activist-Scholar, Asean Johnson, and his mother, Shoneice Reynolds , Give the Moving and Informative Keynote at the NYCORE-Organized Radical Possibilities Conference held on March 15, 2014 in Brooklyn, NY.

Grit Academic Success:

What’s Wrong with Grit?

By Vicki Zakrzewski

 Grit is all over the news these days–the “latest fad in schools, ” according to author Alfie Kohn. With research suggesting that grit is linked to academic success, many policy makers, school leaders, and educators are crossing their fingers that this might be the silver bullet needed to give a boost to struggling students.

Yet a closer examination of the actual research on grit reveals that there are many missing pieces to the grit puzzle. And if we’re not careful, encouraging our students to be “gritty” or, perhaps even worse, grading them on their level of grit–as they do at KIPP charter schools–may do more harm than good.

Leading grit researcher Angela Duckworth defines grit as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” In a nutshell, her research has found that students with high levels of grit are more successful in both academic and non-academic pursuits.

But there’s a lot more to grit then just identifying a goal and going for it. Before a school races to make grit a key factor in student success, here are a few important things to consider:

1. We don’t know how to teach it, and Duckworth is the first to admit this. So how can schools expect students to develop something that they’re not sure they can teach and students can learn, let alone grade them on it? It’s an unfair proposition for both students and teachers alike.

Part of the challenge is that it’s not known whether a person’s level of grit can change. Grit is understood by researchers to be a stable personality trait, possibly part of the trait of “conscientiousness.” What this means is that a person’s level of grit generally remains the same over time.

Yet while developmental psychologists agree that a child’s personality becomes more stable as he or she goes through certain developmental stages, research on personality traits in adults suggests that these traits may actually change gradually over the lifespan. However, much is predicated on other factors, such as 

Chicago Teachers Union | Response on Candid Video of Karen Lewis

Chicago Teachers Union | Response on Candid Video of Karen Lewis:

Media » Response on Candid Video of Karen Lewis

Chicago Teachers Union President spoke to U.S. Education Secretary about candid remarks

Click here to watch President Lewis' address at the Rethinking Schools - Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference.

Click here for Edward McClelland's take on the flap.

Click here for a statement from The Northwest Teaching For Justice Conference Committee Regarding President Lewis' Speech

CHICAGO – Today, the Chicago Teachers Union released the following statement in response to a viral video promoted by right-wing, anti-public education advocates. The edited clip features remarks made by President Karen GJ Lewis in a keynote address before the Rethinking Schools - Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference which convened in Seattle last month.

This afternoon, Lewis spoke with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and apologized for her comments:

“Karen Lewis has always been candid and outspoken when discussing the personalities and policies that have adversely impacted public education in our nation.   The observations she made about herself and other public figures were an attempt at humor and candor before a live audience.   Though these comments were made more than a month ago, today they are being presented out of context in order to shift the focus from bad public policy decisions in education to attacks on her character,” said CTU spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin. 

“While she may never be honored with the Mark Twain Award for comedy, President Lewis’ opinions and self-deprecating humor were an attempt to lighten the mood during a long and serious discussion about the on-going campaign to blame and vilify teachers for everything wrong with public education.”  

"We who have spent our lives educating children can't help but be hurt and defensive about the attacks on our effectiveness and commitment to improving our schools and the future of our students," says Lewis.  "As a classroom teacher with more than two decades of experience and now as a leader of the third largest teachers union in the country, this teaches me that I can never let frustrations get in the way of carrying out my responsibilities as a leader."

3-23-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Teacher Barth Keck adds his voice to the debate about the Common Core and related testing

As Connecticut’s public school students begin taking the Common Core Balanced Assessment Field Test of a test this week, more and more serious questions are being raised about the Common Core and its associated testing charade. As evidenced during the recent public hearing held by the General Assembly’s Education Committee, apologists for the Common Core […]The post Teacher Barth Keck adds his voi

by jonpelto / 26min 

Another MUST READ comment from the Wait,What? reader known as jrp1900

One of yesterday’s Wait,What? posts was entitled, “Election Year: Incumbent or challenger – You MUST READ this column.” The article re-posted a column written by Sarah Darer Littman and began with the statement. In a stunning piece written by pro-public education advocate and CT Newsjunkie columnist Sarah Darer Littman, Connecticut’s elected officials and anyone considering […]The post Another MUS

by jonpelto / 1h hide  //  save

Legislative Leaders’ failure to act leaves many parents in limbo on Common Core Testing

For weeks the Malloy administration has been engaged in an outrageous public relations campaign to mislead parents of Connecticut’s public school students into believing that they did not have the right to opt their children out of this year’s Common Core Smarter Balanced Field Test of the test. Rather than stand up for the rights […]The post Legislative Leaders’ failure to act leaves many parents

by jonpelto / 1h 

3-22-14 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?:  Wait What? All WeekElection Year: Incumbent or challenger – You MUST READ this columnIn a stunning piece written by pro-public education advocate and CT Newsjunkie columnist Sarah Darer Littman, Connecticut’s elected officials and anyone considering running for office are provided with a MUST READ substantive, educational and powerful piece entitled, “Politicians Underestimate Common

by mike simpson / 31min 

3-23-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

Sen. Grassley seeking to defund Common Core in Congress

Having tried unsuccessfully last year to persuade his colleagues in Congress to defund the Common Core program, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) is at it again. Grassley is circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter asking legislators to sign on to a separate missive that will be sent early next month to Senate education budget appropriators, asking […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 5min 

Kindergarten teacher: My job is now about tests and data — not children. I quit.

Susan Sluyter is a veteran teacher of young children in the Cambridge Public Schools who has been connected to the district for nearly 20 years and teaching for more than 25 years. Last month she sent a resignation letter ( “with deep love and a broken heart”) explaining that she could no longer align her understanding […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 5min 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 3-22-14

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetChicago students pulled out of class for questioning over test boycottSome Chicago public school students were taken out of class and questioned by district investigators who are looking into a boycott staged by teachers of the mandatory Illinois Standard Achievement Test earlier this month — and their parents, who weren’t asked for permission — are angr

by mike simpson / 27min 

3-23-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Video: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Happened 103 Years Ago This Week

The terrible Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire happened on March 25, 1911. I’m adding this video to The Best Resources For Learning About The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which movingly makes the connection to what’s happening in Bangladesh sweatshops and in the United States today (be aware it contains graphic images). It definitely conveys a strong point-of-view and, to be safe, some teache

by Larry Ferlazzo / 20min hide  //  save

Even More Cesar Chavez Resources

The late labor leader Cesar Chavez is in the news this week, with a new movie being released and his official birthday celebration coming up. Here are some new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About Cesar Chavez: The San Francisco Chronicle has published two good articles related to the new film about Chavez’s life: ‘Cesar Chavez’ movie: An extraordinary ordinary man ‘Chavez’ revives labo

by Larry Ferlazzo / 20min 

Do You Teach IB Theory Of Knowledge & Are You Looking For The New Presentation Planning Document?

There have been lots of changes in IB Theory of Knowledge classes this year, and they are not making it any easier to cover everything in two semesters. These changes include ones related to the required Oral Presentation. The old TOK Planning Document is no longer the one we’re supposed to be using. Chris Coey, one of my colleagues at Luther Burbank High School, fortunately went to a TOK traini

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3min 

Some Recent Excellent Posts On Classroom Instruction

As usual, I’m hopelessly behind in sharing resources I want to post about, so I’ve decided to share several ones that loosely fall under the category of “classroom instruction.” This may or may not become the first in a series: Skills Practice | Alternative History as Narrative is from The New York Times Learning Network. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons

by Larry Ferlazzo / 19min 

New Obamacare Resources

Here are new additions to The Best Interactives Showing How Obamacare Works: Obamacare: Enrollment numbers and Medicaid expansion is from CNN.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 13min 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 3-22-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAYMarch’s Infographics & Interactives Galore – Part FourThere are just so many good infographics and interactives out there that I’ve begun a new semi-regular feature called “Infographics & Interactives Galore.” You can see others at A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Infographics a

by mike simpson / 1h 

Federal complaint filed on behalf of parents who speak Spanish and Vietnamese | The Lens

Federal complaint filed on behalf of parents who speak Spanish and Vietnamese | The Lens:

Federal complaint filed on behalf of parents who speak Spanish and Vietnamese

By Katy Reckdahl, Contributor    1 HOUR AGO    

  PRINT

Matthew Hinton/The Advocate

Using an app that scans an English text and translates it into Spanish, Ramon Leon helps his son with homework at the VAYLA office in eastern New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS — Every school night, Ramon Leon helps his older son  with his homework. Typically, they speed through the math worksheets. Word problems take longer because Leon’s son, a third grader at a New Orleans charter school, has to translate them into Spanish for his father, who speaks little English. Grammar worksheets sometimes stump them both. (Leon does not want the school’s name published out of respect for his son’s teachers.)

Leon, who moved to New Orleans from Mexico with two sons just before the start of the school year, is an involved parent: He attends all report-card conferences — using his third grader as an interpreter. On the nights when he can’t help his older son figure out an assignment, he won’t sign the homework form. Instead, he writes “No entiendo” — Spanish for “I don’t understand.”

Usually, the teacher responds with a note to him in English. And the confusion continues.

The Leon family’s dilemma is typical of the challenges facing New Orleans families who speak Spanish and Vietnamese. Households where the two languages are spoken make up the overwhelming majority of the city’s non-English-speakers; and most of their children attend a decentralized school system dominated by independently operated charter schools.

Interviews with a dozen such families with children in a range of schools found that many of the schools fail to translate letters, school calendars, or even report cards. Typically, all signs posted in the school’s office are written in English. Automated phone 

Michelle Gunderson: Chicago School Officials Question Children Who Opt Out: Intimidation? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Michelle Gunderson: Chicago School Officials Question Children Who Opt Out: Intimidation? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Michelle Gunderson: Chicago School Officials Question Children Who Opt Out: Intimidation?

By Anthony Cody on March 23, 2014 10:23 AM

Guest post by Michelle Gunderson.

Chicago Public School officials sank to a new and unprecedented low this week. Children whose parents opted them out of testing were pulled from classrooms and questioned by officials from the district law office without parents' knowledge or consent. Parents, teachers, and community members are livid - and justly so.

When my son heard of small children (some as young as 8 years old) being questioned, he asked that I write this note on his arm with a Sharpie as an act of protest. "You may not speak to my son without my permission."

These photos are meant to be disturbing and provocative.

The visual impact of my son being "branded" on his forearm is intentional. He is in eighth grade, asked to be opted out, and is the son of an activist. He can hold his own. Imagine, though, being an 8 year old and a child whose primary language is not English.

When angry parents and community members questioned whether or not these actions were legal, CPS spokesperson Joel Hood said, "I'm not sure what would make it illegal."

The district claimed it was acting in loco parentis. Bruce Boyer and Stacey Platt, law professors from the Civitas program at Loyola University stated, in loco parentis is not a "license for schools and school districts to investigate and intimidate children, families, and 

RPNPS Voices: SUPER BLINKING RED ALERT ON HB6005 *

RPNPS Voices: SUPER BLINKING RED ALERT ON HB6005 *:

SUPER BLINKING RED ALERT ON HB6005 *

*(I will update this post as other people submit their witness slips.)



Ok, I'm ratcheting up the threat level from Red Alert to SUPER BLINKING RED ALERT on HB 6005, the Charter Accountability Act, which has a hearing in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee on Monday, April 24, which is in two days.

And just to be clear, the threat is from apathy, inertia, or fatigue, not the bill. The bill is the best charter bill of the season and deserves your immediate support. 

In order to get laws that counteract the destruction of the privatization movement, we have to first get bills out of committee. It's Saturday evening, and as of this post, I am the only person in Illinois affirmed as a proponent of this excellent bill.**( awesome update below) 

We really need to have about a thousand other people filling out witness slips, so that during the hearing, someone can point out that the overwhelming majority of official witnesses are in favor of the Act. You can bet that on Monday morning, the charter people, the Stand For Children money-hurling mafia, and at least one of the Steans heiresses are going to sign in asopponents.

Look at the witness list as of 5:30 PM Saturday night.**(update below)

I feel like Gladys Kravitz at the window. Abner! Abner! These bills don't pass themselves, and they don't pass if people think nobody cares about them. Please, please, please fill out a witness slip as a proponent. You can even submit testimony, likePURE recently did for three related bills.  In a previous post, I explained how to submit the written testimony, but here it is again.

But you don't have to do written testimony. You can just do what I did in this earlier video (about a different bill). Click here to get started.



This bill on deck for Monday, HB6005, is the best bill I've seen for clearing up some of the standard abuses in the charter sector. Read the whole bill and tell me what's in there that you disagree with. There won't be anything. It's a GREAT bill that needs witnesses as proponents for it. The charter people will fight it tooth and nail because it puts sunlight on things that they'd rather have stay in the dark.



HERE IS THE SPECIFIC WITNESS SLIP FOR HB6005. Please fill one out as a proponent right now, and then have your friends do the same. If you run an organization, fill one out on behalf of your organization. If you're just an individual citizen, then fill out the blanks as "Private Citizen" or whatever you like.



Here's CTU's positive assessment of the bill, and frankly, they've left out a number of really good things about the it!

Please don't wait. IFT will probably not weigh in (more on that later), and IEA is, in my humble opinion, totally asleep at the wheel. This is up to us. We have to pass this bill at the grassroots level-- people have worked for days and days on these bills; we could use a little help here, from everyone!

HERE IS THE WITNESS SLIP LINK AGAIN. GO!

Love,

Tim

**UPDATE 9:54 PM Jennie Biggs informs me that it's possible others have witness-slipped this bill earlier and aren't showing. I agree.  Anyway, looks like the cavalry is riding in. Thank goodness! Join in! Here's who's on board as of 8:50 AM Sunday; it's awesome, but we're still 987 short of our goal. Tell your friends! (I'll check in again around 12:30 PM.)

Use this to fortify your resolve!

Go!