5-6-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Resources For “Endangered Species Day”

May 22nd has been named The International Day for Biological Diversity by the United Nations. In the United States, May 21st was designated Endangered Species Day by Congress. You might be interested in The Best Resources For World Biodiversity Day (& Endangered Species Day).

by Larry Ferlazzo / 26min 

Just Updated “Choose Your Own Adventure” List

My students love reading “choose your own adventure” stories, and I’ve just updated my popular The Best Places To Read & Write “Choose Your Own Adventure” Stories list. Actually, I only had time to update the first half — the one with links to online stories. I still have to get around to revising the second half on tools to create them. Just another item on my “to do” list….

by Larry Ferlazzo / 15min hide  //  save

Wow! 800 Pound Gorilla Google Unveils “Google Classroom” That May Make Many Present Tools Irrelevant

Google has just unveiled Google Classroom, which looks like a one-stop shop for teachers and students. It’s free, with no ads, and describes itself as providing the ability to: Create and collect assignments: Classroom weaves together Google Docs, Drive and Gmail to help teachers create and collect assignments paperlessly. They can quickly see who has or hasn’t completed the work, and provide di

by Larry Ferlazzo / 15min 

“Six ways teachers can stay energized” Is My New Post At Teaching English

Six ways teachers can stay energized is my latest monthly post at Teaching English at the British Council. Here’s an excerpt: You can see all my prior Teaching English posts here.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 27min 

The Best Articles Showing Why Education Reform Is NOT The Best Way To Fight Poverty

Paul Bruno has described one of my common frustrations: When charged with “ignoring poverty”, many education reformers will respond that in fact improving education is the best way to fight poverty. Arne Duncan once went so far as to say that “the only way to end poverty is through education.” Here are some articles questioning that perspective, and I hope readers will contribute more. In additio

by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h hide  //  save

More Resources On The Upcoming World Cup

Here are some new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The 2014 World Cup In Brazil: A Knuckleball No More: World Cup Soccer Ball Gets A Redesign is from NPR. How to Speak Football Infographic is from Kaplan. Here’s a great Powerade commercial connected to the World Cup:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h 

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

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Learn About Mother’s Day & Conjunctions In My Latest NY Times Post For ELLsLearn about Mother’s Day AND conjunctions in my latest New York Times post for English Language Learners. It includes a student interactive and teaching ideas. You might also be interested in my previous forty NY Times posts for ELLs. You might a

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-6-14 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.:

Maybe I’m amazed. Rahm can’t afford to buy his own Paul McCartney tickets. And no lunch with Rauner.

Fresh on the heels of stories about Rahm’s law-breaking motorcades and his snub of the great Whitney Young girls state championship basketball team comes the latest scandal. Actually, it’s not a scandal. I’m not even amazed. I just think it’s funny that Rahm, who is a millionaire from his Wall Street days, doesn’t buy his own Paul McCartney tickets. I’m somewhat amazed that people still go to Pau

by Fred Klonsky / 23min hide  //  save

Ten minute drawing. Rahmball.

1 by Fred Klonsky / 3h 

5-5-14 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.: John, Glen, Ken and I discuss. What should we do about Quinn and Rauner?John Dillon, Glen Brown, Ken Previti and I are all retired teachers, activists, advocates for pension justice and bloggers. Today we discuss the issue of what our union and the members of the Illinois Education Association, should

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-6-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

MOREista Brian Jones to Run for Lt. Gov on Green Party

Well, I guess the UFT won't be endorsing the Green Party against Cuomo and Duffy, his Lt. Gov ed deform slug who tried to shove the mayoral control shiv into Rochester when he was mayor there.I am excited to let you know that Brian Jones has stepped up to run as the Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor.Brian would not just balance the Green Party ticket. He will multiply it.To be sure, ba

by ed notes online / 0min

Press Conf Protesting Charter Law at 9AM/ Charter Gold Rush to Come in NYS

9AM: presser starting now, followed by 10AM City Council hearing on charters.WHAT:          Press conference to protest new state law requiring New York City to give charter schools preference for space and resources, while schools in community school districts need space and resources to properly serve public school students.     WHO:            NYC public school parents, City Council members, el

by ed notes online / 1h hide  //  save

Factless Danny Feldman is Outraged at Arthur Goldstein Over Contract Crticisms

WHAT DID YOU EVER DO BESIDES WHINE AND TALK ABOUT FALSE LOYALTY OATHS?  -- Danny Feldman accusing Arthur Goldstein, who actually does something as chapter leader of one of the largest schools in the city, with almost 300 members.Gee, Factless Feldman, get a clue. As a union official did you actually know what chapter leaders did?Diane Ravitch, who praised the contract, also gave Arthur space to re

by ed notes online / 2h 

5-5-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Charter WaitList Balderdash Exposed - Show Us the NamesWAIT, WAIT. DON’T MISLEAD ME! - NINE REASONS TO BE SKEPTICAL ABOUT CHARTER WAITLIST NUMBERS.”I have always challenged the charter lobby wait-list bullshit - challenging them to show is the names. They won't. So with the lobby releasing info today that there are billions and billions of parents clamoring to get their children i

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-6-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Oh for crying out loud – Here comes Malloy on Teacher Appreciation Week

Dannel “Dan” Malloy holds the title of the most (or 2nd most) anti-teacher Democratic Governor in the nation.  (New York’s Andrew Cuomo keeps trying to push Malloy out of the top spot). But in a “have you no shame” moment, the politician who said that that all teachers had to do was show up for […] The post Oh for crying out loud – Here comes Malloy on Teacher Appreciation Week appeared first on W

by jonpelto / 1min 

Malloy’s “NO TAX” pledge will send Connecticut into the abyss

As a result of Governor Malloy’s gimmick ridden state budget, the candidate who wins the 2014 gubernatorial election will take office facing a projected state budget deficit of $1.3 billion or more. By using one-time revenues for on-going expenses, purposefully under-funding various government programs and utilizing a series of budget gimmicks, the new 2014-2015 state […] The post Malloy’s “NO TAX

1 by jonpelto / 1h 

5-5-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: Re-posting Malloy’s Teacher evaluation system is fundamentally and fatally flawedPublic education advocate Wendy Lecker’s latest column is reaching a national audience thanks to Diane Ravitch’s blog. Here is a re-post of Saturday’s Wait, What? post about Lecker’s commentary piece. In her latest MUST READ commentary piece, fellow public education advocate, Wendy Lecker, lays out the fac

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-6-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

‘Do You Wanna Go To Starbucks?’ (or ‘how to get through finals’) — a musical parody

If you or anybody you know is suffering through finals, here’s some relief: a mini-musical parody on the song from the movie “Frozen” called “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?” Done by two students from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, it is called,  ”Do You Wanna Go To Starbucks?” Music and acting by […]

200+ by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

A Common Core math quiz. See how you do.

As the Common Core State Standards are being implemented in most states and the District, new aligned tests are being designed for students to start taking next year. Right now, millions of students around the country are taking field tests on these exams, and by many accounts, the questions are a lot more difficult than […]

by Valerie Strauss / 13min hide  //  save

U.S. lawmakers thank their favorite teachers: ‘She flunked me — and rightly so!’

Thanks to all the teachers out there who are helping students #ReachHigher and achieve their dreams. You’re incredible! #ThankATeacher –mo — The First Lady (@FLOTUS) May 6, 2014 In honor of National Teacher Day on Tuesday, a number of U.S. lawmakers from various states tweeted about their favorite teachers at #ThankATeacher. Here’s a list of […]

by Valerie Strauss / 43min 

New report cites $100 million-plus in waste, fraud in charter school industry

A new report (see below) by two groups that oppose reforms that are privatizing public education finds fraud and waste totaling more than $100 million of taxpayer funds in 15 of the 42 states that operate charter schools. The report, titled “Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud, & Abuse,” and released by the nonprofit organizations Integrity […]

by Valerie Strauss / 1min 

A history of Pearson’s testing problems worldwide

Now that Pearson, the worldwide education company, has won a huge contract with PARCC,  one of the two multi-state consortia designing new Common Core-aligned tests with federal funds, it seems like a good time to review problems Pearson has had with previous projects. I’ve run one of these before but this is an updated list […]

1 by Valerie Strauss / 37min 

What ‘setting high expectations’ for all students really means

How many times have you heard that schools need to create “a culture of high expectations” for all students? What exactly is that?  Esther Quintero, a research associate at the nonprofit Albert Shanker Institute, explains in this post, which first appeared on the institute’s blog.   By Esther Quintero What exactly is “a culture of […]

8 by Valerie Strauss / 6h 

5-5-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Virginia’s SOL exams: what students need to know to pass (and graduate on time)Today is the day when Virginia students will start running what teacher Mary Tedrow calls the state’s ” testing gauntlet” which seems to test endurance at least as much as knowledge. In this post, Tedrow looks at the sample questions of Standards of Learning tests and explains what students need to kno

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-6-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week

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

The Florida PTA? Not THOSE Parents!

Washington Post writer, Valerie Strauss pointed out the indefensible double-standard which Florida republican legislators operate when it comes to education policy. One statement in particular stood out to Strauss: The Associated Press quoted Sen. Joe Negron, a Republican from Stuart, as saying “Let’s let parents decide. Parents are the first and best educators.” Funny thing about that: The best-k

by Bob Sikes / 3h 

5-5-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: “There is school choice and there is the destruction of public education choice”A teacher and candidate for Marion School Board, Diane Schrier writes in the Ocala Star Banner: Marion County has been lucky so far, as we’ve managed to be able to keep out most of these orga

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-6-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

If This Is Teacher Appreciation, I’m Glad It Is Only a Week

If This Is Teacher Appreciation, I’m Glad It Is Only a Week. via If This Is Teacher Appreciation, I’m Glad It Is Only a Week.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

1 by plthomasedd / 1h 

5-5-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: “TAKING BACK OUR SCHOOLS” May 17th  Come and bring your families, your friends, and your colleagues to NYC on May 17th to show the world how we are    from corporate “reformers”.http://saveourschoolsmarch.org/event/nyc-metro-spring-action/1 by David Greene / 9min hide  //  saveGuest Post: Joining Forces for Education report back from the CSUN Parents’ ForumBy Ellen Lubic, Directo

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-6-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:

The Charter School Hustle by Notorious Phd

There's something goinground,called the Charter SchoolDump,pushing public schoolsdown,And charter schoolsup,When a student actsout,Or bombs on a testThe charters throwhim outSo their numberslook bestAnd the public schoolswho takeCharter refugeesWatch pols use their scoresto Bring them to theirknees.Its all about theBenjamins,And political muscleIt's the Urban Dance theycallThe Charter School Hustl

by Mark Naison / 43min 

5-4-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent: The "Sit and Stare" Policies used against Test Resistors are Daily Practice in Many Charter SchoolsFor the past year, I have been working with, and trying to get legal representation for, parents whose children have been forced to "sit and stare" during standardized tests they have refused to take. This punitive policy has outraged parents and Test Refus

by mike simpson / 6h 

5-6-14 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):

If This Is Teacher Appreciation, I’m Glad It Is Only a Week

Talk back, speak up, be heard. Bill Ayers, To Teach. This is not the time for the teacher of any language to follow the line of least resistance, to teach without the fullest possible knowledge of the implications of his medium. LaBrant, L. (1947, January). Research in language. Elementary English, 24(1), 86-94. The first full week in May 2014 is a swift punch in the gut of teachers across the U

7 by plthomasedd / 1h 

5-5-14 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): Consumed by the Digital DivideThe term “digital divide” is commonly used in education as a subset of the “achievement gap”—representing the inequity between impoverished and affluent students. Both terms, however, tend to keep the focus on observable or measurable outcom

by mike simpson / 5h