Monday, July 14, 2014

Morning Wink 7-14-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-14-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Paul Thomas on Arne Duncan and the Myth of Low ExpectationsPaul Thomas here reviews many of the public statements of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and finds a common theme: the cause of low test scores is low expectations.   If only society, the schools, and parents had higher expectations, no child would be left behind, no ch
7-14-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?:   Wait What? Connecticut deserves a government that will tell its citizens the truthAnd a Governor who has the courage and conviction to work to set Connecticut back on the right path. As the CT Mirror explains in the series on where the candidates stand of the state budget, Pelto: State budget deficit reveals a broken fiscal system;  Former state Rep. Jonathan Pelto doesn’t have any t
7-14-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Infographic: “Around The World In 80 Hats”I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures:by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h7-13-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLarry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Latest Re
7-14-14 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.: There’s a national assault on teacher pensions. I wonder if the AFT and the NEA heard?Michael “Macho Man” Mulgrew. Yesterday I began the afternoon watching the live streaming of the debate over Common Core. What could be more moving than hearing my friend Michelle Gunderson speaking about the damage C
7-14-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursd
7-14-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Is Chris Christie In An "Unholy Alliance" With Andrew Cuomo Over The Bridgegate Scandal?Fred Dicker raises the question in his NY Post column today:One of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s jobs as this year’s head of the Republican Governors Association is to help elect more GOP governors, but don’t tell that to people working on Astorino’s campaign. “Chris Christie
Another teachers union ding for Arne Duncan - Allie Grasgreen - POLITICO.com
Another teachers union ding for Arne Duncan - Allie Grasgreen - POLITICO.com: Another teachers union ding for Arne Duncan7532  The resolution calls for Duncan to enact an 'improvement plan.' | AP PhotoBy ALLIE GRASGREEN | 7/13/14 5:50 PM EDTThe American Federation of Teachers approved a resolution this afternoon calling for Education Secretary Arne Duncan to resign if he does not improve under a p
NYC Educator: Cuomo Is Awful, but Astorino Is No Better
NYC Educator: Cuomo Is Awful, but Astorino Is No Better: Cuomo Is Awful, but Astorino Is No BetterIt's sad that New Yorkers have such miserable choices in our two-party system. Lately I've been encountering a sea of "anybody but Cuomo" tweets and anti-Cuomo tweeters, but they seem to regard Rob Astorino as an alternative. In his favor, he publicly opposes Common Core, and is unequivocal
Louisiana Educator: 100% Error Rate on Student Transfers
Louisiana Educator: 100% Error Rate on Student Transfers: 100% Error Rate on Student TransfersNew Orleans Recovery District Found to Have a 100% Error Rate on Certain Transfer DataWhy is it important for student transfer data to be accurate? Because a school can falsely identify some of their dropouts as transfers and thereby boost their graduation rate. It seems that the New Orleans Recovery Dist
Common Core: A House that Doesn’t Make Sense | Missouri Education Watchdog
Common Core: A House that Doesn’t Make Sense | Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core: A House that Doesn’t Make SenseinShareThe Common Core Core-ites constantly ask those opposed to show them a standard “they don’t like”.  Taken out of context, it might be difficult to take umbrage to specific standards, but taken as a whole, it is easier to determine if they make sense or not.  This is a tacti
Shanker Blog » A New Idea For Test-Based Accountability In DC: Actual Test Scores
Shanker Blog » A New Idea For Test-Based Accountability In DC: Actual Test Scores: A New Idea For Test-Based Accountability In DC: Actual Test ScoresPosted by Matthew Di Carlo on July 14, 2014The Washington Post reports on an issue that we have discussed here on many occasions: The incompleteness of the testing results released annually by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), or, more a
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESTells AFT delegates, "We will go forward together."Rev. Wm. Barber II, president of NC's NAACP chapter “If they’ve got to fight us this hard, we’ve got to be some bad somebodies,” Barber said eliciting a standing ovation from the crowd. -- Teacher union convention opens with fiery speechSalim MuwakkilChronic poverty is cr
Delegates at AFT’s Convention Denounce Arne Duncan | janresseger
Delegates at AFT’s Convention Denounce Arne Duncan | janresseger: Delegates at AFT’s Convention Denounce Arne DuncanPosted on July 14, 2014 by janressegerIn the second such action in two weeks, yesterday the delegates of a national teachers union at its national convention passed a resolution repudiating U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.Yesterday the American Federation of Teachers, meeting

YESTERDAY

7-13-14 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: Karen Lewis, Ras Baraka, and "Worried" White PeopleFellow white people, heed my advice, please:Relax.Take a stroll. Enjoy a decaf macchiato. Do some yoga, And stop reading the newspaper, which these days seems to be full of pieces by some more of our fellow worried white people -- in this case, the very reformy and very white Tom Moran -- designed to make us very, very...
American Federation of Teachers: “Remediating” Duncan and Retaining the “Corrupted” Common Core | deutsch29
American Federation of Teachers: “Remediating” Duncan and Retaining the “Corrupted” Common Core | deutsch29: American Federation of Teachers: “Remediating” Duncan and Retaining the “Corrupted” Common CoreJuly 13, 2014I’m wondering what of substance was accomplished thus far at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) national convention in Los Angeles July 11-14, 2014.On July 13, 2014, AFT was su
Gates Funding Mainstream Education Reporting | Truth in American Education
Gates Funding Mainstream Education Reporting | Truth in American Education: Gates Funding Mainstream Education ReportingFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on July 14, 2014 • 0 CommentsNBC News’ Education coverage is bought and paid for by Bill Gates.Photo credit: World Economic Forum (CC-By-SA 2.0)A friend shared with me this NBC News article on my Facebook wall.  It discuss
L.A. teachers union leader Caputo-Pearl links activism to strike - Los Angeles Times
L.A. teachers union leader Caputo-Pearl links activism to strike - Los Angeles Times: L.A. teachers union leader Caputo-Pearl links activism to strikeL.A. teachers union leader Alex Caputo-Pearl has told members to get ready for a possible strike. Chicago teachers union leader Karen Lewis sits to his right at the weekend convention. (Howard Blume)The new leader of the Los Angeles teachers union si
The Myth of Military Might | Bill Ayers
The Myth of Military Might | Bill Ayers: The Myth of Military MightA pervasive and widely promoted theory that runs loose throughout the land is that being a military powerhouse makes the US (and people everywhere) safe, protects freedoms, and is a force for peace in a threatening, dangerous, and hostile world. It’s not true, but it has a huge and sticky hold on our imaginations.When some random p
7-13-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursd
Sacramento Journalist Seth Sandronsky Reviews A Chronicle of Echoes | deutsch29
Sacramento Journalist Seth Sandronsky Reviews A Chronicle of Echoes | deutsch29: Sacramento Journalist Seth Sandronsky ReviewsA Chronicle of EchoesJuly 13, 2014BOOK REVIEW/Seth SandronskyEducation Reformers’ PlaybookWant names of and motives for public school reformers? Read A Chronicle of Echoes: Who’s Who in the Implosion of American Public Education by Mercedes K. Schneider.The author has skin
Nite Cap 7-13-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #AFT14
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPempathyeducates – Perspective: Re-envision CPS as a Democratic Communityempathyeducates – Perspective: Re-envision CPS as a Democratic Community: Perspective: Re-envision CPS as a Democratic CommunityStudents do their homework during a public hea
empathyeducates – Perspective: Re-envision CPS as a Democratic Community
empathyeducates – Perspective: Re-envision CPS as a Democratic Community: Perspective: Re-envision CPS as a Democratic CommunityStudents do their homework during a public hearing in April on the proposal to close Dumas Technology Academy and consolidate the school with Wadsworth Elementary. The hearing was held at Chicago Public Schools headquarters. (E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune / April 25
NYC Educator: New NYSUT Leadership Breaks Fundamental Promise
NYC Educator: New NYSUT Leadership Breaks Fundamental Promise: New NYSUT Leadership Breaks Fundamental PromiseLast spring I was recruited to run for NYSUT Executive Vice President, and I ran all over the state to forums. NYSUT leadership was challenged by a UFT-supported group called "Revive NYSUT."The first forum, in Melville NY, was the most open. All candidates were asked questions, a
Questioning Education Reformers' Motives: The Big Taboo - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Questioning Education Reformers' Motives: The Big Taboo - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Questioning Education Reformers' Motives: The Big TabooBy Anthony Cody on July 13, 2014 5:15 PMWhen Lyndsey Layton interviewed Bill Gates a few months ago, she violated one of the major taboos of the education reform discourse. She suggested that he needed to respond to concerns being raised abou
Marie Corfield: Camden: Improving the quality of life for 'other people'
Marie Corfield: Camden: Improving the quality of life for 'other people': Camden: Improving the quality of life for 'other people'Taking a break from NJ State BOE testimony to bring you an update on one of the poorest, most dangerous cities in the country: Camden. And borrowing some of the title from a Camden educator's blog post last week (more below).While my little graphic may be snarky, the da
7-13-14 Schools Matter All Week
Schools Matter: Compelling evidenceSent to the Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2014In "Test scores may move, learning doesn't" (July 12), Jo Craven McGinty says that there is "compelling evidence"  that the US education system is inadequate, because American students "score below average in math and average in reading and science" when compared to other countries on int
7-13-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: #AFT14 Report - Common Core Debate - Epic Battle Between Chicago/CORE and UFT/UnityThe great Sarah Chambers nails them to the wall opposing Common Core ..... Watch it live: bit.ly/1wbeSZGGloria in visitor's section just texted - Unity are positioning themselves now near mikes....  Common Core debate begins [Common Core] will die no matter what the AFT does because, frankly, it doe
AFT L.A. CONVENTION- TRUTH, PLATITUDES...AND NO ACTION - Perdaily.com
AFT L.A. CONVENTION- TRUTH, PLATITUDES...AND NO ACTION - Perdaily.com: AFT L.A. CONVENTION- TRUTH, PLATITUDES...AND NO ACTION(Mensaje se repite en Espaรฑol)The hardest lies to address are ones embedded in truth. As the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) convention opened in Los Angeles on Friday, July 11th with the keynote speech. President Randi Weingarten clearly laid out the 5 point battle pl
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Want to get your unqualified kid a teaching certificate? You know who to call...
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Want to get your unqualified kid a teaching certificate? You know who to call...: Want to get your unqualified kid a teaching certificate? You know who to call...If you're a powerful suburban billionaire like Bruce Rauner and you want to get your daughter into one of Chicago's elite selective-enrollment high schools like Walter Payton, you give a call to Arne Duncan 
Christie bends on state tests, parents thrown under the school bus | Bob Braun's Ledger
Christie bends on state tests, parents thrown under the school bus | Bob Braun's Ledger: Christie bends on state tests, parents thrown under the school busThe Bros                Gov. Chris Christie has agreed to a two-year delay in using the results of new standardized tests to evaluate New Jersey public school teachers, according to Statehouse and other sources. He also will reduce, from 30 perc
(Unofficial) DCPS Feeder Patterns & 2013 School Classification (Index Score) | EdCentrist
(Unofficial) DCPS Feeder Patterns & 2013 School Classification (Index Score) | EdCentrist: (Unofficial) DCPS Feeder Patterns & 2013 School Classification (Index Score)Leave a commentUpdated Version:In order to provide clarity, and thanks in large part to feedback, I’ve eliminated the “Focus” classification, which is a special classification, and not necessarily tied to a school’s index sco
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-13-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Saturday @ The Aft ConventionThe American Federation of Teachers Convention continues at the L.A. Convention  through Monday.  If you can’t go you can watch at http://aft.org/convention/live.cfm Here’s the schedule: Sunday, July 13 8:30 AM | Nominating session 10 AM | General session  2 PM | General session Monday, July 14 9 AM | General session   on Sa
7-13-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?:   Wait What? All WeekCharter Advocates Give New Meaning To ‘Chutzpah’ (by Sarah Darer Littman)Charter Advocates Give New Meaning To ‘Chutzpah’ Sarah Darer Littman, pro-public school advocate, award winning columnist and parent has written one of the most powerful commentary pieces about the state of the state when it comes to the Charter School Industry and how the Malloy administratio
Photo Gallery from AFT Panel: Social Movement Unionism vs. Corporate “Reform”
Photo Gallery from AFT Panel: Social Movement Unionism vs. Corporate “Reform”: A Teacher's Letter to President Obama: Apartheid Still Exists in Some U.S. SchoolsThis is part of a series of letters written by practicing teaching professionals in classrooms around America. These teachers have daily direct contact with schoolchildren. K12NN is proud to present Letters to President Obama. Letters were
Reclaim the Promise: Leaders Address National Teachers' Convention Chicago Student Activist Asean Johnson #AFT14
Chicago Leaders Address National Teachers' ConventionLOS ANGELES—Several Chicagoans stole the show today at the American Federation of Teachers' national convention that runs through Monday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.From student activist Asean Johnson and Jitu Brown, national director of the Journey for Justice Alliance, to Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, the city's tenaci
SACBEE Corporate Editorial Board Tars and Feathers Banda on the Way INTO Town!
Editorial: Little exciting about next Sacramento school chief - Editorials - The Sacramento Bee: Editorial: Little exciting about next Sacramento school chiefBy the Editorial BoardPublished: Sunday, Jul. 13, 2014 - 12:00 amJosรฉ L. Banda, Sacramento’s presumptive next superintendent of schools, appears perfectly capable of the job.He’s been superintendent of schools for a number of urban school dis
Morning Wink 7-13-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS7-13-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): ESPN, Mansplaining, and the U.S. MediaWhat do NPR, conservative talk radio/media, and ESPN rad





LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-14-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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






Missouri Governor Signs Bill to Review Common Core
Jay Nixon, Governor of Missouri, signed a bill to review and revise Common Core. It will remain in place for next two years,


Good News! David Sirota’s New Job
Just received good news from crack investigative journalist David Sirota: http://davidsirota.com/ July 14, 2014 ———————————————————— Friends: http://www.ibtimes.com I just wanted to share some exciting news in my world – as of July 21st, I will be starting a new job at the International Business Times (www.ibtimes.com). I will be a senior writer focusing on the intersection of politics, business


Clay Pell: A Fresh Face for Rhode Island Governor
Clay Pell, a grandson of Rhode Island’s legendary Senator Claiborne Pell, announced that he is running for governor. Since the other two candidates are allied with corporate reformers, Pell offers hope that he might take a different tack and actually help public education (despite his own elite schooling). Clay has two distinctions. First, he is 32, which would make him the nation’s youngest gove

A Spirited Debate about Common Core at AFT Convention
Stephen Sawchuck did a good job reporting the heated debate about the Common Core standards at the AFT convention. The Chicago Teachers Union wanted to dump them. The head of the New York City United Federation of Teachers mocked the critics of the standards. One union official said that the critics represented the Tea Party. That’s pretty insulting to the Chicago Teachers Union and one-third of t

Jill Lepore: What the Theory of Disruptive Innovation Gets Wrong
If your school has been closed, if the staff was fired in a “turnaround,” you have experienced the theory of disruptive innovation, which is associated with Harvard Business Professor Clayton Chistensen. Or perhaps your neighborhood school fell victim to Joseph Schumpeter’s theory of “creative destruction.” Just so you can see these ideologies from a critical perspective, be sure to read Harvard


Paul Thomas on Arne Duncan and the Myth of Low Expectations
Paul Thomas here reviews many of the public statements of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and finds a common theme: the cause of low test scores is low expectations.   If only society, the schools, and parents had higher expectations, no child would be left behind, no child would ever get low test scores, children with disabilities would excel.   Embedded in this claim is the strange belief tha
Help Joshua Katz Take Back Our Democracy in Florida!
I hope you remember seeing Joshua Katz’s fabulous TED talk, where he lacerated the fake reformers who are assailing hard-working teachers, smothering children with standardized tests, and privatizing public education for fun and profit. Josh is a math teacher in Orange County, Florida. Great news! Joshua Katz is running for school board in Orange County, Florida. That board is thinking of bringing
Pearson Errors: Would You Trust Your Child to This Corporation?
Pearson, the British megacorporation, appears to have won the PARCC Common Core contract, which is worth about $1 billion. Its tests will be administered to 6-10 million children in 14 states. The third grade tests will take eight hours. The high school tests will take 10 hours. PARCC is also developing tests for kindergarten, first and second grades. FAIRTEST has compiled a catalogue of known Pe
Finland: Frequent Recesses Keep Students Focused
When American teacher Tim Walker got a job as a teacher in Finland, he learned a lot about its successful schools. For one thing, students get a recess every hour for 15 minutes. They spend 45 minutes in class, then run out to the playground for a 15-minute break. At first, he bought this was unnecessary so he gave two consecutive classes. He had some very grumpy students who did not understand w

YESTERDAY

Mercedes Schneider on AFT Resolutions
Mercedes Schneider was unimpressed by the AFT resolutions. Plaintively, she writes: “It sure would be nice if a national union would aggressively confront the pro-privatization education agenda emanating from the Oval Office.” Neither NEA nor AFT would take on that Herculean task. She expects that nothing will happen to Duncan, no matter how many absurd things he says or does. He is coated with T
AFT: Yes to Common Core, Remediation Needed by Duncan
In a day of debates, the American Federation of Teachers voted to continue its support for the controversial Common Core standards while complaining about its faulty implementation. The delegates also voted for a resolution to put Secretary Duncan on a remediation plan that would be monitored by President Obama (ha-ha, when he is not busy with foreign crises). Politico.com wrote: “The “improvement


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-13-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Connection Between Jeb Bush, ALEC, K12, and MaineThis prize-winning story by investigative reporter Colin Woodard follows the money trail in Maine, as Governor Paul LePage seeks to make a name for himself in the world of digital learning. It was originally published two years ago, but remains relevant. Woodard dug through more




7-14-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:



  Wait What? 









Connecticut deserves a government that will tell its citizens the truth

And a Governor who has the courage and conviction to work to set Connecticut back on the right path. As the CT Mirror explains in the series on where the candidates stand of the state budget, Pelto: State budget deficit reveals a broken fiscal system;  Former state Rep. Jonathan Pelto doesn’t have any trouble standing […] The post Connecticut deserves a government that will tell its citizens the t


7-13-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?:   Wait What? All WeekCharter Advocates Give New Meaning To ‘Chutzpah’ (by Sarah Darer Littman)Charter Advocates Give New Meaning To ‘Chutzpah’ Sarah Darer Littman, pro-public school advocate, award winning columnist and parent has written one of the most powerful commentary pieces about the state of the state when it comes to the Charter School Industry and how the Malloy administratio

7-14-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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








All My Ed Week Posts On Teaching Reading & Writing In One Place
I’ve published my latest Q & A Collection over at Ed Week. It brings together all my posts from the last three years on teaching reading and writing. Here’s an excerpt:

The New Yorker’s “Wrong Answer” Feature Is The Must-Read Education Article Of The Summer
© 2011 Sean MacEntee, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio The New Yorker, two months after publishing an excellent article on the school reform fiasco in Newark which made The Best Articles & Posts On Education Policy In 2014 – So Far list) has now published an extraordinary feature on the Atlanta testing scandal — Wrong Answer: In an era of high-stakes testing, a struggling school made a shocking choi


“What you can do to help the US’ 52,000 child migrants”
© 2011 Takver, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio Vox has just published a very useful list of organizations that are helping the child refugees in the Southwest, and ways people can help them. Check out What you can do to help the US’ 52,000 child migrants. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The Children Refugee Crisis At The U.S. Southern Border.


Great Video & Tweets: Donna Brazile At The AFT Convention
Donna Brazile announced the formation of Democrats For Public Education at the American Federation of Teachers Convention in Los Angeles. It’s designed to support effective and teacher-supported education efforts. You’ve got to watch this of her speech at the Convention. I’ve also embedded a few tweets that contain excerpts… "We know that the root cause of the problems we see in schools toda

Infographic: “Around The World In 80 Hats”
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures:



7-13-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Latest Resources On Child Refugees At U.S.-Mexico Border© 2007 Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio Here are the latest additions to The Best Resources For Learning About The Children Refugee Crisis At The U.S. Southern Border: Shame on you, Murrieta, for blocking immigrant detainee buses is from Th