Morning Wink 7-17-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-17-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Courtney Bowie: Vouchers and Privatization Undermine Educational EquityCourtney Bowie is a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Racial Justice Program. In this article, she describes the ACLU’s efforts to stop discrimination against students with disabilities in Wisconsin’s voucher program. Privatization, she says, is promoting segr

by mike simpson / 1min 

7-17-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Speculating on Karen Lewis Challenge to Rahm: Who Will Get the Jewish VoteTwo Jewish candidates to square off in Chicago. (If you don't believe me ask Karen to show you her CHI.Someone emailed me when I was in LA, cocerned that Karen and Chicago crew weren't challenging Randi enough - that was before the Common Core shootout (AFT14 Report - Common Core Debate - Epic Battle B....).

by mike simpson / 3min 

7-17-14 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.: Stephanie Gadlin. Fear and loathing in Chicago. Run Karen. Run.- Stephanie Gadlin is Communications Director for the Chicago Teachers Union A THOUGHT: I am growing uncomfortable with the direction of the tone of the media stories emerging in light of the Sun-Times poll that has CTU President Karen Lew

by mike simpson / 7min 

7-17-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?: Wait What? Connecticut Labor Leader attacks Pelto/Murphy (including on education)Yesterday, the Political Director of the Machinists Union posted a commentary piece at My Left Nutmeg (http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/) belittling Ebony Murphy and my effort to give voters an alternative to the Democratic and Republican candidates in this year’s election for governor. My Left Nutmeg then prov

by mike simpson / 9min 

7-17-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Charter Cap in Massachusetts Will Not Be LiftedIt is gratifying to know that the legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where public schools were born, took a significant step this week to support Horace Mann's notion of quality public schools for all children.  As Mann said some 160 years ago, "agitate, agitate, agitate, but always for a good cause." The good

by mike simpson / 11min 

7-17-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Education Policy© 2012 Richard Hurd, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues: Did Obama and Duncan really hear what four teachers told them? is the third in a series of posts at Valerie Strauss’ Washington

by mike simpson / 13min 

7-17-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Governor Cuomo Plays Pre-Election Games With Bridge/Road Toll HikesIt is important that Governor Cuomo be made to publicly defend what his administration is doing here:ALBANY—The state Public Authorities Control Board on Wednesday approved a controversial loan for the Tappan Zee replacement bridge, but not before the amount was cut in half without explanation and officials a

by mike simpson / 15min 

Shanker Blog » Do Students Learn More When Their Teachers Work Together?

Shanker Blog » Do Students Learn More When Their Teachers Work Together?: Do Students Learn More When Their Teachers Work Together?Posted by Esther Quintero on July 17, 2014This is the second post in a series on “The Social Side Of Reform”, exploring the idea that relationships, social capital, and social networks matter in lasting, systemic educational improvement. For more on this series, clickh

by mike simpson / 19min 

We’ll Have to Do Something About Poverty to Improve School Achievement | janresseger

We’ll Have to Do Something About Poverty to Improve School Achievement | janresseger: We’ll Have to Do Something About Poverty to Improve School AchievementPosted on July 17, 2014 by janressegerIn the New Yorker essay she just published on the Atlanta test-cheating scandal, Rachel Aviv quotes education researcher David Berliner: “The people who say poverty is no excuse for low performance are now

by mike simpson / 23min 

Outgoing South Carolina School Chief: I Will Kill Common Core | Truth in American Education

Outgoing South Carolina School Chief: I Will Kill Common Core | Truth in American Education: Outgoing South Carolina School Chief: I Will Kill Common CoreFiled in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on July 17, 2014 • 0 Comments27Photo credit: Milken Family FoundationI have a healthy skepticism about how the review and replacement of the Common Core will go d

by mike simpson / 27min 

Mona Davids' Minion Sam Pirozzolo Gets It Wrong Again southbronxschool

http://www.southbronxschool.com: Mona Davids' Minion Sam Pirozzolo Gets It Wrong AgainThe laughs and the comedy stylings coming from NYC Parents Union are just too much to keep up with. Back in April, Mona Davids tweeted out that 50% of NYC can't read or write at grade level. Remember, this is before the opportunity came to take advantage of an opportunity only for Mona.Mona never cited her source

by mike simpson / 29min 

Climbing Rungless Ladders | WagTheDog

Climbing Rungless Ladders | WagTheDog: Climbing Rungless Ladders Common Core definition of rigor; learning activities that cultivate student grit, climbing a rungless ladder…Nearly 1 in 4 children in America are currently living in poverty, and one would expect that a data-driven campaign to raise academic achievement in America would take into account this staggering figure.The Ed Department awar

by mike simpson / 34min 

Russ on Reading: Chris Christie's Hypocritical Stance on School Choice

Russ on Reading: Chris Christie's Hypocritical Stance on School Choice: Chris Christie's Hypocritical Stance on School ChoiceOn Monday, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey issued an executive order that delayed his much ballyhooed teacher evaluation program – AchieveNJ. I wrote about the impact of that action earlier this week here.Along with the executive order, Christie’s office issued a press

by mike simpson / 36min 

NYC Educator: The UFT Million Name Ballot Subverts Democracy

NYC Educator: The UFT Million Name Ballot Subverts Democracy: The UFT Million Name Ballot Subverts DemocracyWhen you tell members of the elite, invitation-only UFT Unity Caucus that you don't like the fact that everyone with a vote in UFT, NYSUT, and AFT has signed a loyalty oath and represents leadership rather than membership, they'll first deny it exists. When you show it to them, they'll say i

by mike simpson / 45min 

empathyeducates – It’s Not Race, It’s Class…And Other Stories Folks Now Tell

empathyeducates – It’s Not Race, It’s Class…And Other Stories Folks Now Tell: It’s Not Race, It’s Class…And Other Stories Folks Now TellBy Black&Smart, AKAdemic | Originally Published at Black&Smart July 10, 2014I have been studying race, racism and its damaging effects for most of my adult life. And I have witnessed the “racial fatigue” of people who don’t have to consciously deal with ra

by mike simpson / 55min 

YESTERDAY

Live from Netroots Nation! | Lily's Blackboard

Live from Netroots Nation! | Lily's Blackboard: Live from Netroots Nation!Jul 16th, 2014 by LilysBlackboard.Our very own president-elect Lily Eskelsen García will be part of the opening keynote at Netroots Nation! We will be livestreaming here. Don’t miss it!

by mike simpson / 8h 

Waking Up To Our Broken Education Policies

Waking Up To Our Broken Education Policies: Waking Up To Our Broken Education PoliciesWho could ever forget comedian Jon Stewart’s commentary in early 2009 on how financial reporters totally botched reporting of the Great Recession. Stewart mocked journalists at CNBC for missing all the warning signs of the over-valued housing market and their failure to question wild speculation on sub-prime mort

by mike simpson / 10h 

No Sacramento Bee, Banda Bashing Won't Bring Jonathan Back!

After controversial leader, Sacramento City Unified eyes low-profile replacement - Our Region - The Sacramento Bee: After controversial leader, Sacramento City Unified eyes low-profile replacementBy Loretta Kalblkalb@sacbee.comPublished: Wednesday, Jul. 16, 2014 - 8:11 pmJonathan Raymond came into the Sacramento City Unified School District nearly five years ago as a hard-charging superintendent,

by mike simpson / 10h 

Kathleen Carroll Soars on the Wings of Research Blunder; Jim Horn Hitches a Ride | deutsch29

Kathleen Carroll Soars on the Wings of Research Blunder; Jim Horn Hitches a Ride | deutsch29: Kathleen Carroll Soars on the Wings of Research Blunder; Jim Horn Hitches a RideJuly 16, 2014On July 15, 2014, California attorney Kathleen Carroll posted a piece on the City Watch LA blog entitled, When Did Teacher Unions Decide to “Turn”… Against Collective Bargaining Rights? Based upon emails I have re

by mike simpson / 11h 

7-16-14 @ 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

by mike simpson / 11h 

HealthierUS School Challenge Initiative - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education (CA Dept of Education)

HealthierUS School Challenge Initiative - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education (CA Dept of Education): HealthierUS School Challenge InitiativeInformation about and instructions how to apply for a HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) Award.BackgroundThe HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) is a voluntary certification initiative established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and

by mike simpson / 13h 

Russ on Reading: Guest Post from Denny Taylor, Friend of Public Education, Families and Children

Russ on Reading: Guest Post from Denny Taylor, Friend of Public Education, Families and Children: Guest Post from Denny Taylor, Friend of Public Education, Families and ChildrenDenny Taylor is author of the influential books Family Literacy and Learning Denied, two books that had a huge influence on my thinking about literacy instruction. When she speaks, we all should listen. After years away fro

by mike simpson / 13h 

Nite Cap 7-16-14 #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 CAPArne Duncan’s Reaction to Recent VAM Research |Arne Duncan’s Reaction to Recent VAM Research |: Arne Duncan’s Reaction to Recent VAM Research Valerie Strauss wrote a recent piece for the Washington Post about an email she recently sent to Arne Du

by mike simpson / 15h 

Arne Duncan’s Reaction to Recent VAM Research |

Arne Duncan’s Reaction to Recent VAM Research |: Arne Duncan’s Reaction to Recent VAM Research Valerie Strauss wrote a recent piece for the Washington Post about an email she recently sent to Arne Duncan — the current U.S. Secretary of Education who is (still) advancing VAMs for the nation. She wrote him directly to get his take on the “growing mountain of evidence [that] has shown that the method

by mike simpson / 15h 

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » End of Year Reflection on ELA, History and Science: 2013-14

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » End of Year Reflection on ELA, History and Science: 2013-14: End of Year Reflection on ELA, History and Science: 2013-14What do I know – my weekly assessments, my unit planningI have been using Understanding by Design planning for over five years. It’s taken me about that long to use it somewhat effectively.  There are things I still need to work on. Here i

by mike simpson / 16h 

BATs Descend on DOE, Demand Change of Direction « WeActEd

BATs Descend on DOE, Demand Change of Direction « WeActEd: BATs Descend on DOE, Demand Change of Direction BATs (BadAss Teacher Association members) from around the nation are descending on the U.S. Department of Education on Monday, July 28. Learn why over 48,000 educators and supporters are preparing to surround the DOE to demand change. Join the Education Town Hall on July 24 with BAT co-founde

by mike simpson / 17h 

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): GUEST POST: Denny Taylor, Garn Press  Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am writing to urgently request your help. If you find the political circumstance and the research base for the four propositions that I have outlined in this letter are compelling, and you support the c

by mike simpson / 17h 

Jump in Seals of Biliteracy Awarded - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Jump in Seals of Biliteracy Awarded - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Reports Jumpin Number of Students Earning Seal of BiliteracySACRAMENTO—Nearly 25,000 graduating high school students across California this summer have earned state recognition for achieving proficiency in multiple languages, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced t

by mike simpson / 18h 

NY Teacher Tenure Lawsuit Gets Inequality "Completely Wrong" | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

NY Teacher Tenure Lawsuit Gets Inequality "Completely Wrong" | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: NY Teacher Tenure Lawsuit Gets Inequality "Completely Wrong"Posted on: Wednesday July 16th, 2014David Sciarra (right) and Billy Easton at a pressconference in March presenting findings from astatewide fact-finding tour to document

by mike simpson / 18h 

Parents Across America’s 2014 Priority Issues: Positive, progressive reforms that work | Seattle Education

Parents Across America’s 2014 Priority Issues: Positive, progressive reforms that work | Seattle Education: Parents Across America’s 2014 Priority Issues: Positive, progressive reforms that workIn preparation for the Parents Across America Annual Meeting which will be held in DC next month, a list of priorities have been determined by the board and will be presented to our elected representatives

by mike simpson / 18h 

7-16-14 The Whole Child Blog — Motivation Matters

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: Motivation MattersMiddle school kids are a different breed. If you aren't motivating them, they are not learning. In fact, they are probably tearing something up if motivation isn't in the picture. During my years as a middle school principal, I figured out that building a school culture with character education, fun, and a sense of belonging was key t

by mike simpson / 19h 

John Thompson: Time to Kill the Testing Vampire - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Time to Kill the Testing Vampire - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Time to Kill the Testing VampireBy Anthony Cody on July 16, 2014 11:19 AMGuest post by John Thompson. My three decades of experiences dealing with the crack and gangs era of the 1980s, and then teaching in inner city schools, taught me to have an even keel. I'll never forget, however, the

by mike simpson / 21h 

Koch Heads: How The Koch Brothers Are Buying Their Way Into The Minds Of Public School Students

Koch Heads: How The Koch Brothers Are Buying Their Way Into The Minds Of Public School Students: Koch Heads: How The Koch Brothers Are Buying Their Way Into The Minds Of Public School StudentsIn the spring of 2012, Spenser Johnson, a junior at Highland Park High School in Topeka, Kansas, was unpacking his acoustic bass before orchestra practice when a sign caught his eye. "Do you want to make

by mike simpson / 21h 

Tenure haters’ big delusion: Why Campbell Brown and co. are wrong about teaching - Salon.com

Tenure haters’ big delusion: Why Campbell Brown and co. are wrong about teaching - Salon.com: Tenure haters’ big delusion: Why Campbell Brown and co. are wrong about teachingFixing our schools doesn't work like that Hilary Swank movie. Here's why it's way more complex than firing teachersGABRIEL ARANATalk to some educational “reformers,” and fixing the problems with our educational system sounds a

by mike simpson / 21h 

7-16-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning Read: California schools mislabeling English learnersMorning Read: California schools mislabeling English learners California ‘English learner’ tests incorrectly label bilingual kids Arianna Anderson is one of 180,000 students enrolled in the Los Angeles Unified School District’s program for Engli

by mike simpson / 21h 

7-16-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Homeless Students? How best to help themThis fall we see the opening of First Place School as a charter school serving mobile, high-risk students (mostly homeless).  The Times had a story about how homeless students are served in schools in Washington state with an interesting question to it.The Times reports that there are about 30,000 homeless kids in our state t

by mike simpson / 21h 

NYC Public School Parents: Our comments on how the city's proposed Contract for Excellence plan violates the language and the spirit of the law

NYC Public School Parents: Our comments on how the city's proposed Contract for Excellence plan violates the language and the spirit of the law: Our comments on how the city's proposed Contract for Excellence plan violates the language and the spirit of the lawPlease send your comments to ContractsForExcellence@schools.nyc.gov by the deadline of July 19; Mine are below.  thanks!  Comments on the p

by mike simpson / 22h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-16-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Better Educated Public School Kids – For A PriceBy The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board | http://lat.ms/1oHUdbq   Peninsula High School students listen as biology teacher Julie Maemoto explains how to do an upcoming experiment in her summer biology class. (Los Angeles Times)   July 16, 2014  ::  Children in the United States get unequal educations; tha

by mike simpson / 22h 

Confessions of a D-List Reformer | EduShyster

Confessions of a D-List Reformer | EduShyster: Confessions of a D-List ReformerEverything you ever wanted to know about education reform land but were afraid to ask…By *The 49er*I have a confession—I am an education reformer. So what am I doing here, hooking up with the likes of EduShyster? I got involved in the education reform movement because I honestly believe that all kids in this country des

by mike simpson / 22h 

A head teacher tells students: These test results don't tell... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

A head teacher tells students: These test results don't tell... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: A head teacher tells students: These test results don't tell your whole story. And the Internet concurs.  0 0 0 NewView Larger A new study finds that drilling and worksheets help first graders struggling in math more than group activities or other student-centered activities.Previous PostsState school ch

by mike simpson / 23h 

Is teaching an art or a science?

Is teaching an art or a science?: Is teaching an art or a science?byteacherkenFollow    4 Comments / 4 Newthis was written and posted in March 2012.  As I begin to prepare to teach in yet another school/district including a course I have never taught before, I have been rereading my ideas on education.  I thought this worth sharing again.  Do with it what you will.The thoughts in this piece were o

by mike simpson / 23h hide  //  save

Improving revenues hasn’t rolled back class sizes :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Improving revenues hasn’t rolled back class sizes :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: JULY 16, 2014Improving revenues hasn’t rolled back class sizesby Tom Chorneau(Wash.) A rebounding economy and expectations that recreational marijuana will deliver a windfall in state revenues has raised hopes for an initiative aimed at decreasing class sizes

by mike simpson / 23h 

Morning Wink 7-16-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-16-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Georgia: Jason Carter vs. Nathan Deal for GovernorJason Carter, grandson of President Jimmy Carter, is running for governor of Georgia against incumbent Nathan Deal. Carter, elected to the state

by mike simpson / 23h 

2nd Banana 7-12-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 7-5-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 6-28-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 6-21-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 6-14-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 6-7-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Nite Cap 7-16-14

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LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-17-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Attacking Diane Ravitch? Or Questions Too Uncomfortable for the Comfortable?

"When Horn read Carroll’s post and realized it provided an opening for him to attack Diane Ravitch, I wonder if he wet himself from glee." --Mercedes SchneiderNo, Ms. Schneider, I did not wet myself from glee when I read Kathleen Carroll's commentary, but I am pretty pissed right now after reading your uncharacteristically bitter attack on anyone who raises questions about what Diane Rav

2 by Jim Horn / 2h 

My Not So Good Knee-Leg News

After writing a post last week to tell you about the great progress I have made, about going from walker to cane to walking like a normal person, I suffered a sudden setback. Out of nowhere, I developed a very large hematoma on the back of my operated leg. That’s a humongous bruise that is black-blue and very ugly. Suddenly, I couldn’t walk. The pain was intense. The physical therapist said I prob

8 by dianeravitch / 2h

How to Create a “Failing” Public School

A reader sends a simple recipe that city officials in places like Chicago and Philadelphia use when they want to close a public school and open a charter school: “They create the demand by killing the public school BEFORE they close it. They underfund it, cut all the specials, close school libraries, let guidance counselors go, get rid of attendance officers, class sizes become huge. What is a pa

2 by dianeravitch / 22min 

Chicago Parents Grill City Officials About Budget Cuts

At a public hearing, Chicago parents and teachers demanded to know why the city closed 50 public schools while opening charter schools. “How could CPS continue to cut budgets at neighborhood schools while opening new charter and contract schools — even after shutting down a record number of schools just a year ago? “We need to pull the money from the plan of expanding charter schools, reinvest in

1 by dianeravitch / 9min 

Breaking News: Massachusetts Senate Votes Not to Lift Cap on Charter Schools

In a surprise move, the Massachusetts State Senate voted 26-13 not to increase the number of charter schools in the state. A similar bill cleared the House by a vote of 114-35 in May. “The Senate proceeded in a separate 9-30 vote to also defeat the underlying bill that had cleared the House.” The Senate President, Therese Murray said: “In some ways, the vote could be looked at as a reflection of

by dianeravitch / 1min 

Poll: Karen Lewis Could Beat Rahm Emanuel

A recent poll shows that if Chicago’s mayoral election were held now, union leader Karen Lewis would beat Rahm Emanuel. “If the mayoral election were held today, the lightning rod union leader who was the architect behind a 2012 teachers’ strike would beat Emanuel by 9 percentage points in a head-to-head contest, the survey found. “Lewis was leading Emanuel 45 percent to 36 percent with 18 percen

by dianeravitch / 5min 

Courtney Bowie: Vouchers and Privatization Undermine Educational Equity

Courtney Bowie is a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Racial Justice Program. In this article, she describes the ACLU’s efforts to stop discrimination against students with disabilities in Wisconsin’s voucher program. Privatization, she says, is promoting segregation and rolling back decades of legal advances for students of color and students with disabilities.   In Wisconsin and elsewhere, vou

1 by dianeravitch / 27min 

David Perrin: What Would Mark Twain Have Thought About Common Core Testing?

Writing in The Atlantic, high school English teacher David Perrin tries to imagine what Mark Twain would think about Common Core testing.   He begins:   I’ve been teaching high school English in Illinois for over 20 years, but have only recently come to believe that I am complicit in a fraud. For nearly a decade, I have dutifully prepared college-bound students for the rigors of the ACT and the Ad

6 by dianeravitch / 1h 

Bruce Baker: Why Vergara Precedent Makes No Sense in New York

At the heart of the Vergara decision lies a logical fallacy: eliminate due process and seniority from teachers, and schools with low-performing students will magically have a great teacher in every classroom. To say this makes no sense is an understatement. In this post, Bruce Baker demonstrates that it makes no sense empirically either. As he concludes: “In the land of VergarNYa… a world where

4 by dianeravitch / 2h hide  //  save

How “Reformers” Lie About Graduation Rates

I did not write the following post. It was written by a high-level official at the New York City Department of Education who–for obvious reasons–requires anonymity. The story he tells is instructive. It is about how “reformers” claim victory by manipulating statistics. This is not an accusation directed at the de Blasio administration, but at their predecessors who regularly boasted that the new s

41 by dianeravitch / 3h 

YESTERDAY

Mercedes Schneider on Unions, Kathleen Carroll, Me, TURN, Money, Power, and Reform

In recent days, there has been an extended discussion online about an article by California whistle blower Kathleen Carroll, in which she blasts Randi Weingarten and the Teachers Union Reform Network for taking money from Gates, Broad, and other corporate reform groups, in some cases, more than a dozen years ago. Carroll also suggests that I am complicit in this “corruption” because I spoke to the

25 by dianeravitch / 9h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-16-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Georgia: Jason Carter vs. Nathan Deal for GovernorJason Carter, grandson of President Jimmy Carter, is running for governor of Georgia against incumbent Nathan Deal. Carter, elected to the state senate in 2010, is a graduate of Duke University who served in the Peace Corps in South Africa, the graduated from the University of Georg

by mike simpson / 8h 

7-17-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Primi Akhtar’s Valedictory Address, Queens Metropolitan High School, June 2014

I dare anyone to meet 18-year old Primi and not have enormous hope for the future. Primi is a founding member of NYC Student Union (and my adopted granddaughter) and she just graduated and will be going to Columbia. Does this age her out of the high school based Student Union? She will still be involved, though I imagine she will be raising some hell in college.Jeff Kaufman sent this in. His wife

by ed notes online / 9min

Teacher Diversity Committee Launches Petition at Harlem Book Fair

Sean Ahern, a long time friend, and one of the original founders of the idea of creating ICE (in a bar), has focused his attention for a decade on the teacher diversity issue. And that work is bearing fruit. Check out the numbers on the drop in hiring of black teachers posted in the petition. And the TDC has noticed that the number of white teachers has dropped too because many of the new "id

by ed notes online / 15min 

Right WingNuts - AFT Commies, Include GEM Truth About Charters in Attack

Thanks to Jeff Kaufman for this gem about the GEM pamphlet being part of the Maoist AFT. Among the literature cited was a GEM pamphlet. See front page story second document. https://americarisingllc.app.box.com/s/nhc8m8cn227vrwcb19ht/1/2203186595/19026564373/1American Federation of CommunistsPro-communist literature handed out at AFT conferenceShareTweetEmail Chinese protestors touting picture

by ed notes online / 1min 

Speculating on Karen Lewis Challenge to Rahm: Who Will Get the Jewish Vote

Two Jewish candidates to square off in Chicago. (If you don't believe me ask Karen to show you her CHI.Someone emailed me when I was in LA, cocerned that Karen and Chicago crew weren't challenging Randi enough - that was before the Common Core shootout (AFT14 Report - Common Core Debate - Epic Battle B....).We pretty much got word from Chicago that Karen Lewis will be off and running for Mayor aga

by ed notes online / 8h hide  //  save

Defense of Tenure - It Ain't Only About the Teachers

At the MORE UFT history event, a teacher who I first met about 6 weeks ago and is new to MORE asked why we don't see campaigns defending teachers and tenure. The UFT spends millions on ads but tenure is not mentioned. Interesting that at the AFT on Monday just before the convention ended, AFT press people came over and asked some of us to attend a press conference upstairs on this very issue.The e

by ed notes online / 9h 

7-15-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Aft report: My Last Red-Eye - It's 2 AM and I'm Still Not EX-LAXThe AFT convention has reached its high point. It's the middle of the night and I'm surrounded by hordes of Unity Caucus delegates stranded from 2 fucked up Delta red-eyes. It's like an endless nightmare. I call the question but they are still here. On checking into security with my priority check-in - let's see - at

by mike simpson / 7h