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Friday, July 18, 2014

Nite Cap 7-18-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT



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 CAP




7-18-14 The Whole Child Blog — How Do We Build Systems for All Learners?
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: How Do We Build Systems for All Learners?All the talk of closing the achievement gap in schools obscures a more fundamental issue: do the grades we assign to students truly reflect the extent of their learning? In a new ASCD book, Grading Smarter, Not Harder, Myron Dueck reveals how many of the assessment policies that teachers adopt can actually prove
7-18-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Gypsy Opens Tonight at Rockaway Theatre Company in Fort TildenLast night was the final dress rehearsal and I put on my suit for my 5 minute stint as Mr. Goldstone where I end up standing on a chair. Don't tell me to break a leg - because I probably will. Tonight begins the first of 10 performances. Tickets are selling out, so come on down to the theater at the very hot Fort Tilden
New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee
New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee: New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollmentBy Loretta Kalblkalb@sacbee.comPublished: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 - 1:04 pmLast Modified: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 - 1:15 pmJosé L. Banda, the newly appointed Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent, said today he w
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?Harold Washington's 1987 victory speech at Navy Pier.Although I rarely agree with his take on Chicago politics, I have generally foundGreg Hinz  to be a knowledgeable, dispassionate and relatively sane pro-business commentator. That was, until he started wr
Who Got Capped? | EduShyster
Who Got Capped? | EduShyster: Who Got Capped? What really went down in Massachusetts this week…It seems like only yesteryear that an extraordinary amount of money and influence was lining up behind the long-suffering public school students of the Bay State. But this week state senators overwhelmingly declined to doff the *cap of excellence.* Wha happened??? And are there important lessons for us t
An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29
An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29: An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment CornerJuly 18, 2014So much has transpired in the situation regarding the state of Louisiana education for 2014-15. For those attempting to keep up with the situation, let me briefly summarize:On June 18, 2014, Gove
7-18-14 @ 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
7-18-14 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): O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?As I have noted, a common thread running through my blogs is the carelessness among the media covering education. Case in point, yet another tone-deaf and completely unsupportable piece has appeared in the The Post and Courier (Charleston, S
The Answer Sheet 7-18-14
Answer Sheet: Mom’s letter to college-bound daughter: Why ‘I have reason to fear’Vicki Abeles is a filmmaker, attorney and mother of three. She is also the co-director and producer of the education documentary “Race to Nowhere,” which revealed the damage to young people being done by the pressures of school, homework, tutoring and extracurricular activities. In the following letter Abeles tells he
7-18-14 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: Vergara splits Tuck and Torlakson campaignsMorning Read: Vergara splits Tuck and Torlakson campaigns Vergara ruling becomes campaign issue State Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Marshall Tuck this week launched a petition calling on his opponent, incumbent Superintendent Tom To
PAA opposes US Senate charter expansion bill S.2304 | Parents Across America
PAA opposes US Senate charter expansion bill S.2304 | Parents Across America: Parents OPPOSE S.2304,the “Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act”Downloadable version of this position paper here.On May 7, 2014, S.2304 was introduced to the US Senate for consideration. The bill is currently in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. It is the Seante’s response t
7-18-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Twins?Jonah EdelmanSeneca Craneby Jim Horn / 0min 7-17-14 Schools MatterSchools 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
7-18-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Friday Open ThreadIt looks to be a busy day in Seattle Public Schools.  Banda is now officially going to Sacramento (and boy, that lack of enthusiasm from the Sacramento Bee) and we await the discussion/announcement today of an interim who is likely to be in place for the next 6-9 months. I have found out some interesting things about one of the potential interim c
Analysis of Kindergartners Shows Wide Differences in School Readiness Skills
Analysis of Kindergartners Shows Wide Differences in School Readiness Skills: Analysis of Kindergartners Shows Wide Differences in School Readiness SkillsSesame Workshop Releases Educational Framework After Study Reveals More Than 40% of Children Enter Classrooms with One or More Factors That Can Negatively Affect School Success New research shows there is still a strong relationship between socio
Public employee testimony Constitutionally protected :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
Public employee testimony Constitutionally protected :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: JULY 18, 2014Public employee testimony Constitutionally protectedby Kimberly Beltran(Wash., D.C.) In a case likely to expand some free speech protections for public employees, the U.S. Supreme Court this month ruled that the First Amendment shields court te
7-18-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?: Wait What? Jon Pelto and Ebony Murphy petition to run for governorGreat Profile Piece in Reminder News – Jon Pelto and Ebony Murphy petition to run for governorFrom the Reminder News, written by Melanie Savage   Jon Pelto and Ebony Murphy petition to run for governor After months of careful consideration, Mansfield resident Jonathan Pelto recently made the decision to choose a running
New Research: Vouchers Increase Segregation and Offer Benefits to the Few | Cloaking Inequity
New Research: Vouchers Increase Segregation and Offer Benefits to the Few | Cloaking Inequity: New Research: Vouchers Increase Segregation and Offer Benefits to the FewWe already know that vouchers increase segregation and offer benefits to the few. We don’t need to implement decades of vouchers to just turn back later.Findings from a newly released peer-reviewed study entitled Understanding How U
What's at Stake in Public Education | Diane Ravitch
What's at Stake in Public Education | Diane Ravitch: What's at Stake in Public EducationPosted: 07/18/2014 8:16 am EDT Updated: 1 hour agoPrint ArticleShare26Tweet130Email10Comment4Jeff Bryant notes that many in the national media were stunned when the NEA called for Secretary Arne Duncan's resignation. For years, they believed the secretary's press releases instead of investigating the festering
Morning Wink 7-18-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-18-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Great Hearts Charter Schools Coming to Texas in ControversyTexas State Commissioner Michael Williams overrode the veto of the state board of education to bring Arizona-based Great Hearts Academy
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-18-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Great Hearts Charter Schools Coming to Texas in ControversyTexas State Commissioner Michael Williams overrode the veto of the state board of education to bring Arizona-based Great Hearts Academy to Texas. The state board thought they could veto the commissioner’s choices. But, well, it didn’t work that way, especially after Great H
7-18-14 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.: Ten minute drawing. Playing on the beach.by Fred Klonsky / 31min hide  //  saveHinsdale’s Skoda’s weird definition of transparency. Keep the people in the dark.Hinsdale board President Richard Skoda refuses to say how much taxpayer money went into this expensive newsletter. Hinsdale’s board of educati
7-18-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Nice BBC Video: “Why Reading Matters”Why Reading Matters is an hour-long BBC program did a couple of years ago on how reading — and writing — impact the brain. I wouldn’t show the entire show to students, but there are several very good segments. The entire show is available on Vimeo, which I’ve embedded below, and it’s als
7-18-14 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: David Coleman To Fix Inequality in AmericaDavid Coleman is here (well, not here here-- he's actually in Aspen) to explain how the College Board is going to recapture market share by synergistically monetizing its products break down the walls of inequality in education.David Coleman (Common Core writer and current president of the College Board) is deeply concerned with fairness. H
7-18-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Some Of What Preet Bharara Will Find In His Cuomo/Moreland InvestigationLiz Benjamin puts today's Cuomo/Moreland news in perspective:US attorney's #morelandcommission investigation moves to new stage as assistant to ex-commish director gets subpoena. http://t.co/VaH0xgf1lv— Liz Benjamin (@CTLizB) July 18, 2014 Mylan Denerstein, counsel to @NYGovCuomo , agreed to be interview
Paul Horton: Will the Market Destroy Public Education? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Paul Horton: Will the Market Destroy Public Education? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Paul Horton: Will the Market Destroy Public Education?By Anthony Cody on July 18, 2014 9:57 AMGuest post by Paul Horton.The ideology that inspires corporate education reform uses the rhetoric of economic freedom. This rhetoric was developed Austrian economist Frederick Hayek and was translated int
Vergara Copycat Lawsuit in NY Attacks Teachers Instead of Injustice, Say Experts | janresseger
Vergara Copycat Lawsuit in NY Attacks Teachers Instead of Injustice, Say Experts | janresseger: Vergara Copycat Lawsuit in NY Attacks Teachers Instead of Injustice, Say ExpertsPosted on July 18, 2014 by janressegerIn June of this year, California Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu struck down tenure and seniority protections for California’s K-12 school teachers in the case of Vergara v. California. 
Hard Skills Are Soft Skills Dependent | WagTheDog
Hard Skills Are Soft Skills Dependent | WagTheDog: Hard Skills Are Soft Skills Dependent “If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.”~ Daniel Goleman K-12 education programs shoul
Another Bizarre Day in Common Core Land: Name Calling and A Gates Funded Organization Wants to Know Your Opinion on CCSS | Missouri Education Watchdog
Another Bizarre Day in Common Core Land: Name Calling and A Gates Funded Organization Wants to Know Your Opinion on CCSS | Missouri Education Watchdog: Another Bizarre Day in Common Core Land: Name Calling and A Gates Funded Organization Wants to Know Your Opinion on CCSSinShareIs a Wyoming survey to determine citizen CCSS opinion part of a revamped PR campaign by the supporters?The CCSS supporter
The Kid I Didn’t Kill (Ellie Herman) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
The Kid I Didn’t Kill (Ellie Herman) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: The Kid I Didn’t Kill (Ellie Herman)Taken from “About” in Herman’s blog:My name is Ellie Herman.  If you want to find out what I’m doing here and why, click here on why I’m writing this blog.  I’ve been working on this project since the beginning of September….As for my bio, I’m a writer and English teacher
Organizing and Action - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform
Organizing and Action - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform: Organizing and ActionBY MORNA MCDERMOTT · JULY 17, 2014Don’t let summer pass us by! Now is a great time to begin organzing actions locally and nationally before the next school year begins. UOO state by state are currently being updated and will be ready for fall 2014! Start planning your local/state opt out le
Assets or Liabilities? | Taking Note
Assets or Liabilities? | Taking Note: Assets or Liabilities?by JOHN MERROW on 18. JUL, 2014 in 2014 BLOGSIf you ask professional educators in a public forum whether they view parents as assets or liabilities, the answers will vary only in decibel level: “Assets,” “Our greatest asset,” “invaluable partners,” and so forth.  But what if you caught them off guard, late at night after a few drinks, say
For Sam Pirozzolo Seven Years is Magic southbronxschool
http://www.southbronxschool.com: For Sam Pirozzolo Seven Years is MagicLately on these pages we have been sharing the comedy stylings of Sam Pirozzolo, president of CEC 31 and optical store owner in Queens.Yesterday we shared how Sam claimed that 80% of students are unable to read or write in NYC. We asked for proof, and Sam shared it with a report by the Annenberg Institute.Today, Sam Tweeted out
NYC Educator: Unity or Non-Unity, You Still Get No Voice in UFT
NYC Educator: Unity or Non-Unity, You Still Get No Voice in UFT: Unity or Non-Unity, You Still Get No Voice in UFTYesterday I wrote a little bit about rigged UFT elections, and I will have more about those tomorrow. Today I'm going to focus on our system of appointing chapter leaders to our schools. Whether or not your chapter leader is Unity, a good one should be able to help you within the schoo
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Water
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Water: WaterIn response to the unraveling situation in Detroit, the United Nations issued a statement out of Geneva last month that said, “Disconnection of water services because of failure to pay due to lack of means constitutes a violation of the human right to water and other international human rights.”Warring factions in Ukraine are using basic necessities of li

YESTERDAY

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: BEFORE BUYING TECHNOLOGY, ASKING ‘WHY?’
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: BEFORE BUYING TECHNOLOGY, ASKING ‘WHY?’: BEFORE BUYING TECHNOLOGY, ASKING ‘WHY?’BY ROSS BRENNEMAN, EDUCATION WEEK TEACHER |  HTTP://BIT.LY/1MZSR3D—Ross BrennemanPublished Online: June 18, 2014 /Includes correction(s): July 15, 2014  ::  District leaders and other advocates of personalized learning frequently say that the approach isn't about technology.
Stress Impacts Student Performance | WagTheDog
Stress Impacts Student Performance | WagTheDog: Stress Impacts Student PerformanceDecades of research and studies have documented the impact of stress on cognitive performance such as critical thinking, judgment, and decision-making skills.The ability to concentrate, follow directions, process new information, and make good decisions are all greatly diminished and impaired by stress.The high level
Vergara ruling becomes campaign issue | EdSource
Vergara ruling becomes campaign issue | EdSource: Vergara ruling becomes campaign issueJuly 17, 2014 | By John Fensterwald | No CommentsState Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Marshall Tuck this week launched a petition calling on his opponent, incumbent Superintendent Tom Torlakson, not to appeal a lawsuit ruling that struck down statutes giving California teachers firing protections
US Department of Justice blasts California’s English Learner monitoring | 89.3 KPCC
US Department of Justice blasts California’s English Learner monitoring | 89.3 KPCC: US Department of Justice blasts California’s English Learner monitoringOfficials with the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice said in a court filing Monday they're troubled California officials did not act on a 2007 student census that found 20,000 English learner students had received no speci
HIP’s Statement on New Superintendent | Hmong Innovating Politics
[Press Release] HIP’s Statement on New Superintendent | Hmong Innovating Politics: HIP’S STATEMENT ON NEW SUPERINTENDENTJuly 17, 2014 · by Hip Sacramento · in Education, Media & Press. ·Rebuilding Trust and Engaging Diverse Parents Among Challenges for New SuperintendentCommunity Members Optimistic About Collaborating to Better Serve Students and FamiliesSacramento, CA –  On Thursday, the Sacr
Lesson 3: We Need Better Language to Describe Poverty | Gatsby In L.A.
Lesson 3: We Need Better Language to Describe Poverty | Gatsby In L.A.: Lesson 3: We Need Better Language to Describe Poverty I recently worked with three groups of 8th and 9th grade students. All of the groups are comprised of students of color from families in poverty, which means they qualify for free or reduced-price lunch under a California program whose cutoff is for a family of four is an i
Sacramento City district names Banda as new superintendent - Education - The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento City district names Banda as new superintendent - Education - The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento City district names Banda as new superintendentBy Loretta Kalblkalb@sacbee.comPublished: Thursday, Jul. 17, 2014 - 7:26 pmLet the Games Begin!Sacramento City Unified trustees, as expected, voted Thursday night to name José L. Banda as the district’s new superintendent, concluding a search that b
Lily Eskelsen García: Keynote @ Netroots Nation | Lily's Blackboard
Lily Eskelsen García: Keynote @ Netroots Nation | Lily's Blackboard: Lily Eskelsen García: Keynote @ Netroots NationJul 17th, 2014by Lily.NEA President-elect Lily Eskelsen García is not only now on Twitter (@Lily_NEA) she is also part of the opening keynote at Netroots Nation! Follow the livestream here! Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream
Nite Cap 7-17-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT
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 CAPEduwonk » Blog Archive » Challenges in American Indian EducationEduwonk » Blog Archive » Challenges in American Indian Education: Challenges in American Indian Education50,000 American Indian students (approximately 7 percent of all American Indi





7-18-14 The Whole Child Blog — How Do We Build Systems for All Learners?

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:





How Do We Build Systems for All Learners?
All the talk of closing the achievement gap in schools obscures a more fundamental issue: do the grades we assign to students truly reflect the extent of their learning? In a new ASCD book, Grading Smarter, Not Harder, Myron Dueck reveals how many of the assessment policies that teachers adopt can actually prove detrimental to student motivation and achievement and shows how we can tailor policies


7-17-14 The Whole Child Blog — Tacoma Public Schools: Measuring the Whole Child
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: Tacoma Public Schools: Measuring the Whole ChildEducators across the nation are working to improve their students' academic achievement, engage families and communities in learning, and maintain safe and healthy learning environments. But in Washington State's Tacoma Public Schools, educators are being held accountable for all of these responsibilities

7-18-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:



Popeye


I Defend Tenure in the Indypendent
Thanks to John Tarleton for a great editing job. Making me look literate ain't easy.Teacher Bashing Knows No Summer Vacation By Norm ScottJuly 16, 2014Issue # 198  In a closely watched case, a California judge ruled on June 10 that the state’s teacher tenure laws infringed on the civil rights of students in schools in poor communities to a proper education guaranteed under the state constitution.

Gypsy Opens Tonight at Rockaway Theatre Company in Fort Tilden
Last night was the final dress rehearsal and I put on my suit for my 5 minute stint as Mr. Goldstone where I end up standing on a chair. Don't tell me to break a leg - because I probably will. Tonight begins the first of 10 performances. Tickets are selling out, so come on down to the theater at the very hot Fort Tilden. And there are scads of NYC teachers in the show. Maybe we can start a MORE ch

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....).

New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee

New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee:



New Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment

Published: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 - 1:04 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014 - 1:15 pm


José L. Banda, the newly appointed Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent, said today he will work to ensure that the district becomes more competitive in the face of falling enrollment, with an eye toward reversing the trend.
During a press conference at district headquarters in South Sacramento, Banda also said that he will put special emphasis on equality for minority and disadvantaged students – what he called “race and equity.” Minority students comprise about 80 percent of the district’s population, while nearly 70 percent of Sacramento City Unified students qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on low household income.
Banda, 57, arrives after having served for two years as superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. He spent the remainder of his career in California, including a four-year stint as head of the Anaheim City School District.
Board members voted 6-1 Thursday night to select Banda for the job, with only trustee Jay Hansen opposed. Banda’s three-year contract starts Aug. 1 and will provide him $290,000 yearly in total compensation. He replaces Jonathan Raymond, who left the district in December.
Sacramento City Unified is the only district in the region that remains on the state’s fiscal warning list, which officials attribute to a continued loss of students in future years.
While some of the trend can be blamed on an aging city population, the district’s traditional campuses are facing steeper competition from private and charter programs. In one case, Fruit Ridge Elementary School lost 400 students to a new Spanish immersion charter school two years before it closed in 2013.
On that point, Banda said Friday he aims to make the Sacramento district a better student draw.
“We’re going to have to make sure we’re very competitive with those around us,” he said. “WeNew Sacramento schools superintendent seeks to stem falling enrollment - Education - The Sacramento Bee:

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/18/6566376/new-sacramento-schools-superintendent.html#mi_rss=Education#storylink=cpy

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?:



Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?

Harold Washington's 1987 victory speech at Navy Pier.
Although I rarely agree with his take on Chicago politics, I have generally foundGreg Hinz  to be a knowledgeable, dispassionate and relatively sane pro-business commentator. That was, until he started writing about a possible Karen Lewisrun for mayor. There's something about a Karen Lewis campaign for mayor that pushes Crain's main corporate blogger over the edge.

No sooner had she hinted that she was "seriously considering" taking on Rahm, then Hinz jumped out with a patronizing, borderline racist column, warning Lewis to rethink the prospect. In that post, Hinz portrayed Lewis as the stereotypical angry black woman who "needs to dial down her public persona."

Will Karen be standing alone on those bus stops?
In today's column, Hinz outdoes himself, debasing Karen's supporters and offering her some strange advice (coming from him at least). Instead of telling her to "tone it down", this time around Hinz asks Karen to "be more like Harold" and tell her Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Greg Hinz has more sage advice for Karen Lewis. Really?:

Who Got Capped? | EduShyster

Who Got Capped? | EduShyster:



Who Got Capped?



 What really went down in Massachusetts this week…

dunceIt seems like only yesteryear that an extraordinary amount of money and influence was lining up behind the long-suffering public school students of the Bay State. But this week state senators overwhelmingly declined to doff the *cap of excellence.* Wha happened??? And are there important lessons for us to ignore from what happened? (Like that making thin-skinned white guys the irritable face of a movement that’s supposed to be about low-income kids might not have been the smartest move…) Strap yourself in, reader, because it’s time for the official EduShyster cap the cap recap.  
pioneer-dayPale, male and stale
Can we just start by acknowledging that making entitled suburban men who are both white-skinned and extraordinarily thin skinned the most visible *shoutsmen* on behalf of poor minority students was a dud? Fine—I’ll name names. I’m talking about this guythis guy, and, my one true love,this guy.
Just say no
If there’s one thing the kids hate it’s compromise. Which is why the Massachusetts charter Who Got Capped? | EduShyster:

An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29

An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29:



An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner

July 18, 2014

So much has transpired in the situation regarding the state of Louisiana education for 2014-15. For those attempting to keep up with the situation, let me briefly summarize:
On June 18, 2014, Governor Bobby Jindal declared that he wanted Louisiana out of both the Partnership for Assessment of College and Careers (PARCC) consortium (the now-nonprofit that is responsible for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) tests) and CCSS itself.
In order to release Louisiana from both PARCC and CCSS, Jindal had the Office of Contractual Renewal (OCR) (part of the Division of Administration–DOA) begin an investigation into the assessment contracts that the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) supposedly had for PARCC tests. OCR froze LDOE spending on assessments at that time.
As it turns out, LDOE has no direct and properly-procured contract for PARCC tests for 2014-15. So, the Division of Administration (DOA) began an investigation into LDOE assessment contracts.
Meanwhile, on July 1, 2014, the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) held a special meeting, the apparent goal of which was to “explore” suing the governor for interfering in the BESE business of PARCC and CCSS.
Not all BESE members wanted to turn attention to suing Jindal. One of the outcomes of the July 1, 2014, meeting was a resolution by BESE member Jane Smith that Louisiana State Superintendent John White and Governor Jindal meet prior to any decision to file suit and that White report back to the full board. Her resolution passed. Smith suggested that the meeting be on July 18, 2014. The meeting was scheduled for July 17, 2014.
BESE member James Garvey also proposed that BESE investigate legal action. His resolution passed.
On July 2, 2014, DOA Commissioner Kristy Nichol supported a decision by OCR Interim Director Pamela Barfay Rice to restrict any non-OCR-approved BESE An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29:

7-18-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:





About the radio show
Join 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 Thursday at 7PM EST.
Visit the @ the Chalk Face radio main page for more information on the show and syndication.



An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner
So much has transpired in the situation regarding the state of Louisiana education for 2014-15. For those attempting to keep up with the situation, let me briefly summarize: On June 18, 2014, Governor Bobby Jindal declared that he wanted Louisiana out of both the Partnership for Assessment of College and Careers (PARCC) consortium (the now-nonprofit […]
Understanding Why the TURN Cancer Has to Be Cut Out of NEA and AFT
With a concerted effort among AFT and NEA misleadership shills to make TURN appear be a kinder and gentler form of corporate union takeover, it’s important to “replay the tape” in order to understand the history that has been made and the history that is being made.  There are some who pretend to believe that […]

O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?
O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?. via O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?.

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


7-18-14 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):





O, Free Press, Where Art Thou?
As I have noted, a common thread running through my blogs is the carelessness among the media covering education. Case in point, yet another tone-deaf and completely unsupportable piece has appeared in the The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC): Duncan deserves high marks. With just a modicum of effort, almost every claim made in this piece is easily refuted by something the mainstream press seems

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

The Answer Sheet 7-18-14

Answer Sheet:







Mom’s letter to college-bound daughter: Why ‘I have reason to fear’
Vicki Abeles is a filmmaker, attorney and mother of three. She is also the co-director and producer of the education documentary “Race to Nowhere,” which revealed the damage to young people being done by the pressures of school, homework, tutoring and extracurricular activities. In the following letter Abeles tells her daughter Jamey, who will be […]




The Answer Sheet 7-17-14
Answer Sheet: A basic flaw in the argument against affirmative actionA panel of judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals just issued a ruling saying that the University of Texas can continue to use race as one factor in undergraduate admissions decisions in an effort to create a diverse student body. The judges were ruling in the high-profile case of a white Texas […]by Valerie Strauss /