LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Connecticut: More Trouble for New London Superintendent Candidate

The Day, a Connecticut publication, reports more problems for Terrence Carter, applicant for the superintendency at New London, who used the title “Dr.” and “Ph.D.” without having earned the title. The Day reports that sections of Carter’s job application were identical to other publications. That is known as plagiarism and is unacceptable in school or higher education. “New London – At least 10

by dianeravitch / 4min 

NAISON: What the BATs Told Duncan and His Staff

Wow! This post will knock your socks off, unless you work for the U.S. Department of Education. The post was written by Mark NAISON, one of the co-founders of the BATs. (I don’t know why, but my iPad always converts Mark’s last name into all-caps.) The Badass Teachers Association held a rally outside the U.S. Department of Education on July 28, and several were invited to meet with staff at the Of

1 by dianeravitch / 19min 

Badass Teachers Meet with Duncan and Staff

Politico.com reports that representatives of the BATs met with Secretary Duncan. “BADASS TEACHERS OUT IN FORCE: Several hundred teachers, parents and students sang, danced and demonstrated outside the Education Department on Monday, protesting federal education reform under the Obama administration. The rally was hosted by the Badass Teacher Association. On the list of grievances: The Common Core,

11 by dianeravitch / 1min 

Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Pays Big Salary to Stay-at-Home “Advisor”

Governor Tom Corbett has made a cushy deal for his former stat education commissioner, Ron Tomalis. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Tomalis is paid full salary, has no office, and no one is sure what work he does. He is supposed to be a higher education advisor. “When Ron Tomalis stepped aside as state education secretary 14 months ago, he landed what seemed like a full-time assignment i

1 by dianeravitch / 7min 

David Berliner Responds to Economists Who Discount Role of Child Poverty

Erik Hanushek, Paul Peterson, and Ludger Woessmann take issue with David Berliner and Gene Glass’s view about how high levels of child poverty in the U.S. affect our students’ performance on international assessments. In the following post, David Berliner responds to their critique. Criticism via Sleight of Hand David C. Berliner ​Hanushek, Peterson and Woessmann (2014) (HPW) criticize Berliner, G

6 by dianeravitch / 35min hide  //  save

Carol Burris: Poor Teacher Evaluation Systems Will Not Improve Education

Carol Burris, principal of south side High School in Rockville Center, New York, writes here about the multiple flaws of test-based teacher evaluations. At an Ed Trust celebration, Duncan told the crowd, “But we can’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good. We can’t let the utopian become the enemy of the excellent. And we can’t let rhetorical purity become the enemy of rigorous practice.” I

3 by dianeravitch / 1h 

What Counts Most in Education? Intellect or Interest? Facts or Soul?

In what most surely be the most famous statement by David Coleman, the architect of the Common Core standards, he said that “no one gives a s— what you think or feel.” In place of personal motivation, Coleman stresses cool intellectual analysis of text and problems in the Common Core. Fiction, which might dwell too much on emotion, takes a back seat to informational text. But this is wrong, says

36 by dianeravitch / 2h 

ALEC Meets Today in Dallas to Plan for More Privatization

The Progressive.com managed to get a copy of ALEC’s agenda for its 41st annual meeting in Dallas. ALEC wants to eviscerate Medicaid, support fracking, and expand charter schools in hopes of destroying America’s great public school system. All for the corporations and the 1%, nothing for the people. They are shameless.

28 by dianeravitch / 3h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-28-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Microsoft Lays Off 18,000 Workers While Seeking Visas for Foreign WorksrsUnbelievable. Microsoft lays off 18,000 workers while pressing Congress to expand the number of visas for engineers, mathematicians, scientists, and other workers. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and casino operator Sheldon Adelson wrote an article calling for Con

by mike simpson / 8h 

STEM Job Readiness A Useful Distraction | Missouri Education Watchdog

STEM Job Readiness A Useful Distraction | Missouri Education Watchdog:

STEM Job Readiness A Useful Distraction

It was announced last week that Microsoft, the tech giant, plans to eliminate 18,000 jobs. That has rankled many in the anti-common core movement because Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, has been out there promoting Common Core ostensibly because we need more STEM workers for companies like his. The claim he and other have made is that there is a shortage of such workers in the United States. What has upset the anti common core crowd is that Microsoft, along with other mega tech companies like Hewlett Packard and CISCO are simultaneously pressuring Congress to expand the H-1B Visa program to allow more highly skilled foreign workers in. While demanding more highly educated workers from the American education system, these large companies are demanding to import more labor from outside our shores. Something just doesn’t match up.

Computer World covered Senator Jeff Sessions response to the Microsoft firings (they are not lay offs). On the floor of the Senate he questioned the claim high tech companies are trying to make true by repeating it often. “What is the situation today for American graduates of STEM degrees and technology degrees? Do we have enough? And do we need to have people come to our country to take those jobs? Or, indeed, do we not have a shortage of workers, and do we have difficulty of people finding jobs?”

Sessions knows the answer to those questions. According to the recent US Census, we have a glut of STEM graduates. Seventy four percent of those who have a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering and math — commonly referred to as STEM — are not employed in STEM occupations. Liana Christin Landivar, a sociologist in the Census Bureau’s Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch concurred. “STEM graduates have relatively low unemployment, however these graduates are not necessarily employed in STEM occupations.” The Center for Immigration Studies says that only one-third of native-born Americans with an undergraduate STEM Job Readiness A Useful Distraction | Missouri Education Watchdog:

7-29-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:

Wait What?: 

Pelto/Murphy 2014

Working Families Party put politics before policy by endorsing Malloy – Uses endorsement to mislead voters

Here is the statement I released in response to the news that the Working Family Party has endorsed “four more years” of Governor Dannel Malloy.  You can read the WFP statement below; Pelto: “Working Families Party put politics before policy by endorsing Malloy - Uses endorsement to mislead voters” While is it unfortunately, the Working Families […] The post Working Families Party put politics bef

by admin / 52min

Pelto/Murphy 2014 Petition Signing Tues and Wed (Bushnell Park – near the food trucks 11am – 1pm)

Reminder: Looking for an opportunity to ensure that our voices are heard in this year’s gubernatorial election? If you are in the area, swing by Bushnell Park from 11:00am  to 1:00pm today or tomorrow. We’ll be near the food trucks. You signature will allow us to be on this year’s ballot. With your help we […] The post Pelto/Murphy 2014 Petition Signing Tues and Wed (Bushnell Park – near the food

4 by admin / 1h 

7-28-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?: Sign a Pelto/Murphy 2014 Petition Today:  Bushnell Park – near the food trucks 11:30 – 1pmLooking for an opportunity to ensure that our voices are heard in this year’s gubernatorial election? If you are in the area, swing by Bushnell Park from 11:30 to 1:00pm today (near the food trucks) and sign the petition that will allow us to be on this year’s ballot. Thanks so much, Jonathan Pelt

by mike simpson / 7h 

Answer Sheet 7-29-14

Answer Sheet:

School puts nearly 100 kindergartners in one class in a teaching experiment

(No, the headline is not from The Onion.) Brenda Scott Academy of Theater Arts is a high-poverty preK-8th school in east Detroit that is part of the Education Achievement Authority, a district run by Michigan authorities for schools identified as being the lowest-performing. Brenda Scott has an extended calendar and won’t end its current school […]

2 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

Answer Sheet 7-28-14

Answer Sheet: ‘Education reform’ now a pejorative term to many progressive DemocratsEarlier this year I published a post about how the Democratic Party has been split for years over the issue of corporate school reform. President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have been Democratic leaders of the dominant reform movement which seeks to transform public schools through standardized-test-b

by mike simpson / 8h 

7-29-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Seattle Times "Story" on Superintendents and School Board

Of all the issues for the Times to cover about Seattle Public Schools, they pick the issue of superintendents working with school boards.This is an old, tired issue that the Times has covered...repeatedly.  In fact, it seems their go-to, defacto answer to ANY issue in Seattle Schools.  That darned micromanaging School Board.  It seems particularly inappropriate at this time (unless, of course, you

by Melissa Westbrook / 11min

Tuesday Open Thread

 (Not about education but I wanted to get this out there as so many of us have loved ones with cancer.  A high school friend of mine does cancer research at Tulane University and they just found out that even low levels of light while sleeping may inhibit breast cancer drugs from working.  He also let me know this:"The Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium has special sleep masks that we will

by Melissa Westbrook / 29min

The Anti-Board Advocacy of the Seattle Times

Once again the Seattle Times is whipping up anti-School Board animus.This is an old and discredited lie. And the "news" story is full of misrepresentations and omissions. I'll amend this post when I have time to list them all.

by Charlie Mas / 2h hide  //  save

Aspiring athletes, take note of changes to NCAA eligibility

Prep athletes with aspirations to play in college and their families need to be aware of changes to NCAA eligibility requirements. They are stricter than they used to be and they are stricter than the district's requirements.See this story on the Seattle Times web site for more information.

by Charlie Mas / 2h 

7-28-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Downtown School; Maybe Something Deeper HappeningThere is nothing on the Seattle Schools calendar for this week.  Well, there is one meeting happening and yet strangely, it does not appear on the district calendar.  It's almost as if this meeting is really for one purpose or group.  It's the meeting at the Downtown Library about SPS taking over the Federal Reserve

by mike simpson / 8h 

7-29-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

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

Inauthentic Conservatism At Work in Alan Hays’ Mandate to See D’Souza Movie

It’s not hard to sense that Tampa Bay Times reporter Jeff Solochek doesn’t think much of Sen. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) bill which would mandate Florida students see what the editors describe in the headline as a “conservative, patriotic” movie. During the 2014 legislative session, Florida Sen. Alan Hays looked to remove the state from the process of reviewing and selecting textbooks. The decisions,

by Bob Sikes / 42min 

7-27-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Andy Gardiner’s Demogoguery Misleads Floridians on FEA LawsuitThe incoming president of the Florida Senate cannot be trusted on education policy. Not if he’s going to deliberately mislead Floridians while  misrepresenting the position of the state’s teachers. Senator And

by mike simpson / 8h 

7-29-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Jimmy Fallon Comes Up With Another Good Game For English Language Learners

© 2009 RubyGoes, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio It seems like Jimmy Fallon comes up a new game every year on his show that is easily adaptable to teaching English Language Learners in the classroom. You can see previous ones at I Learn Another Great Game For English Language Learners From Jimmy Fallon. Last night, he played one called “5 Second Summaries” with actor James Fallon. Each of them had five

by Larry Ferlazzo / 23min hide  //  save

Just Updated Aesop’s Fables “Best” List

© 2010 Tom Blunt, Flickr | CC-BY-ND | via Wylio I’ve just revised and updated The Best Sites For Using Aesop’s Fables In The Classroom. Additional suggestions are welcome…

by Larry Ferlazzo / 23min 

All My Ed Week Posts On Teaching Social Studies — In One Place!

Q & A Collections: Teaching Social Studies is my latest post at Education Week Teacher. It brings together all my social studies posts from the past three years on…teaching social studies. Here’s an excerpt from one of them:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 7h hide  //  save

Two More Important Commentaries On Recent Deliberate Practice Study

© 2014 Sacha Chua, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio I’ve previously posted about the big new study that raised questions about the role of deliberate practice in becoming an “expert” at something (see Big New Study On Deliberate Practice). Here are two more important commentaries on that study that I’m adding to The Best Resources For Learning About The 10,000 Hour Rule & Deliberate Practice: We’ve

by Larry Ferlazzo / 7h 

7-28-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: “Race To The Top Has Been A ‘Fiasco’”Race To The Top Has Been A ‘Fiasco’ is Part Two in my series on the Race To The Top program, which has just had its fifth anniversary. Today, Barnett Berry, Ariel Sacks, John Thompson, Alice Mercer and David B. Cohen weigh in with their thoughts, and I include comments from readers, too.

by mike simpson / 8h

7-29-14 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.:

Arthur Goldstein. Blaming tenure is a fool’s game.

- My friend Arthur Goldstein is a New York City teacher and UFT activist. I try to help kids every day, but they’re all different. I’d like them all to pass, but some of them don’t. It’s funny because I feel very bad for many of those who don’t. Yet New York state assumes that I want to pass them all for no reason and thus does not allow me to grade their standardized tests. On the other hand, I

by Fred Klonsky / 57min 

More news from Hinsdale. Extremist board members chasing good teachers out.

- Hinsdale High School Teachers Association Imagine a top teaching candidate with a masters degree and seven years experience interviewing for a position at Hinsdale 86 and neighboring Lyons Township. How would the employment offers of each district compare? In Hinsdale, the Board will tell such a candidate that her experience doesn’t matter, divide her seven years experience in half and round d

by Fred Klonsky / 26min hide  //  save

Ten minute drawing. Teens grill the mayor.

by Fred Klonsky / 32min

Chicago Tonight. In the pension discussion where were the Democratic Party pension thieves?

Carol Marin with Republican state Rep. Thomas Morrison, University of Chicago professor of law Julie Roin, and president of Illinois Federation of Teachers Dan Montgomery. I watched the pension discussion on Chicago Tonight. I’m not sure anyone who was not really invested in the issue stayed with it. It was kind of dry. What was interesting to me was who was not there. No Democrat Elaine Nekritz.

by Fred Klonsky / 13min 

IPACE endorsements and pension thieves.

IEA’s IPACE endorsements for state House and Senate elections are done by local IPACE committees. The recommendations must be approved by the state IPACE committee. I compiled the list of IPACE recommended candidates and their votes on Senate Bill 1, the pension theft. Some of those recommended are not incumbents, so they did not have an opportunity to vote. The list does not include candidates w

1 by Fred Klonsky / 38min

7-28-14 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 Dillon. A Bitter Pill: Illinois Supreme Court’s decision and Chicago corporate media.- John Dillon is a retired teacher, pension activist and blogs at Pension Vocabulary. Bitter Pill is an idiom that arises from usage nearly a century ago or in some lexicons even earlier.  Imagine a time when med

by mike simpson / 8h