8-18-14 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):

McKenna’s final margin is 5.63 points over Johnson

McKenna’s final margin is 5.63 points over Johnson The City Clerk Elections Division has certified the results of the LA Unified District 1 election, giving George McKenna final tally of 52.81 percent of the vote, to 47.18 percent for Alex Johnson. Overall, turnout for the Aug. 12 runoff was 9.5 percent of the district’s 342,493 voters, a disappointing but not horrible count, given that no other e

3 5min 

Teachers union talking strategy for combatting teacher jail

Teachers union talking strategy for combatting teacher jail While officials from the teachers union, UTLA, are contemplating salary demands in a new labor contract with the district, they have not lost sight of another key issue, how to deal with teachers housed in what union officials derisively call “teacher jails.” The union’s Committee for Unjustly Housed Teachers was meeting today, for the fi

by Vanessa Romo / 12min

Commentary: The problem with teacher tenure

Commentary: The problem with teacher tenure Via NY Times | by Frank Bruni There are perils to the current tenure talk: that it fails to address the intense strains on many teachers; that it lays too much fault on their doorsteps, distracting people from other necessary reforms. But the discussion is imperative, because there’s no sense in putting something as crucial as children’s education in the

12min 

Morning Read: LAUSD’s computer system problems persist

Morning Read: LAUSD’s computer system problems persist Los Angeles Unified works to fix new computer system Although Los Angeles Unified teachers were told Monday they could use a scaled-back version, the district’s new computer system continues to be plagued by problems. LA Daily News LAUSD policy restricts use of citations, arrests Students involved in relatively minor offenses on school campus

2 28min 

8-17-14 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: CA Schools depart from memorization in scienceMorning Read: CA Schools depart from memorization in science Common Core: CA schools shift science teaching away from memorization California is at a critical stage in carrying out a wholesale change of how it teaches science and other core topic

by mike simpson / 22h 

8-19-14 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman:

The Myth of The Burned-Out Senior Teacher: Part I

Non-teacher David Boies is absolutely convinced that we are plagued by old, bad, burned-out teachers; that's why we need to get rid of tenure, see, and replace them with young, inexperienced, poorly-trained teachers, like the ones at TFA, the vast majority of whom will leave teaching after three years. Makes complete sense...Non-teacher Jonathan Alter is also gravely concerned that all of these ba

3 by Duke / 22min

8-16-14 Jersey Jazzman NJ Ed News Round-up Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All WeekBook Review: This Is Not a Test, by José Luis VilsonLet me start with the easiest part of this review:Buy and read José Luis Vilson's This Is Not a Test.@TheJLV is one of the better known teacher-bloggers around, and a prodigious tweeter. He asks hard questions and gives little quarter when it comes to issues of race and education (although I've notice

by mike simpson / 42min 

8-19-14 @ 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.

Why the Jindal Loss Was Expected Regarding La.’s PARCC Injunction

On August 19, 2014, District Judge Todd Hernandez ruled that the Jindal administration’s suspension of the Louisiana state testing contract was to be temporarily lifted until the pro-Common Core (CCSS) full case against Jindal and his administration goes to court. (For backstory, click here.) I was surprised at the judge’s ruling because the Louisiana Department of […]

1 by deutsch29 / 4min 

How Amanda Ripley’s The Smartest Kids in the World Falls Short

Amanda Ripley’s The Smartest Kids in the World is primarily concerned with what we can learn from other countries, and several of those lessons are very valuable. It also has a very few pages that are jammed-packed with inaccurate, un-footnoted statements about standardized testing in America. My sense is that Ripley feels compelled to offer […]

1 by John Thompson / 35min 

8-17-14 @ 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 / 13h 

Friedman Rubbing Elbows |:

Friedman Rubbing Elbows

 Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff have been the source of many posts on this blog over the past, almost year. See some of these prior posts here, here, and here. These posts are about their (implied) nobel-worthy work supporting the use of value-added models (VAMs) to increasingly hold America’ public school teachers accountable for that which they purportedly are not doing in America’s public schools.

What I have termed “The Study that Keeps on Giving…” was also largely credited for winning the recent Vergara case in California. But it is also apparently (and as per the explicit boasting of its lead author during a recent set of emails exchanged among Raj Chetty, Diane Ravitch, and me), having a continuous impact on federal policy.

Courtesy of Facebook, this may just be the case.

Ed researchers fail reliability standard :: SI&A Cabinet Report

Ed researchers fail reliability standard :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:

Ed researchers fail reliability standard

(District of Columbia) Students of science learn that reliable experiments produce the same results when replicated by others.  It appears, however, that reliability may not be prioritized in the field of education science, according to a new study.

by Carrie Marovich / 8min hide  //  save

Arming districts to defend Common Core

(Calif.) Poor communication between education officials and parents has made implementing the Common Core State Standards a public relations nightmare in some states.

by Alisha Kirby / 8min 

Contemplating early learning teacher prep overhaul

(Calif.) Pressed by demands at both the state and federal level to improve educational services for early learners, California officials overseeing the teacher preparation system have begun the daunting task of updating and expanding certificate pathways.

by Alisha Kirby / 8min hide  //  save

Of aching backs and digital textbooks

(Calif.) It won’t be long before hardback textbooks – some weighing as much as five pounds – will become relics of the past, replaced by digital versions.

by Kimberly Beltran / 8min 

8-19-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

English Journal: Speaking Truth to Power: Invisible Young Men: African American Males, Academics, and Athletics P. L. Thomas

English Journal, Vol. 104, No. 1, September 2014 Speaking Truth to Power Invisible Young Men: African American Males, Academics, and Athletics, P. L. Thomas

1 by plthomasedd / 2min 

Lessons from Cycling—for Cyclists and Educators

My formal expertise and experience are in the field of education, but I have developed as well what I consider equal expertise and experience in two other areas, although the paths have been primarily by self-education: writing and cycling. I have been serious, purposeful, and committed to teaching, writing, and cycling all for about thirty years each; however, as a writer and cyclist, I have basi

by plthomasedd / 2min 

8-16-14 the becoming radical EMPATHYEDUCATES! | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

THE BECOMING RADICALEMPATHYEDUCATES!the becoming radical  A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by Ten Things White People Can Do About Ferguson Besides TweetTen Things White People Can Do About Ferguson Besides Tweet By Kate Harding | Originally Published at Dame Magazine. August 14, 2014 They’re happening all around the country tonight, including at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, around 7 p.m. East

by mike simpson / 1h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 8-19-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

Politco: PUBLIC SOURING ON COMMON CORE …at least as a brand

POLITICO Morning Education - POLITICO.com http://politi.co/1xm12WO 19 Aug 2014  ::  PUBLIC SOURING ON COMMON CORE: A new poll by Education Next finds support for the Common Core has dropped sharply, from 65 percent last year to 53 percent this year. The poll found an even steeper tumble among teachers: A year ago, 76 percent backed the standards; now, just 46 percent do. Outright opposition

by smf / 0min hide  //  save

2 stories: CALIFORNIA GOP LAWMAKERS PROPOSE LEGISLATION TO REMOVE LIMITS ON SCHOOL RESERVES

California Republicans want to reverse limits on school reserves Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) wants to eliminate one of the most controversial parts of this year's budget -- limiting the amount of money that schools can put into reserves. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) By Chris Megerian LA Times | http://lat.ms/1texsBS 19 August 2014  ::  California Republican lawmakers

1 by smf / 13min 

Gloria Romero: ‘PARENT TRIGGER’ LAW SHOT DOWN FOR MANY DISTRICTS + smf’s 2¢

By GLORIA ROMERO / Staff Columnist Orange County Register | http://bit.ly/1pHb0jh DAMIAN DOVARGANES, DAMIAN DOVARGANES, ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: Aug. 18, 2014 Updated: 4:24 p.m.  ::  The “Parent Trigger” law I wrote in 2010, to empower parents to make sweeping changes in failing schools, has been deemed no longer available for parents to use in several California districts, including Los

by smf / 4min 

The MiSiS CriSiS: LOS ANGELES UNIFIED WORKS TO FIX NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM: PROBLEMS PERSIST + LAUSD CALLS FOR PROBE OF COMPUTER SYSTEM

LOS ANGELES UNIFIED WORKS TO FIX NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM: PROBLEMS PERSIST By Thomas Himes, Los Angeles Daily News | http://bit.ly/1oOfmX4 Posted: 08/18/14, 9:01 PM PDT   ::  Although Los Angeles Unified teachers were told Monday they could use a scaled-back version, the district’s new computer system continues to be plagued by problems. For instance, the recently abridged version of MiSiS

by smf / 1min 

7 stories: THE “NEW” LAUSD STUDENT DISCIPLINE POLICY

District breathlessly announces+spins implementation of  policy changes that have been ongoing at least five years LOS ANGELES TO REDUCE ARREST RATE IN SCHOOLS By JENNIFER MEDINA, New York Times | http://nyti.ms/1n6dfZ1 The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second-largest school system in the country, behind New York City, but has the largest school police force, with more

by smf / 13min 

The MiSiS CriSiS: WHEN IS ACCOUNTABILITY GOOD FOR THE GANDER?

  Written by red queen in la in LAUSD, from her blog | http://bit.ly/1pXYPOk Monday Aug 18, 2014  ::  …and isn’t that Buck supposed to have been stopping somewhere? Somewhere other than at the kids’ feet? This past week, the first back in school for LAUSD kids, has seen an absolutely ridiculous mess due to MiSiS, the court-mandated, “Integrated Student Information System” more honestly

by smf / 24min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 8-17-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Teachers Have Big Hopes For La Schools’ New Arts Leaderby Mary Plummer| 89.3 KPCC | http://bit.ly/1oHwSfo Rory Pullens, the new head of arts education for the Los Angeles Unified School District, speaks to teachers during an introduction meeting at George Washington Carver Middle School. Benjamin Brayfield/KPCC Audio from this story : 3:55 Listen August

by mike simpson / 15h 

8-19-14 The Whole Child Blog — The Whole Child Is Growing Up

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:

The Whole Child Is Growing Up

Beginning this week, the Whole Child Blog will appear on the official ASCD blog Inservice, reaching a broader and larger audience of educators. It will be a standard part of Inservice, focusing attention on a core mission of ASCD. In short, the whole child is growing up. The whole child approach to education is what we do and what we stand for. Whether in communications, policy, publications, or

by Sean Slade / 20min 

8-18-14 The Whole Child Blog — Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student Engagement

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student EngagementJoin Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, flipped classroom pioneers and authors of Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day, in a free webinar to learn how the flipped classroom model can help teachers gain more face-to-face time with students, foster real differentiated or personali

by mike simpson / 18h