The Answer Sheet 9-14-14

Answer Sheet:

Chicago schools filthy with rodents, roaches, garbage — principals say

School reformers today, operating under the illusion that the private sector can do just about everything better and cheaper than government institutions, have been working to privatize public education by contracting out to private entities key operations of schools — and often entire schools. Such a move with the custodial force in Chicago Public Schools has, […]

10 by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

Common Core: yes or no? A debate.

Embrace the Common Core State Standards? Do not embrace the Common Core? That was the question in New York when four people — two for embracing and two against — participated in a recent debate about the controversial initiative. The  event was sponsored by an organization called Intelligence Squared U.S., which offers forums for debates […]

3 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 9-13-14

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetFormer education secretary Bill Bennett paid to praise Common Core to conservativesBill Bennett, who was education secretary under President Ronald Reagan, just published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal: “The Conservative Case for Common Core,”  with the subhead: Federal intrusion and misleading rumors do a disservice to an effort that started in the

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-14-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Seattle Schools Updates

Tweet from the district about priorities for 2014-2015:During a retreat today, the School Board picked its top governance priorities for the 2014-15 school year: bell times analysis, multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), special education and stewardship of resources/internal controls.First, shouldn't these "priorities" have been set at the end of the school year (so that everyone come

by Melissa Westbrook / 7h 

9-13-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumFriday Open ThreadUpdate:  there is one Director Community meeting tomorrow - with Director Carr - from 8:30-10 am at Bethany Community Church with  a hard stop at 10 am as the Board also has its Board retreat tomorrow from 10:30-3:00 pm at JSCEE.  I would put up the agenda but it is not available.  Why it isn't available is always a m

2 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-14-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Hinsdale District 86. No scabs for Skoda.

On Friday, Director of Human Resources Domenico Maniscalco sent the following email to all employees of D86: “Dear District 86 Staff, We are in need of substitute teachers and have a job posting going up on the District’s website and Monster.com. Job description attached.” It’s no secret that the district is in dire need of quality substitutes. They’re disappearing faster than the support staff i

2 by Fred Klonsky / 3min 

Mother Jones. Someday the workers will take possession of your city hall. And when we do, no child will be sacrificed on the altar of profit.

3 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

People have the power.

4 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

Sunday reads.

    Gender discrimination as a teacher sparked Susan B. Anthony’s fight for equality. Bob Fioretti is in. Karen Lewis is next. Rahm has got to go. Two sentences from Diane Ravitch. We need not fear Rahm’s deep pockets. There’s plenty of anti-Rahm money out there. The rich have gotten richer and, well,l you know the rest. Why does the San Diego school district need an military-grade armored truck?

5 by Fred Klonsky / 1h

9-13-14 Fred All Week 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.: Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherRahm announces his Give-Every-Classroom-A-Pet program.1 by Fred Klonsky / 6min Keeping retirement weird. Disrespecting your elders.When I retired in 2012 I gave up my six-year old orange convertible Mini Cooper. Frankly, it was a

2 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-14-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":

Newark Protests Continue….

I’ve written many posts about the ongoing controversy in the Newark, New Jersey schools. Here’s the latest update: Parents and Students Continue to Protest Newark Enrollment Plan, Superintendent

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 5h 

“Duncan Urges PTA to Promote Education Issues in 2016 Presidential Election”

Duncan Urges PTA to Promote Education Issues in 2016 Presidential Election is the headline of a blog post this past week at Education Week. It discusses one of the stops on U.S. Education Secretary Duncan’s annual bus tour at schools. Here’s an excerpt: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called on the National PTA Wednesday morning to make education a major campaign issue for the 2016 preside

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 5h 

“With new school year, new rules for parent engagement have begun” In New York City

I’ve previously written about changes that New York City Chancellor Carmen Fariña is making to deal with the abysmal parent engagement record the city schools have had over the past few years. Here’s another article about them that appeared in Chalkbeat, With new school year, new rules for parent engagement have begun.

5 by Larry Ferlazzo / 5h hide  //  save

“volunteer forms scaring away parents with less-than-perfect pasts”

School Districts need to enter the real world and understand that being undocumented or having made mistakes in their lives doesn’t mean that they cannot help schools. I’ve recently shared about how two school districts are mishandling this situation: Charlotte Schools Say Undocumented Parents Can’t Volunteer In Schools — For Now, At Least “Fla. School Board Candidate: Allow Some Parents With Crim

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 5h 

Guest Post From The Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project: “What School Reform Can Learn from Business: It’s not what you think”

As regular readers know, I’m a big supporter of the Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project (see The Best Resources For Learning About Teacher Home Visits). Here’s a guest post written by Carrie Rose and Elaine Smith from the Project: What School Reform Can Learn from Business: It’s not what you think Change Won’t Work Without Relationships SACRAMENTO: The world of education policy has been abuzz with a

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 5h 

9-13-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":Good Parent Engagement Idea From Donalyn MillerI’m adding this tweet to The Best Sources Of Parent Engagement Advice For Teachers: A4. Check out books to parents. Offer two copies of the same book, so they can read with/alongside their child. #titletalk — Donalyn Miller (@donalynbooks) September 7, 20143 by Larry Ferlazzo / 

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-14-14

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

What Lausd Is Doing With Its Military-Surplus Grenade Launchers And Assault Rifles

Opinion By Karin Klein, editorial writer covering education, environment, food and science. | LA Times http://lat.ms/1D6l63k LAUSD police officer Jay Cueva watches as students get out of Manual Arts High School for the day. (Los Angeles Times) Set 12, 2014 2:14 pm  ::  So how about the curious finding that the Los Angeles Unified School District has taken possession of Pentagon military

1 by smf / 7h hide  //  save

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED: So Bill Gates Has This Idea for a History Class ...

By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN in the New York Times Magazine | http://nyti.ms/1qTFYo3 Bill Gates, right, with David Christian, a professor from Australia with a new approach to teaching history. Credit Mark Peterson/Redux, for The New York Times SEPT.7, 2014  ::  In 2008, shortly after Bill Gates stepped down from his executive role at Microsoft, he often awoke in his 66,000-square-foot home on

1 by smf / 8h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-13-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  L.A. Unified Should Rescind Plan To Delete Year-Old Emails“ The District's email rule might not be intended to hide district shenanigans, but it certainly could prove a useful tool for doing so. „ Editorial by The L.A. Times Editorial Board | http://lat.ms/1BzXuCn 12 Sept 2014  ::  It's possible L.A. Unified's

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-14-14 @ 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.

Weingarten Hearts Cuomo (By Proxy); Willing to Undercut Teachout via Last-minute Robocall

On September 9, 2014, New York State democrats voted in a primary election that turned out to be an embarrassment for incumbent Andrew Cuomo. His most viable opponent was a relatively unknown Fordham University professor with no political machine behind her, Zephyr Teachout. Teachout lost, but not without taking a notable bite out of Cuomo support. As […]

3 by deutsch29 / 1h 

In an era of the “Clipboard Culture.”

I can’t say for sure if I invented this term on the fly or not. I lamented to my colleagues that the “clipboard culture” needs to end. Those of us subjected to daily and weekly observations from insiders and outsiders, each with their own rubrics and requirements, we teachers tire immensely of the “visitor.” They […]

3 by Shaun Johnson / 1h 

All Week 9-13-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE : All Week @ 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 archiv

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-14-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Why Liberals Cling To School Reform Despite It's Obvious Failures

With A Brooklyn Accent:

Why Liberals Cling To School Reform Despite It's Obvious Failures

At the turn of the 21st Century, Civil Rights leaders and their liberal suporters were desperate to find some point of access to addressing racial and economic equality  Looking at a grim political landscape due to the Democratic Party's movement to the Right, they decided that education reform was the only strategy that had a chance of securing bi-partisan support because it required no sacrifice

7 by Mark Naison / 16min 

Football, Violence and the Language of Male Domination

Some of the best times of my youth and well into my 20's took place on a football field. Like many young men who played the game, I needed an outlet for the violence inside me. An outlet that would bring me respect, camaraderie and the friendship of other men, a friendship that crossed racial and cultural barriers more than almost any other activity I was involved in. But though the game required

3 by Mark Naison / 13min 

Are Public Schools Focal Points of Failure in A Successful Society?

Many critics of our public schools imply that public education is an ugly center of failure in a largely successful society, However, singling out public schools for failure relative to other spheres of America economic and social life, such as our banking system, housing market, and medical system does hold up on close scrutiny. Before Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind left teachers and st

6 by Mark Naison / 2h 

9-13-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Love Letters to the BATS

With A Brooklyn Accent:Stop the Attack on the Nation's Veteran Teachers!The attack on the nation's veteran teachers- which has taken and continues to take an incredible toll on the mental and physical health of hundreds of thousands of people- is something which must be analyzed and exposed no matter whose "ox is gored" and that concludes leaders of the nation's teachers unions. All over

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-14-14 Wag The Dog

WagTheDog | Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. ~ Rumi:

Common Core 2.0 or 2001 Education Odyssey?

With the Common Core’s emphasis on data mining and data-driven instruction there is a misguided focus and emphasis on maximizing and standardizing student “learning outcomes” rather than inspiring and supporting student learning “along the way”. Students will learn and acquire essential academic, social, and emotional skills as they persist through vigorous and diverse learning activities rather

9 by getwhatugive / 10h 

9-13-14 Wag The Dog Week

WagTheDog | Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. ~ Rumi: Wag The Dog WeekLessons of 9/11Schools should be in the business of creating diverse and stimulating learning environments and experiences where a child’s athletic, artistic, social, and emotional inclinations and skills are free to flourish and thrive. We should prepare o

1 by mike simpson / 8h