Thursday, September 18, 2014

Nite Cap 9-18-14 #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



9-18-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Reprise: Re-Review of Paul Tough's Biggest HitWhen I looking this morning for the publication date of Paul Tough's neo-eugenics manifesto, How Children Succeed . . ., I saw that it is #1 at Amazon in the area of Educational Psychology. I felt the need to re-post this review, which appeared first at Substance News.Paul Tough, KIPP, and the Character Con: A Review of How Children Suc
Surviving Incumbency – redqueeninla
Surviving Incumbency – redqueeninla: Surviving Incumbency In her new book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate, Naomi Klein discerns an irresolvable conflict of diametrically opposed interests. She characterizes capitalism as a driving force that fuels global warming with its inherent economic imperative for “…continuous growth and continuous depletion of resources, including finite
9-18-14 Wait What? - Malloy’s Fundraising Operation – “Offensive but not illegal”
Wait What?: The question IS NOT whether UConn has a major impact on Connecticut’s economyThe question IS NOT whether UConn has a major impact on Connecticut’s economy. An additional issue is whether voters fully understand how UConn spends its public funds.  For example, UConn uses student and public funds to subsidize the school’s big-time athletic programs to the tune of about $19 million a year
The Quick and the Ed » PROFICIENT IN ONE STATE MAY NOT MEAN PROFICIENT IN ANOTHER (NEVER MIND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY)
The Quick and the Ed » PROFICIENT IN ONE STATE MAY NOT MEAN PROFICIENT IN ANOTHER (NEVER MIND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY): PROFICIENT IN ONE STATE MAY NOT MEAN PROFICIENT IN ANOTHER (NEVER MIND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY) As public debate over the use of Common Core standards in U.S. schools gathers steam, parents and policymakers need to know more about current proficiency standards for reading, mathematics, and
The Answer Sheet 9-18-14
Answer Sheet: 19 states still allow corporal punishment in schoolWhile a national debate roils about professional athletes whacking kids, it seems useful to remember that 19 states still allow children to be hit in public school, sometimes to the point of bruising. A federal data analysis found that on average, one child is hit in public school every 30 seconds somewhere in the United […]4 by Vale
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Deasy didn't start L.A.'s school militarization, but he didn't end it either.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Deasy didn't start L.A.'s school militarization, but he didn't end it either.: Deasy didn't start L.A.'s school militarization, but he didn't end it either.Fred KlonskyReaders have begun to ask me about LAUSD's acquisition of machine guns, grenade launchers and armored military vehicles and its connection with current embattled Supt. John Deasy. Deasy is already up t
New Video! The View from 3 Feet | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity
New Video! The View from 3 Feet | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: New Video! The View from 3 FeetPosted on: Thursday September 18th, 2014What's the View Like From Three Feet?NEW VIDEO: Kids + Video Cameras = Why preschool matters.Ever wondered what the world looks like from a preschooler's point of view? Great news! We've got a new (and totally
‘The Teacher Wars’ Author Talks Race and Gender in American Education - COLORLINES
‘The Teacher Wars’ Author Talks Race and Gender in American Education - COLORLINES: ‘The Teacher Wars’ Author Talks Race and Gender in American EducationPhoto: Christopher Furlong/ Getty Images Newsby Miriam Zoila PรฉrezShareThis | Print | CommentWednesday, September 17 2014, 9:45 AM ESTTags: education, education reform, Gender, race39326Journalist Dana Goldstein’s absorbing, ambitious first book,
9-18-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: The bad-old days at LAUSD - LA Timeshttp://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-lausd-utla-teachers-union-superintendent-dea-20140918-story.html?track=rss The bad-old days at LAUSD At L.A. Unified, tensions are high and crisis is in the air. The relationship between Supt. John Deasy and the school board that oversees him is at what is perhaps an all-time low. Deasy is aga
Strong Mayor? Why? Part 2 — The California Fix
Strong Mayor? Why? Part 2 — The California Fix: Strong Mayor? Why? Part 2September 18, 2014In the last post, I disposed of the claim that switching Sacramento to a strong-mayor system would make city government more efficient. Let’s look now at the oligarchs’ second argument: that strong-mayor cities are more responsive and accountable to voters.Unlike the first, this second argument is at least p
9-18-14 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: New report says iPad curriculum rarely usedMorning Read: New report says iPad curriculum rarely used New report on L.A. Unified’s iPads reflects problems with curriculum An evaluation of the iPads-for-all project in Los Angeles schools found that only 1 of 245 classrooms surveyed even used t
9-18-14 Curmudgucation - Another Call for a New Conversation
CURMUDGUCATION: Another Call for a New ConversationPatrick Riccards, of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and the Eduflack blog, has made a fairly reasonable addition to the burgeoning sub-genre of "We reformsters need to get a new conversation started, because we are losing the old one" posts. But this one is interesting."Seeking Collaboration Between Reformers, Edu
Children can’t eat test scores. Why school reform isn’t good enough. - The Washington Post
Children can’t eat test scores. Why school reform isn’t good enough. - The Washington Post: Children can’t eat test scores. Why school reform isn’t good enough.No, it is not "all about the kids." Education reformers are missing the point. To them, the only thing that matters is school quality and performance, and they’re right that those are crucial goals. But they are intermediate ones
9/18/2014 – What’s The Matter With Kansas Education Policy?
9/18/2014 – What’s The Matter With Kansas Education Policy?: 9/18/2014 – What’s The Matter With Kansas Education Policy?September 18, 2014 SubscribeTHIS WEEK: Americans Want Highly-Qualified Teachers … Teachers Find Greener Pastures … Schools Arming Up … High School Rankings Make No Sense … Student College Loan Debt Hits Elderly TooTOP STORYWhat’s The Matter With Kansas Education Policy?By Jeff Br
Charter School Law & Authorizer Practices Need Upgrades & Strengthening to Address Rapid Growth & Expansion (9/17/14) | Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Charter School Law & Authorizer Practices Need Upgrades & Strengthening to Address Rapid Growth & Expansion (9/17/14) | Annenberg Institute for School Reform: Charter School Law & Authorizer Practices Need Upgrades & Strengthening to Address Rapid Growth & Expansion (9/17/14)Tags: AISR NewsPublished on September 17, 2014Printer-friendly version CONTACT:Barbara GrossAISR Pri
9-18-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Data Privacy: Where's Your Line?From Marketplace:Meet the most measured, monitored and data-mined students in the history of education.  Your children.How about this district in California, tracking every kid who uses social media.  From Tech Dirt:The Glendale School District in California is facing some backlash from the recent news that it has retained th
The Role of Public Schools in the NFL Scandal
The Role of Public Schools in the NFL Scandal: The Role of Public Schools in the NFL ScandalSEPTEMBER 18, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTThe NFL is in a tight spot right now. They don’t want to lose their talent and the dollars that might come with a championship. But they are in danger of losing their image. Domestic and child abuse are ugly topics, when they surface. They provoke intense em
Why Girls Get Better Grades Than Boys Do - The Atlantic
Why Girls Get Better Grades Than Boys Do - The Atlantic: Why Girls Get Better Grades Than Boys DoNew research shows that girls are ahead in every subject, including math and science. Do today's grading methods skew in their favor? As the new school year ramps up, teachers and parents need to be reminded of a well-kept secret: Across all grade levels and academic subjects, girls earn higher grades
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-18-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Editorial: THE BAD OLD DAYS AT LAUSD …and 2¢ more or lessBy The LA Times Editorial Board |  http://lat.ms/1suH7jR LAUSD Supt. John Deasy delivers his address at the Superintendent's Annual Administrators Meeting held at Garfield High School. (Los Angeles Times) 18 Sept 2014  ::  At L.A. Unified, tensions are high and crisis is in the air. The relationsh
Cali Education Headlines 9-18-14
Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team | CSIS – California School Information Services: Education HeadlinesRichmond: District criticized for cost to house charter school for one yearWest Contra Costa school board members are taking heat for an April decision to spend $600,000 in voter-approved construction bond funds to place a charter school in a location that will only be available for o
solidaridad: PCL: Legal Rights of Linguistic Minorities
solidaridad: PCL: Legal Rights of Linguistic Minorities: PCL: Legal Rights of Linguistic MinoritiesFirst submitted September 13, 2014 to Peoples College of Law"We therefore live in a period where the prevailing Zeitgeist is at least receptive to the notion that we do not have to be identical ethnically or linguistically." — Dr. Fernand de VarennesIn an era where right-wing millionairesus
Morning Wink 9-18-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-18-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Join The Network for Public Education for Our Historic Event: Public Education Nation!Join The Network for Public Education for Our Historic Event: Public Education Nation!The Network for Public
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-18-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Join The Network for Public Education for Our Historic Event: Public Education Nation!Join The Network for Public Education for Our Historic Event: Public Education Nation!The Network for Public Education will hold a major event on October 11 in New York City called “Public Education Nation.” This is not to be confused with NBC’s a
9-18-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: UFT Caucuses and Loyalty Oaths - How About a UFT Cut-the-Strings, Free-the-Puppets Caucus?Arthur Goldstein has another assault on Unity Caucus at NYC Educator (How About a UFT Cut-the-Strings, Free-the-Puppets Caucus?)Arthur is often focused on the Unity Caucus loyalty oath. I believe this is the wrong terminology. Unity Caucus follows democratic centralism, a staple of the left s
9-18-14 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 Video Animation: “Scottish independence referendum 2014 explained”The citizens of Scotland are voting on whether to be their own independent country. In fact, the voting is taking place as I’m writing these words. I’ve previously shared a nice, short video explaining what’s going on, and here’s another good explanation
9-18-14 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.: Principal Troy LaRaviere on Chicago school policy. The public loses out and private corporations profit.Blaine Principal Troy LaRaviere discusses how the scandal around school custodians and Aramark is bigger than rats, roaches and clean classrooms, as if that isn’t enough. He explains how, across the
9-18-14 @ 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
9-18-14 the becoming radical | Market Ethics No Ethics at All
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Market Ethics No Ethics at AllIn the wake of this country’s premier professional sports league fumbling several cases of domestic violence by its players, one high-profile player has become the focus of equally disturbing cases of child abuse. While the league and teams
9-18-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: SUNY Chancellor To Promote Business Role In EducationFrom State of Politics:Also at 10 a.m., SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and IBM Foundation president Stanley Litow discuss the role that business should play in education during the Business Council’s conference, The Sagamore, 110 Sagamore Rd., Bolton Landing.Because Bill Gates, Eli Broad, Michael Bloomberg and a host of edu
The White Fit | EduShyster
The White Fit | EduShyster: The White Fit Recruiting more minority teachers is essential—after we drive out all of those who are already teaching…Today’s high-stakes question involves the demographics of our nation’s teaching force. When and where is it appropriate to discuss the urgent need to diversify the nation’s teaching force whilst failing to acknowledge what’s happening to the ranks of min
David Boies helped California gay couples win the right to marry. Now he’s attacking teacher tenure - The Washington Post
David Boies helped California gay couples win the right to marry. Now he’s attacking teacher tenure - The Washington Post: David Boies helped California gay couples win the right to marry. Now he’s attacking teacher tenureDavid Boies is an accomplished civil rights attorney who is probably best known for his Supreme Court cases, in which he has represented Al Gore and Californian gay couples seeki
Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away (Clay Shirky) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away (Clay Shirky) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away (Clay Shirky)Clay Shirky is a professor of media studies at New York University, consultant on the Internet, and writer. He is writing here about teaching his University courses and a recent decision that he made. The pos
NYC Educator: How About a UFT Cut-the-Strings, Free-the-Puppets Caucus?
NYC Educator: How About a UFT Cut-the-Strings, Free-the-Puppets Caucus?: How About a UFT Cut-the-Strings, Free-the-Puppets Caucus?I didn't start out criticizing our Union.  I started out with a sincere concern for the current state of affairs in education and the loss of respect among "reformers" for my profession.  This will always be my bottom line.  I thought my Union would always be
Rethinking A Fall Classic: The Parent-Teacher Conference : NPR Ed : NPR
Rethinking A Fall Classic: The Parent-Teacher Conference : NPR Ed : NPR: Rethinking A Fall Classic: The Parent-Teacher Conferenceby PATRICIA WILLENSSeptember 18, 2014 7:47 AM ET So now that students have settled in to the routine of the school year, yet another fall education ritual looms: the parent-teacher conference.And while there's universal agreement that parent involvement is a good thing,
Newark’s Local School Board Flexes Newfound Fiscal Muscles - NJ Spotlight
Newark’s Local School Board Flexes Newfound Fiscal Muscles - NJ Spotlight: NEWARK’S LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD FLEXES NEWFOUND FISCAL MUSCLESJOHN MOONEY | SEPTEMBER 18, 2014Board wants to sign off on Superintendent Anderson’s contract for outside evaluation teamIliana Melendez, left, a senior at Barringer High School, speaks at press conference with members of the local school advisory board.Two weeks in,
The Feds Bypass the State and Come Directly to Districts Asking Them To Commit To Federal Goals | Missouri Education Watchdog
The Feds Bypass the State and Come Directly to Districts Asking Them To Commit To Federal Goals | Missouri Education Watchdog: The Feds Bypass the State and Come Directly to Districts Asking Them To Commit To Federal GoalsinShareSomeone please sign everyone at the USDoEd up for a refresher course on the constitution. They are really struggling with the concept of the 10th amendment.The latest from
Washington State Supreme Court Holds Legislature In Contempt Over School Funding | janresseger
Washington State Supreme Court Holds Legislature In Contempt Over School Funding | janresseger: Washington State Supreme Court Holds Legislature In Contempt Over School FundingPosted on September 18, 2014 by janressegerToo frequently, even after a state supreme court finds the state’s school funding system unconstitutional, nothing much happens.  My state Ohio is the extreme example.  Three times
Tom Hayden, counterculture icon, invites public to dig into his archives | Al Jazeera America
Tom Hayden, counterculture icon, invites public to dig into his archives | Al Jazeera America: Tom Hayden, counterculture icon, invites public to dig into his archivesCache includes 22,000 pages of FBI files showing government surveillance of him and Jane FondaSeptember 18, 2014 5:00AM ETby Steve Friess   @stevefriessANN ARBOR, Mich. – The man regarded as the intellectual father of the 1960s is op
Shanker Blog » Regular Public And Charter Schools: Is A Different Conversation Possible?
Shanker Blog » Regular Public And Charter Schools: Is A Different Conversation Possible?: Regular Public And Charter Schools: Is A Different Conversation Possible?Posted by Esther Quintero on September 18, 2014Uplifting Leadership, Andrew Hargreaves’ new book with coauthors Alan Boyle and Alma Harris, is based on a seven-year international study, and illustrates how leaders from diverse organizati

YESTERDAY

Majority of Newark board promises legal action against Cami | Bob Braun's Ledger
Majority of Newark board promises legal action against Cami | Bob Braun's Ledger: Majority of Newark board promises legal action against CamiNewark school board members Marquis Lewis-Aquil, Donald Jackson, Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson and Ariagna Perello at Wednesday night’s press conference. Deborah Gregory Smith, head of the Newark NAACP, looks on.Seven of the nine members of Newark’s elect
#optout #refusethetest without Fear of Federal Penalty to Your School - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform
#optout #refusethetest without Fear of Federal Penalty to Your School - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform: #optout #refusethetest without Fear of Federal Penalty to Your SchoolBY PEGWITHPEN · SEPTEMBER 17, 2014The following document is courtesy of Fairtest.  A big thank you to Monty Neill, Lisa Guisbond and Bob Schaeffer for their collaboration as we work together to t
Rubber Room is Death Row southbronxschool
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Rubber Room is Death RowThere was a parole, or maybe a commutation, today at the Zerega Ave Rubber Room.As mentioned the other day, Rudy Baylor as reported here on Monday, received a new suit, a bus ticket and a ride to the deep end of the ATR pool courtesy of our friends at the DOE. We all bade him a fond farewell, wished him the best and went back to waiting. And
New report on L.A. Unified's iPads reflects problems with curriculum - LA Times
New report on L.A. Unified's iPads reflects problems with curriculum - LA Times: New report on L.A. Unified's iPads reflects problems with curriculum An  evaluation of the iPads-for-all project in Los Angeles schools found that only 1 of 245 classrooms surveyed even used the costly curriculum. The analysis, conducted by an outside firm, also highlighted other problems, including the pace of the ro
Student-led nonprofit paves the way for change with second annual Student Voice Live! summit
Student-led nonprofit paves the way for change with second annual Student Voice Live! summit: Student-led nonprofit paves the way for change with second annual Student Voice Live! summitStudents gather technology, education and business thought leaders to transform this school year and beyondNEW YORK, NY— This week, Student Voice will partner with Dell, Microsoft, the GENYOUth Foundation and other
Disgraced, recalled, homophobic former Education Comm. Chair Paul Scott now a lobbyist for anti-teacher group StudentsFirst | Eclectablog
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Bill to Improve After School and Expanded Learning - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Bill to Improve After School and Expanded Learning - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Approval of Bill toImprove After School and Expanded Learning Programs SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today praised Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. for signing Senate Bill 1221, sponsored by State Senator Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, whic
solidaridad: Unpacking Charter Schools' Heavy Baggage this week on Politics Or Pedagogy? with John Cromshow
solidaridad: Unpacking Charter Schools' Heavy Baggage this week on Politics Or Pedagogy? with John Cromshow: Unpacking Charter Schools' Heavy Baggage this week on Politics Or Pedagogy? with John CromshowFeaturing an analysis of education, policy and practice affecting our public schools.KPFK 90.7 FMPolitics or Pedagogy? with John CromshowFriday, September 19, 20147:00 - 8:00 PMCall in: (818) 985-5
Nite Cap 9-17-14 #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 CAPRacial Justice In Schools Starts With Teacher Cultural Competency, Not “NYPD” T-ShirtsRacial Justice In Schools Starts With Teacher Cultural Competency, Not “NYPD” T-Shirts: Racial Justice In Schools Starts With Teacher Cultural Competency, Not “






9-18-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:







Textbooks and the Texas Taliban
a clip from Alternet:The latest battle in the ongoing war to turn public schools into propaganda machines for the right is being fought in the state of Texas. The state is often at the center of conservative-fomented education controversies, as right-wingers there keep trying to sneak creationism into the science classroom. Texas also continues to maintain its abysmally high teen pregnancy rate by


Reprise: Re-Review of Paul Tough's Biggest Hit
When I looking this morning for the publication date of Paul Tough's neo-eugenics manifesto, How Children Succeed . . ., I saw that it is #1 at Amazon in the area of Educational Psychology. I felt the need to re-post this review, which appeared first at Substance News.Paul Tough, KIPP, and the Character Con: A Review of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of CharacterWhen w




9-17-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: New Group Forms PAC to Fight Charter Takeover in NashvilleFrom the Tennessean:Parents in East Nashville are moving quickly to fight Director of Schools Jesse Register’s far-reaching plan to close low-performing schools, hand others to charter operators and let families in that area choose where their children will attend.Their request: Start over.Since Register unveiled his intenti

Surviving Incumbency – redqueeninla

Surviving Incumbency – redqueeninla:



Surviving Incumbency






 In her new book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate, Naomi Klein discerns an irresolvable conflict of diametrically opposed interests. She characterizes capitalism as a driving force that fuels global warming with its inherent economic imperative for “…continuous growth and continuous depletion of resources, including finite resources“. And she notes the zeitgeist of a striking future where “…it’s just a more brutally cleaved world between haves and have-nots than the one we have now.” She notes “… [i]t’s actually not controversial to say this is where we are headed [e.g. "Snowpiercer, Elysium or The Hunger Games"]. The question is, can we imagine another way of responding to crisis other than one of deepening inequality, brutal disaster capitalism and mangled techno-fixes…”?

This is the spot-on same conflict that underlies the Education ®eform Movement [sic, with a tip-of-the-hat to PTSA representative Scott Folsom who writes 4lakids.blogspot.com]. It is personified here in LA by our own Eli Broad-indemnified superintendent Deasy, and played out through his man’s never-bally-hooed, de facto “tenure“. This school district and its administration – meaning superintendent and school board in concert — has championed one systematic, serial descent into “deeping inequality, brutal disaster capitalism and mangled techno-fixes”.
Let’s start with the middle one, “brutal disaster capitalism”. The situation of teachers and the effort to strip them of labor rights and professional dignity is unconscionable. As collateral damage of Ed®eform, the underlying theme of union busting floats all along the surface of this LATimes editorial. Revealed is an essential confusion between “protection” and “advocacy”. The distinction is wholly explained by which side of the labour table you occupy. The LATimes is in the Surviving Incumbency – redqueeninla:

9-18-14 Wait What? - Malloy’s Fundraising Operation – “Offensive but not illegal”

Wait What?:











The question IS NOT whether UConn has a major impact on Connecticut’s economy

The question IS NOT whether UConn has a major impact on Connecticut’s economy. An additional issue is whether voters fully understand how UConn spends its public funds.  For example, UConn uses student and public funds to subsidize the school’s big-time athletic programs to the tune of about $19 million a year. Yesterday, Governor Dannel “Dan” […] The post The question IS NOT whether UConn has a m


9-17-14 Wait What? - Malloy’s Fundraising Operation – “Offensive but not illegal”
Wait What?: Malloy’s Fundraising Operation – “Offensive but not illegal”As noted earlier this week in Wait, What? post entitled, Three cheers for campaign finance corruption in Connecticut!, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy and his campaign operation has collected at least $3.5 million for his campaign by directing large campaign contributors to make donations to the Democratic State Central Committee


The Quick and the Ed » PROFICIENT IN ONE STATE MAY NOT MEAN PROFICIENT IN ANOTHER (NEVER MIND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY)

The Quick and the Ed » PROFICIENT IN ONE STATE MAY NOT MEAN PROFICIENT IN ANOTHER (NEVER MIND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY):



PROFICIENT IN ONE STATE MAY NOT MEAN PROFICIENT IN ANOTHER (NEVER MIND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY)



 As public debate over the use of Common Core standards in U.S. schools gathers steam, parents and policymakers need to know more about current proficiency standards for reading, mathematics, and science – and brace for some surprises. 

These standards, used by states to measure student progress, vary widely – with the gap between states with the highest and lowest standards amounting to several grade levels. In most states with high pass rates, low expectations are to blame.
New research I undertook at AIR (International Benchmarking: State and National Education Performance Standards) compares state standards with student achievement levels used in two international assessments, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Four findings deserve particular attention:

  1. States reporting the highest percentage of proficient students had the lowest performance standards. More than two-thirds of the difference in state success is related to how high or low the states set their performance standards.

  1. The difference between the states with the highest and lowest standards is about two standard deviations – a statistical term denoting the amount of variation from the average. In many testing programs, a gap this large represents three to four grade levels.

  1. The percentage of proficient students for most states declined when compared with international standards. In Grade 8 mathematics, for example, Alabama went from 77 percent proficient to 15 percent; Colorado from 80 percent to 35 percent; Oklahoma from 66 percent to 20 percent; and New Jersey from 71 percent to 50 percent.

  1. Using international standards, Massachusetts climbed to 57 percent proficient, compared to 52 percent under its own standards.

State by state comparisons are also eye-opening. For the purpose of discussion, the report converts international benchmarks to grades, with a high of A and a low of D. In Grade 8 mathematics, Massachusetts and Minnesota had the highest grades, with each receiving a B-. The lowest grades went to Alabama and Georgia, which received a D, The Quick and the Ed » PROFICIENT IN ONE STATE MAY NOT MEAN PROFICIENT IN ANOTHER (NEVER MIND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY):

The Answer Sheet 9-18-14

Answer Sheet:







19 states still allow corporal punishment in school
While a national debate roils about professional athletes whacking kids, it seems useful to remember that 19 states still allow children to be hit in public school, sometimes to the point of bruising. A federal data analysis found that on average, one child is hit in public school every 30 seconds somewhere in the United […]




The Answer Sheet 9-17-14
Answer Sheet: Four Common Core ‘flimflams’Award-winning Principal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York was once a supporter of the Common Core but came to be a critic after her state began to implement the initiative. (You can read some of her work on the botched implementation  in New York here,  here, here and here.)  Burris was named […]400+ by Valerie Strauss / 5h The Answer Shee

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Deasy didn't start L.A.'s school militarization, but he didn't end it either.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Deasy didn't start L.A.'s school militarization, but he didn't end it either.:



Deasy didn't start L.A.'s school militarization, but he didn't end it either.

Fred Klonsky
Readers have begun to ask me about LAUSD's acquisition of machine guns, grenade launchers and armored military vehicles and its connection with current embattled Supt. John Deasy. Deasy is already up to his ears, and ought to be, over his discriminatory suspension policies, the district's wild expansion of privately-run charter schools, and the ongoing ipad scandal.  But some have suggested that Deasy should get a pass on the militarization scandal because most of the combat equipment came to the district back in 2001, back when Deasy was still trying to scam a phony doctorate from the University of Louisville. I don't agree.

Adm. David Brewer III


In 2001, the district was led by former Governor of Colorado and Democratic Party chairman Roy Romer.

It was Romer, himself a former U.S. Air Force legal officer, who made the original deal with the Pentagon to accept used military battlefield equipment under the 1033 Program, created by Congress in the early 1990s. The program was originally intended to bolster the crowd control capacities of local police departments in the face of impending civil unrest. But soon public school districts' security departments joined in arms race.


Romer left L.A. in 2006, replaced by David L. Brewer III, a former Navy Vice-Admiral who served as head of the Navy's Education and Training Division and Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Deasy didn't start L.A.'s school militarization, but he didn't end it either.:

New Video! The View from 3 Feet | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

New Video! The View from 3 Feet | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity:



Home




New Video! The View from 3 Feet

Posted on: Thursday September 18th, 2014

The View from Three Feet
What's the View Like From Three Feet?
NEW VIDEO: Kids + Video Cameras = Why preschool matters.
Ever wondered what the world looks like from a preschooler's point of view? Great news! We've got a new (and totally adorable) short video about why preschool matters, as told by the little tots themselves.
Honestly, we could talk your ear off about the importance of early learning, but wouldn't you rather have some cute kids with GoPro cameras show you why they love preschool? They're telling stories, doing art projects, practicing counting, and learning that "when somebody's talking to someone else, you be patient."
You get the picture – now enjoy it from three feet!
(P.S. Check out this interactive map we created and learn how you can help make sure every kid in your state gets to go to preschool.)