Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/30/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Help NPE STOP Damaging New Provisions in ESEA Reauthorization Bill - Action Network: 

 

Marie Corfield: NJ Legislature looks at full day K this week

Marie Corfield: NJ Legislature looks at full day K this week: NJ Legislature looks at full day K this weekCamden resident and public education activist, Sue Altman, is guest posting today to call attention to an important bill up for a vote this week in the NJ Assembly:Two important education related bills are up for floor votes in the NJ State Assembly this week. One bill will establish a task fo

by mike simpson / 1min 

A Message From Lily - Lily's Blackboard

A Message From Lily - Lily's Blackboard: A Message From LilyOpen mouth. Insert foot. That’s what I did.You may have seen video of me addressing the Campaign for America’s Future in October, where I mentioned my frustration with those who believe there’s a single fix for public schools. I related an encounter with one such person, and I said I should have used the opportunity to give him the rundow

by mike simpson / 2h 

Revolutionary Civics for All. | BustED Pencils

Revolutionary Civics for All. | BustED Pencils: Revolutionary Civics for All.“It’s so important for students to feel their role as the office of a citizen!” Isidore StarrThe quote above illustrates beautifully what we are throwing away when we mandate theregurgitation of rote knowledge about government.However, come to Wisconsin and share in the ignorance that is unintelligent legislation without

by mike simpson / 2h 

How schools would be judged under ‘Every Student Succeeds,’ the new No Child Left Behind - The Washington Post

How schools would be judged under ‘Every Student Succeeds,’ the new No Child Left Behind - The Washington Post: How schools would be judged under ‘Every Student Succeeds,’ the new No Child Left BehindSen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) listen to testimony during a hearing looking at ways to fix the No Child Left Behind law. (Susan Walsh/AP)Federal lawmakers on Monday rel

by mike simpson / 3h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revised ESEA - Please Let Our Congressional Reps Know Your Concerns

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revised ESEA - Please Let Our Congressional Reps Know Your Concerns: Revised ESEA - Please Let Our Congressional Reps Know Your ConcernsThe vote on the next version of No Child Left Behind is coming up for a vote this week, first in the Senate and then, next week, in the House.  There are several issues that have come to my attention via Diane Ravitch and the Netwo

by mike simpson / 3h 

CURMUDGUCATION: CBE & The Data Bottleneck

CURMUDGUCATION: CBE & The Data Bottleneck: CBE & The Data BottleneckCan you tell I've been doing a lot of reading about Competency Based Education lately?While some proponents like to point to more human-friendly versions of CBE such as a personalized district in rural Alaska, the more common picture of CBE is of a huge data-mining monstrosity. And while CBE has been rolling steadily at us

by mike simpson / 5h 

¿Cómo se dice ‘hardest-to-teach?’ A look at what Clinton said about charter schools. - The Washington Post

¿Cómo se dice ‘hardest-to-teach?’ A look at what Clinton said about charter schools. - The Washington Post: ¿Cómo se dice ‘hardest-to-teach?’ A look at what Clinton said about charter schools.Hillary Clinton recently made some comments about charter schools that upset charter school advocates. She said, to be exact:“Most charter schools — I don’t want to say every one — but most charter schools, t

by mike simpson / 5h 

This Is Not A Review: José Vilson’s reflections on “More Than a Score” | I AM AN EDUCATOR

This Is Not A Review: José Vilson’s reflections on “More Than a Score” | I AM AN EDUCATOR: This Is Not A Review: José Vilson’s reflections on “More Than a Score”VideoPicMTASThis video for the book More Than a Score features interviews with several of the book’s contributing authors.José Vilson teaches middle school math in the Inwood/Washington Heights neighborhood of New York, NY. His book, This

by mike simpson / 5h 

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Julian Vasquez Heilig is a Jive Turkey | Cloaking Inequity

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Julian Vasquez Heilig is a Jive Turkey | Cloaking Inequity: Thanksgiving Leftovers: Julian Vasquez Heilig is a Jive TurkeyRecently I was accused of whitewashing because I gave a lecture at the University of Minnesota. The top down, private-control and privatization reformers are getting more creative (or less creative).  Here is a blog written by Kenneth Eban at the Citizen

by mike simpson / 6h 

Randi Weingarten: Why we support the Every Student Succeeds Act — Medium

Why we support the Every Student Succeeds Act — Medium: Why we support the Every Student Succeeds ActSusan Bowles, a kindergarten teacher in Gainesville, Fla., was fed up with all of the testing she was required to give her 5-year-old students.As an act of civil disobedience, for which she was willing to take the consequences, she refused to administer one of the several tests for kindergartners —

by mike simpson / 6h 

The Urban Education Catastrophe Left Untouched by Anti-Testing Activism - LA Progressive

The Urban Education Catastrophe Left Untouched by Anti-Testing Activism - LA Progressive: The Urban Education Catastrophe Left Untouched by Anti-Testing ActivismWhen it comes to its stated objectives—reducing educational disparities by race and class—test-based school reform embodied in No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top has failed miserably.Education activist movements organized in resistan

by mike simpson / 6h 

Standardized Tests Every Day: the Competency Based Education Scam | gadflyonthewallblog

Standardized Tests Every Day: the Competency Based Education Scam | gadflyonthewallblog: Standardized Tests Every Day: the Competency Based Education ScamIN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE:Welcome to class, children.Please put your hands down, and sit at your assigned seat in the computer lab.Yes, your cubicle partitions should be firmly in place. You will be penalized if your eyes wander into your nei

by mike simpson / 7h 

Books, books and more great books! | Deborah Meier on Education

Books, books and more great books! | Deborah Meier on Education: Books, books and more great books!Dear friends and colleagues,I regularly like to promote some favorite books of mine here.This time let me introduce you to a few of quite a lot of interesting books that have been published lately about schooling and a few that I just recently read but were published some time ago.Two are close to ho

by mike simpson / 7h 

Final No Child Left Behind rewrite is public at last — all 1,059 pages — just days before Congress votes - The Washington Post

Final No Child Left Behind rewrite is public at last — all 1,059 pages — just days before Congress votes - The Washington Post: Final No Child Left Behind rewrite is public at last — all 1,059 pages — just days before Congress votesSen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, left, and Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), chairman of the House Educa

by mike simpson / 7h 

No Art Left Behind | PopularResistance.Org

No Art Left Behind | PopularResistance.Org: No Art Left BehindAbove Photo: From LivingInDialogue.com.In the past 13 years of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top test-driven education policies, art has been pushed to the margins in our schools. Students have lost countless hours for creating art, music and dance that expresses themselves. But artistic expression is like the seedling that force

by mike simpson / 7h 

Testing, testing: A look at other assessments | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Testing, testing: A look at other assessments | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Testing, testing: A look at other assessmentsIn Pennsylvania, the PSSAs and Keystones are probably the most familiar standardized tests, in part because of the high stakes associated with them.But students in the School District of Philadelphia take a number of other assessments each year whose names are less well

by mike simpson / 8h 

CREDO Study Shows On-Line Schools Worse For Students » Missouri Education Watchdog

CREDO Study Shows On-Line Schools Worse For Students » Missouri Education Watchdog: CREDO Study Shows On-Line Schools Worse For StudentsOperating a brick and mortar school is expensive. Maintenance of the physical plant is expensive and limits growth opportunities to the space available. Hiring teaching talent locally can also be a challenge for a traditional school. Finding the right person with

by mike simpson / 8h 

'Star Wars' mania becomes a force in schools and classrooms | 89.3 KPCC

'Star Wars' mania becomes a force in schools and classrooms | 89.3 KPCC: 'Star Wars' mania becomes a force in schools and classrooms Help NPE STOP Damaging New Provisions in ESEA Reauthorization Bill - Action Network"Star Wars" mania is in full force just weeks before the seventh film hits theaters. Riding that wave, some Los Angeles Unified schools will host "Star Wars"-themed

by mike simpson / 8h 

Scoring the New Every Student Succeeds Act :: Frederick M. Hess

Scoring the New Every Student Succeeds Act :: Frederick M. Hess: Scoring the New Every Student Succeeds ActIt's crunch time for the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The week before Thanksgiving, months of intense negotiations yielded a House and Senate deal on their competing bills to overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act. The ESSA will, in short order, get an up-or-down vote in each chamber

by mike simpson / 8h 

Congress Is Likely to Reauthorize Education Law. How Will We Undo Arne Duncan’s Damage? | janresseger

Congress Is Likely to Reauthorize Education Law. How Will We Undo Arne Duncan’s Damage? | janresseger:Congress Is Likely to Reauthorize Education Law. How Will We Undo Arne Duncan’s Damage?Seven years ago today—on November 30, 2008—I picked up my Sunday Cleveland Plain Dealerto see a story above the fold on the front page, a story whose headline screamed: Good Teachers Are Key to Student Achieveme

by mike simpson / 8h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESKim Foxx, running against AlvarezCarol Marin“The federal investigation of the shooting is active and ongoing,” the U.S. Attorney’s office assured us this week. Just remember. The feds never hurry. And Chicago is bleeding. --Sun-TimesKim Foxx“She [State's Attorney Anita Alvarez] waited until her hand was forced by intense political

by mike simpson / 8h 

NYC Educator: The Wit and Wisdom of Class Size Arbitrators

NYC Educator: The Wit and Wisdom of Class Size Arbitrators: The Wit and Wisdom of Class Size ArbitratorsOur arbitrator couldn't remember my name or that of my principal, and got them both wrong, but it doesn't matter. It's not like a parking ticket, where you can appeal. There were not a whole lot of oversized classes by the time my school got to a hearing. One of them was a College Now class. I'v

by mike simpson / 8h 

School advocates look to extend tax hike on wealthy :: SI&A Cabinet Report

School advocates look to extend tax hike on wealthy :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: School advocates look to extend tax hike on wealthy(Calif.) A voter initiative aimed at extending temporary personal income tax hikes to fund schools was cleared for circulation last week, allowing backers to seek the 585,407 signatures needed to qualify the

by mike simpson / 8h 

House, Senate Education Committees Release Final Proposal to Replace NCLB | Education & the Workforce Committee

House, Senate Education Committees Release Final Proposal to Replace NCLB | Education & the Workforce Committee:House, Senate Education Committees Release Final Proposal to Replace NCLB WASHINGTON, D.C. | November 30, 2015 - Today bipartisan leaders on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions released the final legisl

by mike simpson / 9h 

Leaving math standards to politicians doesn’t add up (By Wendy Lecker) - Wait What?

Leaving math standards to politicians doesn’t add up (By Wendy Lecker) - Wait What?: Leaving math standards to politicians doesn’t add up (By Wendy Lecker)The Corporate Education Reform Industry and its allies say the Common Core, Common Core testing mania and their agenda to privatize public education in the United States is necessary in order to ensure children are college and career ready.Howev

by mike simpson / 9h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: The War on Public Education in Broward County Florida- A Guest Post by Terry Pruess

With A Brooklyn Accent: The War on Public Education in Broward County Florida- A Guest Post by Terry Pruess: The War on Public Education in Broward County Florida- A Guest Post by Terry PruessLISTEN… PEOPLE OF BROWARD…  A FORT LAUDERDALE TEACHER SPEAKS…Things I plan to say to my leaders with my local and national community of public education supporters listening in...Let’s NOT be  “The Last Honey

by mike simpson / 9h 

No Child Left Behind’s Successor - WSJ

No Child Left Behind’s Successor - WSJ: No Child Left Behind’s SuccessorCongress rewrites the Bush-era law by giving more power to states.Conservative reformers have had major successes, notably on welfare in 1996. But when a reform doesn’t turn out as hoped, they need to adapt. A case in point is No Child Left Behind, which the GOP Congress is now preparing to leave behind.This week the House pla

by mike simpson / 9h 

Segregated by choice, state's charter schools face a test - StarTribune.com

Segregated by choice, state's charter schools face a test - StarTribune.com: Segregated by choice, state's charter schools face a testState weighs whether to include charters in integration plan, and a lawsuit blames charters for heightening segregation in Minneapolis and St. Paul schools. The cafeteria at Noble Academy charter school in Brooklyn Park is adorned with Laotian-style ornamentation, a

by mike simpson / 9h 

Online schools are losing support, creating divisions in the national charter school movement | cleveland.com

Online schools are losing support, creating divisions in the national charter school movement | cleveland.com:Online schools are losing support, creating divisions in the national charter school movementCLEVELAND, Ohio – Poor test results at online schools are creating divisions in the charter school community in Ohio and nationally, leading some national leaders to question whether e-schools shou

by mike simpson / 9h 

Common Core Forces Fiction From Classroom | The Daily Caller

Common Core Forces Fiction From Classroom | The Daily Caller: Goodbye To All That: Common Core Forces Fiction From US Classrooms, Lowers Test ScoresThe adoption and implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative in more than 40 states around the country since 2010 has wrought two major changes: (1) a notable decrease in the use of fiction and literature in America’s reading and Engli

by mike simpson / 10h 

Does Obama’s Call to Cap Standardized Tests Really Matter? | Articles | Noodle

Does Obama’s Call to Cap Standardized Tests Really Matter? | Articles | Noodle: Obama’s Call to Cap Standardized Testing: Is it Better?When President Obama announced on October 24 that he wanted schools to spend no more than two percent of instructional time on standardized testing, it seemed like the announcement educators had been waiting for since he took office in 2008.Critics, though, think C

by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

N.J. recess bill: Go and play, every day

N.J. recess bill: Go and play, every day: N.J. recess bill: Go and play, every dayWant to know the deal on recess? Go to the experts."We can exercise!" said Collette Guerin, one in a gaggle of second graders rocking the playground last week at Zane North Elementary School in Collingswood."You can use up your energy so you're calmer," chimed in classmate Celia Titcombe.Lilly Sto

by mike simpson / 19h hide  //  save

John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…? | deutsch29

John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…? | deutsch29: John White Opts to Defer Charter Authorizer Approval…?The Charter School Approval Flea Flicker In March 2012, the Louisiana legislature passed Act 2, which includes language allowing for the authorization of “local charter authorizers” (LCAs)– organizations that are able to authorize charter schools in Louisiana and that are able

by mike simpson / 23h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/29/15

CORPORATE ED REFORMHelp NPE STOP Damaging New Provisions in ESEA Reauthorization Bill - Action Network:  Bad Teacherist [Reading Roxane Gay] | The Jose VilsonBad Teacherist [Reading Roxane Gay] | The Jose Vilson: Bad Teacherist [Reading Roxane Gay]I’m not the perfect teacher.At my best, I have a meticulously thought-out lesson plan with activities that access multiple pathways, and I can get an ac

by mike simpson / 1d 

Marie Corfield: NJ Legislature looks at full day K this week

Marie Corfield: NJ Legislature looks at full day K this week:

NJ Legislature looks at full day K this week

Camden resident and public education activist, Sue Altman, is guest posting today to call attention to an important bill up for a vote this week in the NJ Assembly:

Two important education related bills are up for floor votes in the NJ State Assembly this week. One bill will establish a task force to look at whether full day K should be mandated statewide. 

Is full day Kindergarten a good thing? On one hand, some parents say that not all little ones can handle being in school for a full, seven-hour day, and they would rather provide enrichment on their own; on the other hand, there are many families who might want and need full day school as soon as possible.

And, importantly, there are worries from parents and others that the mandatory kindergarten would just turn into hours upon hours of sedentary test prep and heavy academic work for our littlest, wiggliest students, who should be spending their days outside, playing and exploring the world. Test prep for little kids is an absolutely terrible thought— surely there is no test prep in kindergarten… right?

Sadly, there is. Given the stakes attached to tests in later grades, it is unsurprising the test prep starts early. The following is an excerpt from a public testimony submitted by Ms. Phyllis Doerr, a Kindergarten teacher in Newark, NJ, from the Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments in New Jersey.

The antics of the little ones in her class are at once a testament to the wonderful imaginations of 5-year olds, but also a sad illustration of why high-stakes testing affects all students, even when testing is not done in the grade itself. In New Jersey, there is a moratorium on grade span testing in grades K-2, but the long shadow of testing still Marie Corfield: NJ Legislature looks at full day K this week:

A Message From Lily - Lily's Blackboard

A Message From Lily - Lily's Blackboard:

A Message From Lily

Open mouth. Insert foot. That’s what I did.

You may have seen video of me addressing the Campaign for America’s Future in October, where I mentioned my frustration with those who believe there’s a single fix for public schools. I related an encounter with one such person, and I said I should have used the opportunity to give him the rundown of everything today’s public schools do.

In my speech, I attempted to give the full litany of our responsibilities in a playful way. I had in mind those commercials we’ve all seen for prescription drugs in which a lengthy list of possible side effects is stated at warp speed, while smiling people go on a hike or enjoy a candlelight dinner.

Epic fail. In my attempt to be clever and funny, I stepped on a word in one phrase, and I created another phrase that I believed was funny, but was insulting. I apologize.

It started out well enough: “We serve kids a hot meal. We put Band-Aids on boo-boos.” I sped up my delivery for effect, speaking much more quickly than I normally do. And that’s when I went into a skid.

“We diversify our curriculum of instruction to meet the personal and individual needs of all our students – the blind, the hearing impaired, the physically challenged, the gifted and talented, the chronically [tardy] and the medically annoying.”

I meant to say “the chronically tardy,” but that’s not what came out.  I was making the point that we adapt daily lesson plans and schedules to meet the needs of students who, often through no fault of their own, are never on time. Tardiness can be a huge factor in poor academic performance. Sometimes, students are tardy because of physical or mobility issues; other times, tardiness is a symptom of deeper issues at home. You know how embarrassed and out of place you feel when you walk in late to an important work meeting? Well, imagine how a child feels when she is consistently late for school, her “job.”  As educators, we have to devise ways to keep chronically tardy students on track, or else they will fall hopelessly behind and feel marginalized.

As to the second phrase, I did say “medically annoying.” I apologize for my choice of words. Let me be clear: I was not referring to students who are ill or medically fragile. I was referring to the student who, for example, has an argument with his girlfriend and now is having a very bad day, and doing everything humanly possible to annoy the teacher. What we do in our classrooms and how we adjust must take these students into consideration, too.

I realize that my words have taken on a life of their own. But those who know me and my work know that my entire career – beginning with my years as a lunch lady and then as a teacher in Utah – has been devoted to ensuring that all students, regardless of their ZIP code, have the support and tools they need. That means that much of what happens in today’s schools goes well beyond lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic.

This has been a teachable moment for me, and I hope students will learn from my error, too. We all should be more careful before we speak, slow down and make sure our points are well articulated and fully understood.

The bottom line is, I screwed up and I apologize. Please judge me by my heart, not by my mistakes.A Message From Lily - Lily's Blackboard:

Revolutionary Civics for All. | BustED Pencils

Revolutionary Civics for All. | BustED Pencils:

Revolutionary Civics for All.

“It’s so important for students to feel their role as the office of a citizen!” Isidore Starr

The quote above illustrates beautifully what we are throwing away when we mandate theregurgitation of rote knowledge about government.

However, come to Wisconsin and share in the ignorance that is unintelligent legislation without deliberation. Because starting next year, every high school senior will be required to demonstrate that they have wasted time cramming trivial information about American government into their heads just long enough to hopefully pass the new mandatory high stakes civics test.

I obviously have a strong sense of injustice regarding this legislative hijacking of public education.  In fact I have stated in the past and have no intention of changing direction—my son and daughter will not take this test.  We are opting out.  

Unless…… Unless all state legislators in Wisconsin pass the same useless test.  In fact, Representative Terese Berceau and I appeared on Greg Neumann’s Capital City Sundayshow to offer a critique regarding this new test.

Check it out!

So what would we do instead?

How about something revolutionary?  How about actually inspiring students to critically dissect their government and the glorified American heritage that masquerades as history instruction?

How about this?

Revolutionary Civics for All. | BustED Pencils:

How schools would be judged under ‘Every Student Succeeds,’ the new No Child Left Behind - The Washington Post

How schools would be judged under ‘Every Student Succeeds,’ the new No Child Left Behind - The Washington Post:

How schools would be judged under ‘Every Student Succeeds,’ the new No Child Left Behind

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) listen to testimony during a hearing looking at ways to fix the No Child Left Behind law. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Federal lawmakers on Monday released the final text of a compromise bill to rewrite No Child Left Behind, including closely watched language outlining how the nation’s K-12 schools would be judged — and how struggling schools would be improved — if the legislation passes.

The bill, dubbed the Every Student Succeeds Act, would largely shift authority from the federal government to states and districts, giving local officials far more power to define what it means for a school to be successful and to decide how and when to intervene in schools that persistently fail to live up to expectations.

It attempts to thread the needle between conservatives who want to shrink the federal government’s footprint in education and civil rights advocates who worry that some states, left to their own devices, will obfuscate or ignore the poor performance of schools serving low-income and minority students.

Specifically, under the Every Student Succeeds Act:

• The testing regime remains in place. States would still be required, as they are now, to test students annually in math and reading in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school, and publicly report the scores according to race, income, ethnicity, disability and whether students are English-language learners.
• States get to set their own academic goals. Where No Child Left Behind set forth one goal for the nation — 100 percent proficiency in math and reading by 2014 — the new bill would require each state to set and measure progress toward its own academic goals.
• Test scores still matter, but how much is up to the states. States would be charged with designing systems for judging schools. Each system would have to include measures of academic progress, including test scores, graduation rates and (for non-native English speakers) English language acquisition. But it would also have to include a measure of school climate, such as student engagement or access to advanced courses. All of the academic indicators together must count for “much” more than the non-academic factor, but the definition of “much” is not clear.
• What should be done in schools that are struggling will be up to states and districts. Under No Child Left Behind, a school could get dinged if just one of its subgroups failed to meet annual testing goals, and the federal government exercised a lot of say in what happened in persistently failing schools. Under the new bill, it’s likely that fewer schools will be required to be marked for interventions, and it’s up to states and, in many cases, districts to decide what to do to improve those schools. Schools marked for the most intensive interventions would be those among the lowest-performing 5 percent in the state, those in which fewer than two-thirds of students graduate on time, and those in which a subgroup of students “consistently underperforms.” It’s up to each state to determine how long a group of students would have to lag before the school would be required to take action.
• What happens if lots of kids opt out of testing? Again, it’s up to the state. Under No Child Left Behind, a school automatically got a black eye if it failed to test at least 95 percent of its eligible students. The aim was to ensure that principals and teachers weren’t discouraging low performers from showing up on test day in order to boost scores. The new bill maintains the 95 percent requirement, but states can decide how participation rates should figure into their overall school rating system.

The language released Monday is based on a framework agreed to this How schools would be judged under ‘Every Student Succeeds,’ the new No Child Left Behind - The Washington Post:

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revised ESEA - Please Let Our Congressional Reps Know Your Concerns

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revised ESEA - Please Let Our Congressional Reps Know Your Concerns:

Revised ESEA - Please Let Our Congressional Reps Know Your Concerns

The vote on the next version of No Child Left Behind is coming up for a vote this week, first in the Senate and then, next week, in the House.  

There are several issues that have come to my attention via Diane Ravitch and the Network of Public Education.

Here's a link to all the Washington State representatives and senators.  E-mail is great but there is also great value in calling their offices and registering your vote.  (I interned for an Arizona senator once and my job was taking phone calls from constituents on issues of the day.  They registered every single call.)

However you do it, PLEASE contact our congressional reps on this vote.  When you do, please note to them that this is a much better bill than the original.
First, there is an issue for Special Education. 

Special education advocate Bev Johns has written here warning about the impact of Social Impact Bonds on special education services.

What are Social Impact Bonds (SIBs)?

Also known as Pay for Success programs in which Wall Street investors, often using funding from private philanthropies, invest in social programs which once were funded directly by the Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revised ESEA - Please Let Our Congressional Reps Know Your Concerns:

CURMUDGUCATION: CBE & The Data Bottleneck

CURMUDGUCATION: CBE & The Data Bottleneck:

CBE & The Data Bottleneck

Can you tell I've been doing a lot of reading about Competency Based Education lately?

While some proponents like to point to more human-friendly versions of CBE such as a personalized district in rural Alaska, the more common picture of CBE is of a huge data-mining monstrosity. And while CBE has been rolling steadily at us under various aliases for a few decades now, it is computer technology that has made it look like both achievable and profitable.

In fact, CBE on the ground really does look like one more variation of the old and failed teaching machines, an intent to convert the entire ed system to the failed model of Rocketship Academy or the very failed model of on-line schooling.

You don't have to dig very far for hints about where CBE is headed. One of the flagship groups leading the charge is iNACOL -- which stands for "International Association for K-12 Online Learning." You can find their logo on works like the report presented by CompetencyWorks (what the hell is it with these guys and smooshedtogether group names?) entitled Re-Engineering Information Technology, a report all about how to redesign your IT systems to accommodate CBE.

Like many CBE fans, these guys are wrestling with the challenge of collecting tons of data, crunching it, making it transparent to students and teachers, and using it to make quick decisions about what should happen next in the student's education.

I'm hearing and reading the stories from teachers on the ground, in classrooms that are in part or in full running CBE, and they all seem to be about getting data through the bottleneck. Teachers who spend hours plugging test/quiz/worksheet scores into their platform. Teachers who maintain data walls on steroids so that students can walk into the room and first thing in the morning see where they are on the standards matrix and task completion matrix. Teachers who are directed to keep CURMUDGUCATION: CBE & The Data Bottleneck: