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Saturday, September 24, 2016

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/24/16

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/24/16



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Students Are Pulling a Kaepernick All Over America — and Being Threatened for It




CURMUDGUCATION: Essential Reading for Education Activists (and Wonks)
by mike simpson / 10min
CURMUDGUCATION: Essential Reading for Education Activists (and Wonks) : Essential Reading for Education Activists (and Wonks) Corporate, privatized, market-driven education reform hasn't worked-- and now there's a book chock full of research to prove it. The National Education Policy Center is based at the University of Colorado (Boulder) School of Education. They look kind of like what I always
This is our story. It must be told - Lily's Blackboard
by mike simpson / 4h
This is our story. It must be told - Lily's Blackboard : This is our story. It must be told President Barack Obama, with first lady Michelle Obama and Ruth Odom Bonner, center, ring the bell opening the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) The National Museum of African Amer
CT Court Ruling - Where is the truth, equity, and justice? The War Report on Public Education with Dr James Miller
by mike simpson / 5h
The War Report on Public Education with Dr James Miller : CT Court Ruling - Where is the truth, equity, and justice? Pleas e join Internet radio host Dr. James Avington Miller Jr. for a special report on the CCJEF vs. Rell court ruling and how this ruling significantly affects children, parents, teachers, communities, and potentially the whole country. Dr. Miller's featured guests will be CT blog
Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION: The Gates Plan for College + The Word Charters Leave Out
by mike simpson / 6h
CURMUDGUCATION : Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION The Gates Plan for College 6 by Peter Greene / 1h Some days I feel kind of Rip Van Winklesque, as if I went to sleep and when I woke up the world had changed. Apparently while I was sleeping, the electorate rose up and elected Bill Gates the Grand Uber Head of Education. "Please," a bunch of you non-sleeping people said. "Redesign our e
More about the extremely disappointing CCJEF v. Rell ruling by Wendy Lecker - Wait What?
by mike simpson / 6h
More about the extremely disappointing CCJEF v. Rell ruling by Wendy Lecker - Wait What? : More about the extremely disappointing CCJEF v. Rell ruling by Wendy Lecker The mass media was quick to fixate on the one “positive” element of the recent CCJEF v. Rell school funding lawsuit ruling, missing the many series problems associated with decision. In her first piece, Problems with the CCJEF Decis
Cheri Kiesecker: What Parents Need to Know About Google Apps for Education | Diane Ravitch's blog
by mike simpson / 6h
Cheri Kiesecker: What Parents Need to Know About Google Apps for Education | Diane Ravitch's blog : Cheri Kiesecker: What Parents Need to Know About Google Apps for Education Cheri Kiesecker is a Colorado parent who pays close attention to technology that invades student privacy. She left the following warning as a comment: In response to the question about GAFE. Below are a few links that may be
Oregon Save Our Schools: Secretary of State Releases Flawed Audit of Smarter Balanced Asssessment
by mike simpson / 6h
Oregon Save Our Schools: Secretary of State Releases Flawed Audit of Smarter Balanced Asssessment : Secretary of State Releases Flawed Audit of Smarter Balanced Asssessment On September 14, the Oregon Secretary of State's office released its long awaited audit of the Smarter Balanced Assessment, as required by House Bill 2713 . The audit appears to have relied heavily on information provided by t
Schools Matter: Teacher Evaluation, the Prequel
by mike simpson / 7h
Schools Matter: Teacher Evaluation, the Prequel : Teacher Evaluation, the Prequel Imagine being able to evaluate a teacher before she is even hired! Too good to be true, you say? Read on. Imagine the ability to hire a teacher that you know in advance will be able to produce those test scores necessary to 1) help your school system stay head and shoulders above your neighbors, 2) help your poorest
The Schools All Children Deserve – Live Long and Prosper
by mike simpson / 7h
The Schools All Children Deserve – Live Long and Prosper : The Schools All Children Deserve CHICAGO TRIBUNE: “REFORM” ADVOCATE There’s a battle going on in Chicago for the future of the Chicago Public Schools. It mirrors the national education story in at least one way…it’s a battle between vocal parents and teachers against a “reform” movement led by the rich and powerful at the expense of publi
Teaching in Triage - Badass Teachers Association
by mike simpson / 7h
Badass Teachers Association : Teaching in Triage By: Emily Alberty Originally posted on Buckeye BATs Blog - https://buckeyebats.wordpress.com/2016/09/23/teaching-in-triage/ As posted in the public Facebook group Cleveland Caucus to Reclaim Our Schools/CLE UnitedRank & File Educators (CURE). I wrote this last March, after looking outside at the school playground and seeing the Cleveland police
Demand the Impossible! (excerpt # 4) | Bill Ayers
by mike simpson / 7h
Demand the Impossible! (excerpt # 4) | Bill Ayers : Demand the Impossible! (excerpt # 4) Bill Ayers -- Demand the Impossible!: A Radical Manifesto | Haymarket Books - http://www.haymarketbooks.org/pb/Demand-the-Impossible A pervasive and frantically promoted proposition that runs loose in the land is that being a military powerhouse makes the United States (and people everywhere) safe, protects f
Teaching Algebra II: Technology Integration | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
by mike simpson / 7h
Teaching Algebra II: Technology Integration | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice : Teaching Algebra II: Technology Integration I observed an Algebra 2 class at Hacienda (pseudonym), a Northern California high school, on September 9, 2016. The high school has over 1900 students, mostly minority (Asian and Latino). About 20 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced
Delaware Competency-Based Education, Part 2: Reinventing Schools & Dark Omens – Exceptional Delaware
by mike simpson / 7h
Delaware Competency-Based Education, Part 2: Reinventing Schools & Dark Omens – Exceptional Delaware : Delaware Competency-Based Education, Part 2: Reinventing Schools & Dark Omens At the first official meeting for the Delaware Dept. of Education/Rodel created Guiding Coalition for Competency-Based Learning, an email went out to members to research an organization called Reinventing Schoo
Louisiana Educator: School Disciplinary Authority is Being Seriously Eroded
by mike simpson / 7h
Louisiana Educator: School Disciplinary Authority is Being Seriously Eroded : School Disciplinary Authority is Being Seriously Eroded This article in Education Week magazine describes a growing national trend to reduce educator authority to suspend students for disciplinary infractions. A major substitute for out-of-school suspension is a program called restorative justice . In this scheme, teach
I Am So Sick of White People’s Excuses (And I’m White!) | gadflyonthewallblog
by mike simpson / 7h
I Am So Sick of White People’s Excuses (And I’m White!) | gadflyonthewallblog : I Am So Sick of White People’s Excuses (And I’m White!) What the heck is wrong with us, white people? Systematic racism is all around , but we refuse to see it. Oh, and I do mean REFUSE . It’s not a matter of being unable to see it. Our eyes and minds work just as well as anyone else’s. We can perceive reality. Too ma
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Note to some fellow lefties...
by mike simpson / 7h
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Note to some fellow lefties... : Note to some fellow lefties... Students from Johnson C. Smith University at a rally for Hillary Clinton in Charlotte, North Carolina. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times Sorry to say, rapacious capitalism will still be here in November. Not only that, but I doubt it will ever be simply voted out. Even if a "socialist" like
This Was The Summer of Charter School Discontent | Daniel Katz, Ph.D.
by mike simpson / 7h
This Was The Summer of Charter School Discontent | Daniel Katz, Ph.D. : This Was The Summer of Charter School Discontent As summer gives way to Fall, it is worth taking note how shifts, both subtle and substantial, are changing the ground on which charter school advocates fight for more of our public education system. This is not what they are used to. Backed by billionaire financing , using that
College Board chief promises changes to SAT test amid controversies | Reuters
by mike simpson / 8h
College Board chief promises changes to SAT test amid controversies | Reuters : College Board chief promises changes to SAT test amid controversies The maker of the SAT, America’s oldest college-entrance exam, promised to streamline its new math questions and scale back the reuse of tests, a longtime practice that has made the exam vulnerable to cheating. David Coleman, chief executive of the Col
Students Are Pulling a Kaepernick All Over America — and Being Threatened for It
by mike simpson / 8h
Students Are Pulling a Kaepernick All Over America — and Being Threatened for It : Students Are Pulling a Kaepernick All Over America — and Being Threatened for It STUDENTS ARE BEING threatened with punishment for not participating in rituals surrounding the national anthem or Pledge of Allegiance — and they are fighting back. Since NFL 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the national a
Parent dives into Jefferson County transgender saga, helps create new school policy - stltoday com
by mike simpson / 8h
Parent dives into Jefferson County transgender saga, helps create new school policy | Metro | stltoday.com : Parent dives into Jefferson County transgender saga, helps create new school policy Parent dives into Jefferson County transgender saga, helps create new school policy | Metro | stltoday.com : HILLSBORO • Derrick Good carries the aura of a fixer. At lunch the other day at the Courthouse Gr
Prop. 55 asks voters to extend governor’s income tax on wealthy - San Francisco Chronicle
by mike simpson / 8h
Prop. 55 asks voters to extend governor’s income tax on wealthy - San Francisco Chronicle : Prop. 55 asks voters to extend governor’s income tax on wealthy SACRAMENTO — When Californians were asked four years ago whether wealthy people in the state should pay higher income taxes to prevent deep cuts to education and other public programs, opponents built a substantial war chest to fight the measu

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/23/16
by mike simpson / 23h
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/23/16 Featured Post Exclusive Photos of Mayor Kevin Johnson's Pie Incident - Sacramento Magazine CURMUDGUCATION: CA: Court Rejects Test-based Teacher Eval 1 by mike 

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CURMUDGUCATION: Essential Reading for Education Activists (and Wonks)

CURMUDGUCATION: Essential Reading for Education Activists (and Wonks):

Essential Reading for Education Activists (and Wonks)

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Corporate, privatized, market-driven education reform hasn't worked-- and now there's a book chock full of research to prove it. 

The National Education Policy Center is based at the University of Colorado (Boulder) School of Education. They look kind of like what I always imagined when I thought of an actual think tank-- one that was interested in real inquiry and research, and not just put together to lobby for a particular set of ideas. They've created a network composed of many of the top researchers in the education policy world (just look at this list of fellows) and they are a regular source of actual education policy research (as well as doing solid analyses of other research that is out there, even when it's just "research").

William J. Mathis and Tina M. Trujillo have put together an important (and huge) look at what's been going on in education. Learning from the Federal Market-Based Reforms is a collection of twenty-eight articles from a rather amazing array of top scholars in the field, looking at what has been tried, what hasn't worked, and the research says will work.

The preface, foreword, and introduction lay out the vision pretty clearly and forcefully. In the second paragraph of the preface, Mathis and Trujillo summarize where we are pretty succinctly:

Unfortunately, our review also confirmed that, despite decades of solid research evidence demonstrating the limited and contradictory effects of the market model on school reform, it is still the model that dominates education in this country, particularly in schools that serve low-income families and children of color.

In her foreword, Jeannie Oakes argues that cultural values have dominated the arena while pushing aside actual research-based approaches, and that the dominant value is a sort of behaviorism. Reformsters have "normalized the idea that school quality and equity will improve" as families shop in an unequal "competitive" marketplace. Oakes raises an idea that I confess I hadn't really CURMUDGUCATION: Essential Reading for Education Activists (and Wonks):








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This is our story. It must be told - Lily's Blackboard

This is our story. It must be told - Lily's Blackboard:

This is our story. It must be told

President Barack Obama, with first lady Michelle Obama and Ruth Odom Bonner, center, ring the bell opening the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Barack Obama, with first lady Michelle Obama and Ruth Odom Bonner, center, ring the bell opening the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on the National Mall September 24, and it was years in the making. (Well, 600, if you want to get technical.)
The museum—which is the last that will be built on the National Mall—came after decades of work by people who believed that African Americans ‘legacy and contributions should be enshrined in a public space. It began, as many achievements do, as the dream of visionaries with the spirit to “plant trees whose shade they knew they would never sit in.”
 As far back as the early 1900s, activists were pushing for such a museum. President Hoover in 1929 appointed civil rights leaders, including Mary McLeod Bethune, to a commission that would study the idea and raise money for it. But something else happened in 1929 that helped doom the effort (which probably never had much of a chance anyway, given the times): The stock market crashed, and the Great Depression began.
Over the next decades, proposals would emerge in Congress, only to die. Ultimately, historians and private citizens, with the late Rep. Mickey Leland and Rep. John Lewis, helped push the idea across the finish line. They overcame opposition from some who worried that a national museum would take support away from smaller, local African American museums, and others (including Smithsonian leaders) who felt like African-American culture and contributions should be relegated to a wing of an existing museum. And of course, there was the hostility of the late Sen. Jesse Helms to the idea.
President George W. Bush in 2003 signed legislation authorizing the museum.  Then the work to fund raise and build the collection—which includes more than 36,000 artifacts—began in earnest. (The NEA was a contributor.)  The Smithsonian’s 19th museum represents a tremendous opportunity for teaching and learning, and school group tours are available. But you don’t even have to visit the National Mall to make use of it.
The museum was the very first of the Smithsonian’s offerings to have an online presence before it actually opened. Those plentiful resources are perfect for classroom lessons and discussions. You can also take a virtual guided tour.
Of course, much of the museum’s collection touches on our painful history of slavery and discrimination; the triumphs are on display, but so are the horrors and the pain. 
There are shackles, a 19th century slave cabin and other implements of slavery. Graphic descriptions and photos. Wreckage from a slave ship.  The casket that held 14-year-old Emmett Till’s body.
There is also the Greensboro, N.C. Woolworth’s counter where college students staged a sit-in in 1960. The plane used to train the Tuskegee Airmen who flew during World War II. Jesse Owens’ cleats from the 1936 Olympics. The jacket and skirt Marian Anderson wore when she performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And so much more.
“For schoolchildren, touring the Mall’s newest museum will be an educational journey through the historical lens of black life in America,” notes a recent Washington Post article. “It also will mean helping This is our story. It must be told - Lily's Blackboard:


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CT Court Ruling - Where is the truth, equity, and justice? The War Report on Public Education with Dr James Miller

The War Report on Public Education with Dr James Miller:

CT Court Ruling - Where is the truth, equity, and justice?



Please join Internet radio host Dr. James Avington Miller Jr. for a special report on the CCJEF vs. Rell court ruling and how this ruling significantly affects children, parents, teachers, communities, and potentially the whole country. Dr. Miller's featured guests will be CT blogger Jonathan Pelto and CT attorney and educational columnist Wendy Lecker.

 We will explore the origin of the case, the actual ruling, and the implications of Judge Thomas Moukawsher's outrageous court ruling.

 This case, if not overturned, will turn CT into a state that will abolish aide and support to at-risk and special needs children.

This case, if not overturned, that will turn CT into another Detroit with poor districts abandoned and privileged districts enriched.

This case, if not overturned, will demand that teacher pay must be tied t o teacher evaluations and student test scores.

And all this and more will be done from the bench not from the elected legislators . Democracy is NOT at work here in CT.

We must all wake up and fight the over-reach in our schools, our communities and our country. This one case will negativ ely impact students, teachers, families, public education, and our future . It is an important case we must all learn about.

Please read Wendy's column - http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Wendy-Lecker-Ruling-raises-hope-for-poorest-9212622.php

Please read Jon's many blog posts on this case -http://jonathanpelto.com/2016/09/20/breaking-news-state-supreme-court-says-will-review-school-funding-case/

Here is the actual ruling - https://www.jud.ct.gov/CCJEFvRell.pdf

CT friends - please tune in and learn about the ruling . All our War Report friends, please take note that cases like this are happening all over our country and we the people must wake up and fight off the privatization of everyone and everything. Please listen in and call in on Sunday

Knowledge is power !

RESISTANCE MATTERS
RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE
RESISTANCE IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF EXPRESSION OF DEMOCRACY
RESISTANCE IS SURVIVAL


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The War Report on Public Education with Dr James Miller:

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Big Education Ape: More about the extremely disappointing CCJEF v. Rell ruling by Wendy Lecker - Wait What? - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/09/more-about-extremely-disappointing.html


The War Report on Public Education with Dr James Avington Miller Jr

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