Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/24/16

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/24/16

Featured Post

How is Carl Paladino Still on the Buffalo School Board? -Badass Teachers Association

Educational leadership this year didn't come from Oregon's leaders in education | OregonLive

by mike simpson / 10min

Educational leadership this year didn't come from Oregon's leaders in education: Editorial Agenda 2016 | OregonLive.com : Educational leadership this year didn't come from Oregon's leaders in education: Editorial Agenda 2016 It's a telling sign that the boldest educational initiatives of the year came not from the chief education office or other state agencies but rather from advocates, parents,

HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over)

by mike simpson / 3h

HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) - JOHN & YOKO THE PLASTIC ONO BAND with The Harlem Community Choir - YouTube : HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) - JOHN & YOKO THE PLASTIC ONO BAND with The Harlem Community Choir HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) - JOHN & YOKO THE PLASTIC ONO BAND with The Harlem Community Choir - YouTube :

Can students pray in public schools? Can teachers say ‘Merry Christmas’? What’s allowed — and forbidden. - The Washington Post

by mike simpson / 4h

Can students pray in public schools? Can teachers say ‘Merry Christmas’? What’s allowed — and forbidden. - The Washington Post : Can students pray in public schools? Can teachers say ‘Merry Christmas’? What’s allowed — and forbidden. Can students can’t pray inside their public school buildings? Can teachers say “Merry Christmas” to their students? Can religious music be played in public schools?

Happy Hanukkah! Chag Sameach from the White House | whitehouse.gov

by mike simpson / 5h

Happy Hanukkah! Chag Sameach from the White House | whitehouse.gov : Happy Hanukkah! Chag Sameach from the White House President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle and Rabbi Rachel Isaacs join Chemi Peres and Mika Almog for the menorah lighting during Hanukkah in the East Room of the White House, Dec. 14, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy) Summary: The President and First Lady hel

Seriously Trump To Give Everyone Coal For Christmas | Care2 Causes

by mike simpson / 5h

Trump Wants To Give Everyone Coal For Christmas | Care2 Causes : Seriously Trump To Give Everyone Coal For Christmas Christmas morning, don’t be surprised if you wake up and find a huge lump of coal in your stocking. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been naughty or nice because the naughtiest politician of all is in charge of doling out these “gifts.” Donald Trump has spent the last year pledging to r

Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past

by mike simpson / 6h

Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past : Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past As we approach the end of 2016 and look with hope to 2017, educators and parents are concerned about President-elect Trump’s choice of Betsy DeVos for education secretary. I share those concerns. But it is also important to remember the education secretaries of the past and how they

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Merry Christmas from the President and the First Lady | whitehouse.gov

by mike simpson / 6h

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Merry Christmas from the President and the First Lady | whitehouse.gov : WEEKLY ADDRESS: Merry Christmas from the President and the First Lady In this week’s address, the President and the First Lady wished all Americans a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. They reflected on the honor of serving the American people as President and First Lady over the past eight years and the pro

CURMUDGUCATION: The Only Subjects That Matter

by mike simpson / 7h

CURMUDGUCATION: The Only Subjects That Matter : The Only Subjects That Matter There's a message that has been delivered loud and clear for the last decade-- only two subjects in school matter. Only reading and math affect a school's rating. Only reading and math scores factor in teacher evaluation. Only reading and math come with state-approved Official Standards. Only reading and math are on the

News Update: Campbell Brown Welcomes the Grinch that Stole Public Education

by mike simpson / 7h

News Update: Campbell Brown Welcomes the Grinch that Stole Public Education

Missouri 15-Year-Old Wins Kia for Attending School | deutsch29

by mike simpson / 7h

Missouri 15-Year-Old Wins Kia for Attending School | deutsch29 : Missouri 15-Year-Old Wins Kia for Attending School One of my concerns about this atmosphere of test-centered reform is the pressure on teachers and administrators to discover that effective cocktail of external motivators to prompt students to attend school, pass their classes, and pass their exams. It bothers me when my students as

Cartoons on New Year Resolutions | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by mike simpson / 7h

Cartoons on New Year Resolutions | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice : Cartoons on New Year Resolutions As we come to the end of 2016, I offer cartoons poking fun at the perennial practice of resolving to do better next year–whatever “better” means. Enjoy! see more cartoons: Cartoons on New Year Resolutions | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice :

How is Carl Paladino Still on the Buffalo School Board? -Badass Teachers Association

by mike simpson / 8h

Badass Teachers Association : How is Carl Paladino Still on the Buffalo School Board? By Dr. Michael Flanagan How is it possible that an open racist like Carl Paladino can still sit on the Buffalo School Board? The man gives an interview with a publication (Artvoice.com, 2016) , openly calling for Michelle Obama to go live with gorillas, and to “become a man again,” and people are actually asking

YESTERDAY

Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: Parents and Teachers, It's Time to Organize

by mike simpson / 20h

Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: Parents and Teachers, It's Time to Organize : Parents and Teachers, It's Time to Organize Last month, at the NJEA Convention, Mark Weber delivered the plenary speech. You can read the whole speech here . He called for teachers to organize. Keep in mind this was before Betsy DeVos' nomination for US Secretary of Education (SecEd) and before Jeff Sessions'

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/23/16

by mike simpson / 23h

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/23/16 Featured Post ‘You are all our kids, no matter what’: Award winning teachers band together, speak out to protect students - The Washington Post Undermining Public Education Has 

Top Posts This Week

• 

  Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why I Have Little Respect for Bill Gates on Education
• 

  Teachers in Wealthy Districts Get Bulk of Indiana's Performance Payouts - Teacher Beat - Education Week
• 

  The Election of Donald Trump, The Winter Solstice and The Return of Hope 2016
• 

  Success Academy’s First State Audit: Let the Pouting Begin | deutsch29
• 

  Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/18/16
• 

  Stanford Research: Investing in Public Schools Is More Effective Than Privatization | Diane Ravitch's blog
• 

  Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/17/16
• 

  No Test Left Behind: How Pearson Made a Killing on the US Testing Craze
• 

  ‘You are all our kids, no matter what’: Award winning teachers band together, speak out to protect students - The Washington Post
• 

  Undermining Public Education Has Been A Bipartisan Affair |

Educational leadership this year didn't come from Oregon's leaders in education | OregonLive

Educational leadership this year didn't come from Oregon's leaders in education: Editorial Agenda 2016 | OregonLive.com:

Educational leadership this year didn't come from Oregon's leaders in education: Editorial Agenda 2016

It's a telling sign that the boldest educational initiatives of the year came not from the chief education office or other state agencies but rather from advocates, parents, labor unions and others who decided that the best chance for helping Oregon students was to go directly to voters themselves.

It's a telling sign that the boldest educational initiatives of the year came not from the chief education office or other state agencies but rather from advocates, parents, labor unions and others who decided that the best chance for helping Oregon students was to go directly to voters themselves.

After all, you didn't see the governor and legislators move any proposals forward to provide stable funding for education or address the looming budget deficit that the state now faces. Or hear education officials lay out a statewide strategy for rolling out career and technical education as part of an overall plan for preparing high school students. And certainly, there weren't assurances from the Legislature that it would back previous legislation for outdoor education for middle schoolers with actual funding.

So in the face of such inaction, people took matters into their own hands, resulting in three ballot measures targeting those problems. Measures 97, 98 and 99 sought to boost funding through a massive corporate tax, dedicate money to career and technical education and earmark Lottery revenue to pay for outdoor school. And in the case of 98 and 99, supporters prevailed. While the merits or mechanics of any of the ballot measures can be debated, the initiatives themselves offer a scorching assessment of Oregon's educational leadership this year: Missing in action.

To be fair, there are a few hints that next year could be different. A group created by Gov. Kate Brown recently issued a report recommending ways to improve teacher training and advance their professional development. The state also came out with a long-awaited plan for combating chronic absenteeism, a core factor in the state's dismal graduation rate.

But it's unclear how much money will go to either plan with a $1.7 billion deficit bearing down on the state and threatening to devastate educational funding. Oregon has a long history of plans that seem to go by the wayside due to inadequate money, attention or both.

The absence of vision isn't just a state-level problem. Perhaps no district exemplified the perils of lax leadership more than Portland Public Schools, where the discovery of lead in two schools' drinking water soon led to the resignation under pressure of longtime superintendent Educational leadership this year didn't come from Oregon's leaders in education: Editorial Agenda 2016 | OregonLive.com:

HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over)

HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) - JOHN & YOKO THE PLASTIC ONO BAND with The Harlem Community Choir - YouTube:

HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) 

HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) - JOHN & YOKO THE PLASTIC ONO BAND with The Harlem Community Choir

HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) - JOHN & YOKO THE PLASTIC ONO BAND with The Harlem Community Choir - YouTube:

Can students pray in public schools? Can teachers say ‘Merry Christmas’? What’s allowed — and forbidden. - The Washington Post

Can students pray in public schools? Can teachers say ‘Merry Christmas’? What’s allowed — and forbidden. - The Washington Post:

Can students pray in public schools? Can teachers say ‘Merry Christmas’? What’s allowed — and forbidden.

Can students can’t pray inside their public school buildings? Can teachers say “Merry Christmas” to  their students? Can religious music be played in public schools?

Yes, yes and yes.

There has been a great deal of misunderstanding about what is allowed and not allowed when it comes to religious expression in public schools ever since the U.S. Supreme Court banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools in a landmark 1962 decision, saying that it violated the First Amendment. In fact, in 1995, then-President Bill Clinton issued a memo titled “Religious Expression in Public Schools,” that said in part:

It appears that some school officials, teachers and parents have assumed that religious expression of any type is either inappropriate, or forbidden altogether, in public schools.

As our courts have reaffirmed, however, nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the schoolhouse door. While the government may not use schools to coerce the consciences of our students, or to convey official endorsement of religion, the government’s schools also may not discriminate against private religious expression during the school day.

Schools are forbidden from initiating or sponsoring religious activities, including prayer, but religious groups are permitted to meet on school grounds after school, and students can pray to whatever or whomever they want at any time of day, as long as they do it privately and don’t try to force others to do the same. Religion can (and should) be a class subject — but not proselytized — in public schools, sacred music can be played in schools under certain circumstances, and schools can’t bar teachers or students from saying “Merry Christmas” to each other.

Charles C. Haynes,  vice president of the Newseum Institute and founding director of the Religious Freedom Center, wrote this a few years ago. It still stands.

The claim that public schools are hostile to Christians may rev up caucusgoers in Iowa, but there’s only one problem: It isn’t true.

 Truth be told, students of all faiths are actually free to pray alone or in groups during the school day, as long as they don’t disrupt the school or interfere with the rights of others. Of course, the right to engage in voluntary prayer or religious discussion does not necessarily include the right to preach to a captive audience, like an assembly, or to compel other students to participate.

Visit public schools anywhere in America today and you’re likely to see kids praying around the flagpole, sharing their faith with classmates, reading scriptures in free time, forming religious clubs, and in other ways bringing God with them through the schoolhouse door each day.

As for celebrating Christmas, students are free to say “Merry Christmas,” give Christmas messages to others, and organize Christmas devotionals in student Christian clubs.

It’s true that some public school officials still misunderstand (or ignore) the First Amendment by censoring student religious expression that is protected under current law. But when challenged in court, they invariably lose.

In fact, contrary to culture-war mythology, there is more student religious speech and practice in public schools today than at any time in the past 100 years.

When politicians demonize the courts for banning God from schools, they count on public confusion about the First Amendment distinction between government speech promoting religion, which the establishment clause prohibits, and student speech promoting religion, which the free-exercise and free-speech clauses protect.

The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled that kids can’t pray in school. What the Court has done — and continues to do — is to strike down school-sponsored prayers and devotional exercises as violations of religious liberty.

As a result of those decisions, school officials may not impose prayers, or organize prayer events, or turn the school auditorium into the local church for religious celebrations.

Students, however, aren’t the government; they can — and often do — openly pray and share their faith in public schools.

And what about religious symbols? This is from Teaching Tolerance, a project of the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center:Can students pray in public schools? Can teachers say ‘Merry Christmas’? What’s allowed — and forbidden. - The Washington Post:

Happy Hanukkah! Chag Sameach from the White House | whitehouse.gov

Happy Hanukkah! Chag Sameach from the White House | whitehouse.gov:

Happy Hanukkah! Chag Sameach from the White House

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle and Rabbi Rachel Isaacs join Chemi Peres and Mika Almog for the menorah lighting during Hanukkah in the East Room of the White House, Dec. 14, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Summary: 

The President and First Lady held their final Hanukkah receptions at the White House this week. Watch the President's remarks from each one.

"I want to say how much Michelle and I appreciate the opportunities to have celebrated so many Hanukkahs with you in the White House ... As many of you know, the name “Hanukkah” comes from the Hebrew word for “dedication.” So we want to thank you again for your dedication to our country, to the historic progress that we’ve made, to the defense of religious freedom in the United States and around the world."

—President Obama at the 2016 Hanukkah celebration 

This week, President and First Lady Obama welcomed more than 1,000 people to join in two White House Hanukkah receptions. Over the past eight years, the President has established a tradition of inviting special guests to light Menorahs of great significance here in the White House. In his final year, the President invited family members of the late Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and the late Israeli Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres to join him and the First Lady in celebrating Hanukkah.

The Menorah at the first reception was made in kindergarten by Shira Wiesel, the granddaughter of Elie Wiesel. This menorah, though young in shelf life, carries with it the enduring spirit of a people, and of a special family. Elie Wiesel bore witness to one of the darkest chapters in history. He devoted his life to shedding light on the horrors of the Holocaust through acclaimed books like “Night.” Shira’s menorah is more than the innocent creativity of a young school child. It is a testament to the resilience of a family and of a people; it is a flicker of hope in the promise of a new generation; it is the next chapter to the living memorial that was and will forever be Elie Wiesel.

Watch the President's remarks at the afternoon Hanukkah reception: 

The Menorah in the second reception belongs to the family of late Israeli President Shimon Peres. During the Holocaust, the menorah was entrusted to a righteous neighbor, who promised to safeguard it in case the family was captured. But one year later, despite the risks, the family quietly locked the doors and closed the windows. They unpacked the menorah and lit the candles to remember and honor the miracle of the Hanukkah story. Days later, German officers raided and burned down the neighbor’s house. All was destroyed, except this menorah.

The Walden family survived the raid and the war, and eventually moved to Israel in 1952. Among their meager belongings, they brought their menorah. Two decades later, their son Raphael married Tsvia Peres, the only daughter of Sonia and Shimon Peres, one of Israel’s founding fathers and most prominent lights. The two families have since gathered together every Hanukkah to light this menorah and recall the miracle of its existence and the Jewish people’s continued survival.

Both of the these Menorahs underscore the spirit of Hanukkah and remind us that light will prevail even in the darkest of times. We are honored to light the Menorah for the last time at the White House alongside both the Wiesel and Peres families.

Watch the President's remarks at the evening Hanukkah reception: 

From all of us at the White House, Chag Orim Sameach and Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah! Chag Sameach from the White House | whitehouse.gov:

Seriously Trump To Give Everyone Coal For Christmas | Care2 Causes

Trump Wants To Give Everyone Coal For Christmas | Care2 Causes:

Seriously Trump To Give Everyone Coal For Christmas

Christmas morning, don’t be surprised if you wake up and find a huge lump of coal in your stocking.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been naughty or nice because the naughtiest politician of all is in charge of doling out these “gifts.” Donald Trump has spent the last year pledging to restore the American coal industry, and unlike many of his other campaign promises, he hasn’t changed his tune on this one since the election.

Never mind that coal is doomed regardless of Trump’s actions. As America’s dirtiest and most expensive source of energy, coal can’t compete; it just doesn’t make sense on an environmental or economic level.

Trump’s focus on coal jobs is rather disingenuous, too. While it’s true that Obama’s Clean Power Plan would put an estimated 24,000 coal workers out of a job, it would also create about 120,000 jobs in the renewable energy sector. Overall, that’s a definite boost for the economy.

Perhaps because traditional coal states gave Trump his Electoral College victory, the president-elect feels obligated to repay them. By that same token, however, red states have the best potential for growth in the renewable energy sector given their sunny/windy conditions. Besides, coal industry workers can be retrained in the solar sector a lot more easily than most people seem to assume.

This past Monday, President Barack Obama actually enacted new coal regulations to help protect water supplies. Per the new rules, coal mine companies that pollute local streams will be financially responsible for cleaning the water once the mining in the area is complete.

It’s a good idea, but don’t expect it to last. Trump has already vowed to repeal it; that and all sorts of other steps Obama took to advance the clean energy movement in favor of promoting coal.

Backtracking will be difficult, though. 44 percent of our coal comes from companies that have declared bankruptcy in recent years. Trump can loosen regulations on air pollution, but that doesn’t make these mines more profitable.

Even Robert Murray, the CEO of Murray Energy, the country’s biggest coal mining company, thinks Trump needs to “temper his expectations.” Murray has millions of financial reasons to hope that Trump throws his support behind the coal industry, yet he recognizes that there’s no way to actually return to coal’s glory days.

Trump can do his part to make sure the mines reopen, but he can’t force the private sector to buy a product they don’t want. While miners can pull the coal up from underground, we’ll have to find some use for that coal other than burning it.

And that’s why coal seems destined for our stockings. Thanks, Trump, for giving everyone a gift that almost no one wants.Trump Wants To Give Everyone Coal For Christmas | Care2 Causes:

 

Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past

Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past:

Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past

As we approach the end of 2016 and look with hope to 2017, educators and parents are concerned about President-elect Trump’s choice of Betsy DeVos for education secretary. I share those concerns. But it is also important to remember the education secretaries of the past and how they have led us to where we are today.

None of the appointed individuals have rallied around public schools and the teachers who committed their lives and careers to working with students. They never promoted a free public school system for all children in our great country. They have not lifted public schools as a democratic institution of which we should be proud. Nor have they showcased our schools to the world.

None, with the exception of Terrel Bell and John King, were real teachers who ever worked everyday in real public school classrooms. King worked primarily in extremely strict “no excuses” charter schools.

None struggled with the difficulties children and teens bring to school. Nor did they demonstrate any effort to study the research as to how to correctly instruct and work with actual children. They did not consider the development of students.

You can argue that they are all nice people, and they may think they are doing right, but Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past:

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Merry Christmas from the President and the First Lady | whitehouse.gov

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Merry Christmas from the President and the First Lady | whitehouse.gov:

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Merry Christmas from the President and the First Lady

In this week’s address, the President and the First Lady wished all Americans a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. They reflected on the honor of serving the American people as President and First Lady over the past eight years and the progress that has been made. The President and the First Lady recognized our troops and their families for their service, and they encouraged everyone to visit JoiningForces.gov to find out how to support service members, veterans, and military families in your community.

MP4MP3

Remarks of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as Delivered

Weekly Address The White House December 24, 2016

THE PRESIDENT: Merry Christmas everybody!  One of the best parts of the holiday season is spending time with the special people in your life.  And for me, that means getting some help from my best friend for our annual Christmas Weekly Address.

THE FIRST LADY: Given how our first Christmas Weekly Address went, I realized that Barack needed all the help he could get. 

[PAUSE] 

THE FIRST LADY: Celebrating the holidays in the White House over these past eight years has been a true privilege.  We’ve been able to welcome over half a million guests… our outstanding pastry chefs have baked 200,000 holiday cookies… and Barack has treated the American people to countless dad jokes.

THE PRESIDENT: Although a few got a…Frosty reception.

THE FIRST LADY: This year’s White House holiday theme is “The Gift of the Holidays,” and our decorations reflect some of our greatest gifts as a nation: from our incredible military families, to the life-changing impact of a great education. 

THE PRESIDENT: And the greatest gift that Michelle and I have received over the last eight years has been the honor of serving as your President and First Lady.  Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in 80 years, and got unemployment to a nine-year low.  We secured health insurance for another twenty million Americans, and new protections for folks who already had insurance.  We made America more respected around the world, took on the mantle of leadership in the fight to protect this planet for our kids, and much, much more.

By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we first got here.  And I’m hopeful we’ll build on the progress we’ve made in the years to come. 

Tomorrow, for the final time as the First Family, we will join our fellow Christians around the world to rejoice in the birth of our Savior.  And as we retell His story from that Holy Night, we’ll also remember His eternal message, one of boundless love, compassion and hope. 

THE FIRST LADY:  The idea that we are our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper.  That we should treat others as we would want to be treated.  And that we care for the sick… feed the hungry… and welcome the stranger… no matter where they come from, or how they practice their faith. 

THE PRESIDENT: Those are values that help guide not just my family’s Christian faith, but that of Jewish Americans, and Muslim Americans; nonbelievers and Americans of all backgrounds. And no one better embodies that spirit of service than the men and women who wear our country’s uniform and their families. 

THE FIRST LADY: As always, many of our troops are far from home this time of year, and their families are serving and sacrificing right along with them.  Their courage and dedication allow the rest of us to enjoy this season.  That’s why we’ve tried to serve them as well as they’ve served this country.  Go to JoiningForces.gov to see how you can honor and support the service members, veterans and military families in your community – not just during the holidays, but all year round.

THE PRESIDENT: So as we look forward to the New Year, let’s resolve to recommit ourselves to the values we share.  And on behalf of the all the Obamas – Michelle, Malia, Sasha, Bo, and that troublemaker Sunny – Merry Christmas, everybody. 

THE FIRST LADY: And we wish you and your family a happy and healthy 2017… thanks, and God bless. WEEKLY ADDRESS: Merry Christmas from the President and the First Lady | whitehouse.gov:

CURMUDGUCATION: The Only Subjects That Matter

CURMUDGUCATION: The Only Subjects That Matter:

The Only Subjects That Matter

There's a message that has been delivered loud and clear for the last decade-- only two subjects in school matter. Only reading and math affect a school's rating. Only reading and math scores factor in teacher evaluation. Only reading and math come with state-approved Official Standards. Only reading and math are on the all-important Big Standardized Test, now believed by an entire generation of school children to be the entire purpose of schools.

History? Science? Music? Art? Well, there are still some parents out there who remember these as being part of school, and so there's not full support yet for getting rid of them (kind of like some folks are sure that cursive writing has to be part of school).

This has left other disciplines in a bit of a bind.

On the one hand, it would be a kind of boost to folks who teach history and science and all that other cool stuff if they were part of the whole test-driven school set-up. If history were on the BS Test, schools wouldn't just cut history classes, or only offer history to students who don't need test prep remediation classes.

Don't even think about it.

And yet, what the experience of math and reading shows us is that the bad amateur standards and the horrible tests exert a power warp and twist and distort the subject areas into a dark, sad, stunted dark mirror image of their best selves. I have filled a million miles of blog with the business of explaining and depicting the badness, but the bottom line is that when you design a course of study around the goal of being to measure it with bad multiple choice questions-- well, it's like trying to jam a buffalo into a mason jar-- only, unfortunately, in this case the mason jar is made of some unyielding adamantium substance, and so it is the buffalo that loses the CURMUDGUCATION: The Only Subjects That Matter:

News Update: Campbell Brown Welcomes the Grinch that Stole Public Education

News Update: Campbell Brown Welcomes the Grinch that Stole Public Education

Missouri 15-Year-Old Wins Kia for Attending School | deutsch29

Missouri 15-Year-Old Wins Kia for Attending School | deutsch29:

Missouri 15-Year-Old Wins Kia for Attending School

One of my concerns about this atmosphere of test-centered reform is the pressure on teachers and administrators to discover that effective cocktail of external motivators to prompt students to attend school, pass their classes, and pass their exams.

It bothers me when my students ask what they will “get” from me for their being kind to a classmate or for going above and beyond on a classroom task.

I respond, “You get the satisfaction of knowing you have done well or have helped another person.”

To this, my students often offer some expression of dissatisfaction. Intrinsic rewards are for losers. If you can’t spend it, eat it, play with it, wear it, or otherwise have hands-on fun with it, then there is no reason to be responsible, kind, or excellent.

I do not think it benefits our society to groom a generation dependent upon external rewards above the internal.

Thus, the following news story from Springfield, Missouri, troubles me. As noted on OzarkFirst.com in May 2016:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.–One lucky Springfield high school student drove away with a new car Wednesday Night.

15-year-old Cameron Hausley was awarded a 2016 Kia soul from Youngblood Kia today for having exceptional attendance.

Each Springfield high school selected five students with 95 percent 

Missouri 15-Year-Old Wins Kia for Attending School | deutsch29:

Cartoons on New Year Resolutions | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Cartoons on New Year Resolutions | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Cartoons on New Year Resolutions

As we come to the end of 2016, I offer cartoons poking fun at the perennial practice of resolving to do better next year–whatever “better” means. Enjoy!

see more cartoons:  Cartoons on New Year Resolutions | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

How is Carl Paladino Still on the Buffalo School Board? -Badass Teachers Association

Badass Teachers Association:

How is Carl Paladino Still on the Buffalo School Board?

 By Dr. Michael Flanagan

How is it possible that an open racist like Carl Paladino can still sit on the Buffalo School Board? The man gives an interview with a publication (Artvoice.com, 2016), openly calling for Michelle Obama to go live with gorillas, and to “become a man again,” and people are actually asking the school board president, Dr. Barbara Seals-Nevergold, if she thinks he should be on the board (WBFO, 2016). What?? What are the people of New York going to do about this?

This man can be openly racist in print about Barack and Michelle Obama (Levine, 2016), yet it is still debated whether or not he should be on the school board. I do not care whose politics you support--Trump, Clinton, Bernie, or Mickey Mouse--if this man can say this about the president, what is he saying about our kids? And their parents?

Buffalo is a school system with a population that is 51% Black. And even if it weren’t, it is disgusting to hear such rhetoric. Then, Paladino gives a belligerent denial--that what he said was not racist, and too bad if we don’t believe that.

It is inconceivable that he has been elected to the Buffalo School Board. Twice.  He is a virulent homophobe (Romano, 2010) with a history of bigoted statements, yet he can still buy his way onto the school board (Rey, 2016)?  Paladino, and the people who supported his failed campaign for New York State Governor in 2010, have been loud about accountability for public school teachers (Lankes, 2016), yet Paladino has no accountability for this openly racist tirade? He and his hedge fund and real estate investor buddies are pushing for the closing of public schools in Buffalo in order to privatize them with charters. He sits on a school board, votes to defund the schools, and attacks the teachers’ union (AQENY.org, 2014). Never mind that Paladino himself is a bigot, these are open conflict of interests and criminal wrongdoing.

What has happened to the people of New York? This man cannot just buy our silence and complacency. This cannot stand. Paladino can go and be a racist in his private business and in his private life all he wants, but he must not be allowed to sit as a school board member any longer.

Call any and all of the following numbers, as often as possible:

Commissioner of NYSED, MaryEllen Elia at 518-474-5844, commissioner@nysed.gov

Governor Andrew Cuomo at 518-474-8390

County Executive Mark Poloncarz at 716 858-8500

Mayor Byron Brown at 716 851-4841

City Council President Darius Pridgen at 716 851-4980

Superintendent Kriner Cash 716-816-3575

Badass Teachers Association:

Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: Parents and Teachers, It's Time to Organize

Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: Parents and Teachers, It's Time to Organize:

Parents and Teachers, It's Time to Organize

Last month, at the NJEA Convention, Mark Weber delivered the plenary speech. You can read the whole speech here. He called for teachers to organize. Keep in mind this was before Betsy DeVos' nomination for US Secretary of Education (SecEd) and before Jeff Sessions' nomination for US Attorney General (USAG). 

"It is not an exaggeration to say that right now, public education hangs in the balance. Teacher workplace rights are in serious jeopardy. The ability of NJEA to protect the future of New Jersey’s outstanding public education system – by any measure, one of the finest in the world, in spite of this state’s recent abdication of its role to fully fund its schools – is under dire threat.

There is only one course to take: we must organize. We must stand strong, we must stand together, and we must refuse to give into desperation. Our families, our colleagues, and our students have always counted on us when they needed us the most – we must not now, nor ever, stop fighting for them or yes, that’s right, for ourselves."

Yes. Please. Teachers, especially those of you teach in sparkly districts, who have the best resources (comparatively), please start speaking up. If you feel like you can't do it in theEducation Lessons From A Sparkly District: Parents and Teachers, It's Time to Organize: