CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: House Painting Edition (7/14)

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: House Painting Edition (7/14)

ICYMI: House Painting Edition (7/14)

Yes, we're getting the house painted. If that's not fun, I don't know what is. But in the meantime, here's some reading for you.

How Did We Miss This?  

The story of the Indiana cyberschool collecting money for ghost students.

Palm Beach Real Estate  

What can you do when you're a charter school entrepreneur? Sell one mansion you never actually lived in and then buy another one.

Common Core Tests Are Junk  

Okay, I'm shortening headlines today. An actual psychologist explains why some Core-related testing is neither valid nor reliable.

Charter School-Enabled Profiteering Is The Problem 

Mercedes Schneider unpeels the layers on another example of charter shenanigans.

How US Tech Giants Are Helping China Build The Surveillance State  

Not technically an education story, except of course that it's totally an education story.

The Giant Florida Data Base 

Speaking of the surveillance state, Florida would like to prevent shootings by collecting all the data about students. Big Brother is just looking out for you.

Waving the White Flag on High Stakes Testing   

More observations about how the tide seems to be turning, and how HST is an experiment that already failed a century ago.

The Messy Reality of Personalized Learning

Yes, this miracle cure isn't a miracle cure after all. A pretty thorough piece from the New Yorker.

The History of the Future of the 'Learning Engineer'

Audrey Watters tells us where they came from and why they're a problem.


CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: House Painting Edition (7/14)

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION

The New Koch Ed Reform Rebranding Astroturducken

100+by Peter Greene / 21h

The billionaire Charles Koch has launched another adventure in astroturf, this time aimed at rebranding ed reform while still pushing reformy ideas, playing the reform greatest hits and-- well, it's a little unclear what else is going on. But every layer is more special than the last. This has been coming for a while. Back in January Koch announced that they were going to increase their level of m

JUL 12

Are These Lessons To Learn From Cyberschools?

63by Peter Greene / 1d

At this stage of the game, there's no reason to keep imagining that cyberschools are a viable option for education on any sort of scale. There's a small group of students with specialized needs that they can serve well, but mostly they've failed big time. But they are also excellent money-makers, and so we periodically find folks trying to rehabilitate the cyberschool image. Here comes another suc

JUL 11

Eight Weeks of Summer: Big Hairy Say What Now?

73by Peter Greene / 3d

This post is week 5 of 8 in the 8 Weeks of Summer Blog Challenge for educators . I've been doing the Hot Lunch Tray eight week challenge. Unlike other challenges, it does not require me to eat responsibly or beat myself up with ice water or plastic gerbils. I'm answering the questions as my old pre-retirement self. You can see what other folks are writing by checking out the #8WeeksofSummer hasht

JUL 10

Does The Most Interesting Teacher Pay Proposal Belong To A Billionaire Friend Of Trump?

by Peter Greene / 4d

Stephen Schwarzman might have an idea. Schwarzman, cofounder of the Blackstone Group , has been named a Bloomberg Most Influential person of the year more than once, and in 2007 he was one of Time's 100 Most Influential people of the year. He is a long-time friend and advisor of Donald Trump, including help set up Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum . He has given away a great deal of money and pu

Whom Do We Trust

100+by Peter Greene / 4d

One of the unending underlying challenges in education is that parents and taxpayers have to trust somebody. Back In The Day, the default was to trust teachers and administrators. That would be back when the default was to trust authority figures as a whole-- but that pendulum has swung far in the other direction (on behalf of all the Boomers, let me just say, "You're welcome"). Heck, even within

JUL 07

ICYMI: Really Really Summer Now Edition (7/6)

21by Peter Greene / 7d

Hot and steamy here, which still makes us better off than some corners of the world. Here's some reading for the day. Remember-- share the stuff that really speaks to you. The Teaching Machine Imaginary I do miss Audrey Watters, but here's a new Hack Education post that, in typical Watters fashion, links book editing, the Jetsons, teaching machines, and pigeons. Education Reformers Still Don't Und

JUL 06

Elizabeth Warren's Better Answer On Testing

500+by Peter Greene / 8d

Yesterday the NEA did quickie interviews with ten of the Democratic candidates, ranging from the front-runners like Sanders and Warren all the way down to (checks notes)-- some guy named Tim Ryan who is apparently also running. There were plenty of fine moment and plenty of pandering, and, it has to be noted, plenty of issues that went unaddressed by some candidates because they didn't get asked a

Eight Weeks of Summer: Learning Conditions

by Peter Greene / 8d

This post is week 4 of 8 in the 8 Weeks of Summer Blog Challenge for educators. I'm continuing this challenge, answering the questions from the viewpoint of my old non-retired self. Here's this week's prompt: What are optimal conditions in which to learn, for you, and for students? For me, it's mostly a matter of opportunity and independence. Probably the biggest single thing I learned in college

JUL 05

CAP & Fordham Shoot The Moon

67by Peter Greene / 8d

When the Moonshot For Kids competition first crossed my screen, I took a moment to consider it as a topic for commentary, then moved on. But then this tweet popped up today: What is education’s version of the self-driving car? Let @edprogress and @educationgadfly know your innovative idea to improve student outcomes through a #MoonshotForKids and you could win $10,000 https://t.co/evwibCFhrl — CAP

JUL 03

When The Wall Of Separation Comes Down

84by Peter Greene / 10d

As noted earlier this week, the Supreme Court has decided to hear a case that could blow a hole in the wall separating religion from public schools . Lots of folks are salivating at the prospect, from hard-core libertarians to the Dominionist folks who think the church should take back the school system. So let me say again what I have said many times before-- if the wall separating church and sta

JUL 02

Big Brother Is Listening (More Ed Tech From The Surveillance State)

96by Peter Greene / 11d

We have repeatedly seen examples of ed tech innovations that hinge on surveillance, and not just surveillance, but software to interpret what the surveilled data means. This results in some huge promises. Here's software that says it will read student facial expressions and eye movements to determine if anyone is learning. Companies are lining up to tell you all about the social and emotional well

JUL 01

This Case Could Break The Wall Between Church And School

500+by Peter Greene / 12d

Three weeks ago, I wrote about the Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue case for Forbes , trying to explain why it would be a big deal if the Supremes decided to hear this case. One thing has changed since then-- the 

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: House Painting Edition (7/14)

Ideology at work: The politics of school choice research | Cloaking Inequity

Ideology at work: The politics of school choice research | Cloaking Inequity

IDEOLOGY AT WORK: THE POLITICS OF SCHOOL CHOICE RESEARCH

Ever wonder why a lion’s share of positive (non-peer reviewed) findings about school choice come from certain places? We take on that question in our new piece published in the 2nd edition of the Handbook of Research on School Choice. To conceptualize the politics of research on school choice, it is important to discuss the politics of market-based approaches within the broader purview of public policy. Modern notions of “markets” and “choice” in schooling stem from the libertarian ideas Milton Friedman espoused in the 1950s. Considering the underlying politics of school choice, it is important to examine the ramifications of neoliberal and collective ideology on market-based school choice research. In this chapter we point out that much of the research suggesting positive findings is continually conducted and promoted by neoliberal ideologically-driven organizations. We begin with a synthesis of the pertinent literature on the conceptions and the funding of market-based school choice research to establish a background of understanding. Next we discuss the role of the production and politics of market-based school choice research for conceptualizing the current educational policy environment. In the third section, we delved into the politics of community use of market-based school choice research. We conclude by discussing the implications of how the comingling of ideology, methods and funding informs the public discourse about market-based schools choice and fit into the larger conversation about education reform.

Here are all of the contributors:

 

Please read our contribution to the handbook here.

Vasquez Heilig. J., Brewer, J. & Adamson, F. (2019). The politics of market-based school choice research: A comingling of ideology, methods and funding, In M. Berends, A. Primus and M. Springer (Eds.) Handbook of Research on School Choice, 2nd (pp. 335-350). New York, NY: Routledge.

Please Facebook Like, Tweet, etc below and/or reblog to share this discussion with others.

For all of Cloaking Inequity’s posts on charters click here.

Check out and follow my YouTube channel here.

Twitter: @ProfessorJVH

Click here for Vitae.

Sharing is caring: 

Ideology at work: The politics of school choice research | Cloaking Inequity

Betsy DeVos shows her true colors | Salon.com

Betsy DeVos shows her true colors | Salon.com

Betsy DeVos shows her true colors
Education Department won’t give up blocking efforts to help disabled minority students

The U.S. Department of Education’s various attempts to stall the implementation of federal regulations created by the Obama administration to address racial disparities in special education has blown up into a civil rights issue that continues to dog Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and team.

For well over a year, DeVos has been blocking the implementation of the law designed to help disabled minority students despite repeated efforts by supporters to force compliance.

Those regulations, established under the 2016 Equity in IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act), went into effect in January 2017, but states were given until July 2018 to comply with a standardized program for monitoring how districts identified and served minority students with disabilities. Two days before the full implementation deadline, DeVos pulled the plug, citing concerns that the methodology could incentivize racial quotas, leaving states and students in limbo.

Repealing verdict

DeVos’ delay of the regulation prompted a lawsuit by COPAA (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates), COPAA v. DeVos, which the Department of Education lost in early March. The Department of Justice filed a notice to appeal the outcome in May.

The delay also raised the ire of the Congressional Black Caucus. Last July the Caucus issued a letterto DeVos and Assistant Secretary Collett noting the Caucus was “deeply troubled by the Department’s response to comments and justification of the delay asserting that racial bias does not exist in special education.”

And the National Association of State Directors of Special Education Inc., wrote a letter to DeVos last February imploring her not to stop the process as states were gearing up to implement the standard CONTINUE READING: Betsy DeVos shows her true colors | Salon.com

States Are Ratcheting Up Reading Expectations For 3rd-Graders : NPR

States Are Ratcheting Up Reading Expectations For 3rd-Graders : NPR

States Are Ratcheting Up Reading Expectations For 3rd-Graders

Changes in education policy often emanate from the federal government. Think Common Core, the set of standards established in 2010 for what U.S. students should know. But one policy that has spread across the country came not from Washington, D.C., but from Florida. "Mandatory retention" requires that third-graders who do not show sufficient proficiency in reading repeat the grade. It was part of a broader packet of reforms proposed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in 2002.

Now 19 states have adopted the policy, in part because Bush has pushed hard for it. Not all children who perform poorly on reading tests are retained: Generally students with special needs and kids who have been in the country less than two years are exempted. And studies have shown that a child's early literacy skills can have long-term implications. One out of six students who are not reading proficiently by fourth grade, according to a study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, don't graduate from high school on time. That rate is four times greater than that of proficient readers.

At the same time, forcing children to repeat a grade is stigmatizing and can damage their self-esteem. Multiple studies have found that flunking a grade makes it much more likely students will fail to graduate from high school. Some parents and educators have organized against mandatory retention and advocate for children to sit out high-stakes exams. A group of parents in Florida unsuccessfully challenged the policy in court.

Professor Marty West at Harvard has found that there are positive short-term outcomes for retained children in Florida. They do better in math and reading and are less likely to be retained in the future. Those benefits, though, dissipate over time: CONTINUE READING: States Are Ratcheting Up Reading Expectations For 3rd-Graders : NPR

Powerful, First-Ever Federal Hearing on “Identifying, Preventing and Treating Childhood Trauma” | LucidWitness.com

Powerful, First-Ever Federal Hearing on “Identifying, Preventing and Treating Childhood Trauma” | LucidWitness.com

POWERFUL, FIRST-EVER FEDERAL HEARING ON “IDENTIFYING, PREVENTING AND TREATING CHILDHOOD TRAUMA”

Riveting and emotional:  The full, first-ever Congressional hearing on “Identifying, Preventing and Treating Childhood Trauma” by the Oversight Committee chaired by Representative Elijah Cummings.  Across the hearing, the story of developmental trauma is well conveyed and powerful.

.

The magnitude and the priority of addressing developmental trauma were clear.  A few highlights are shared below and the full video is linked here.

.

The video can be viewed in sections for time management.

Two different panels provide testimony.  The first panel (less than an hour) comprised of only four members, each trauma-impacted, who speak for less than ten minutes each. The second panel members are professional experts in several different areas of trauma science, data, and application.

.

Representative Elijah Cummings, the Chairman,  begins with a sentence by Robin Williams, from  the movie Goodwill Hunting, “It’s not your fault”.  (starting at 0:15:50 on the video timer).

.

Later Chairman Cummings shares some of his own specific struggle in the educational system, where he was mis-classified into Special Education for  his elementary school years, a fate too frequent for “troubled [trauma-impacted] youth”.

.

Representative Cummings communicates explicitly and very CONTINUE READING: Powerful, First-Ever Federal Hearing on “Identifying, Preventing and Treating Childhood Trauma” | LucidWitness.com

Beware! Powerful Koch Network Starts New Group to Fight Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Beware! Powerful Koch Network Starts New Group to Fight Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Beware! Powerful Koch Network Starts New Group to Fight Public Schools

Charles Koch and his network of wealthy donors have created a new Astroturf organization called “Yes Every Kid” to promote school choice and take public money away from public schools.

Yes, they are targeting “every kid” as a prime prospect for a charter school or a voucher.

Yes, they want to shrink public schools so that they are no longer the “choice” of 90% of American families.

Koch in June announced the Yes Every Kid initiative as the latest addition to his sprawling network of wealthy donors, political groups and tax-exempt advocacy organizations best known for pushing anti-regulation, small-government policies. Its political arm, Americans for Prosperity, has made waves supporting the tea party and fighting former President Barack Obama’s health care law.

The Yes Every Kid group is tasked with monitoring statehouses where it can be influential on school choice, said Stacy Hock, a Texas philanthropist who is among hundreds of donors each contributing at least $100,000 annually to the Koch network’s wide-ranging agenda.

Hock and officials with the Koch network said it’s too early to provide specifics about what policies the group is pushing.

“The priority is to go where there is a political appetite to CONTINUE READING: Beware! Powerful Koch Network Starts New Group to Fight Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog