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Saturday, September 28, 2019

TOP POST THIS WEEK 9/28/19 #REDFORED

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TOP POST THIS WEEK 9/28/19 






Big Education Ape: UTLA Endorses LAUSD School Board Candidates | UTLA - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/09/utla-endorses-lausd-school-board.html


TOP POST THIS MONTH 9/28/19 







POST THIS WEEK 9/28/19 




CURMUDGUCATION: A Good Teacher Is Not Like A Candle

by Mike Simpson / 26min
A Good Teacher Is Not Like A Candle I just hate this kind of thing. First of all, is there any other profession that has to put up with this. Substitute "lawyer" or "plumber" or even "doctor" for "teacher" in this meme, and it just sounds dumb. "Nurse," maybe. (Hmm. What do nursing and teaching have in common as professions. Could it be that they're not commonly associated with testosterone?) We
UTLA Endorses LAUSD School Board Candidates | UTLA

by Mike Simpson / 1h
UTLA Endorses LAUSD School Board Candidates LOS ANGELES — With four LAUSD School Board seats up for election in 2020, UTLA has endorsed a powerful team to take back the board majority from the pro-privatization forces. As overwhelmingly approved by the UTLA House of Representatives last night, the UTLA slate includes incumbents George McKenna, Scott Schmerelson, and Jackie Goldberg — fresh off h
Peter Greene: School Vouchers And Federal Support For Discrimination

by Mike Simpson / 2h
School Vouchers And Federal Support For Discrimination School Vouchers And Federal Support For Discrimination School voucher programs are becoming one of the major fronts in a federal battle to safeguard discrimination by religious organizations. Some flaps created by private religious schools seem minor, like the pastor at a Catholic school who banned Harry Potter books because he believes the b
Little Rock: Activists Demand a Meeting with Governor Hutchinson | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Little Rock: Activists Demand a Meeting with Governor Hutchinson Parents and supporters of public schools in Little Rock are outraged that Governor Asa Hutchinson refuses to meet with them. The state took control of the Little Rock district, and parents want democratic decision making restored. Remember when Republicans used to support local control? Not anymore. Rev/Dr. Anika Whitfield write to
Weingarten and conservative Dems want a two-tier health insurance system. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 3h
WEINGARTEN AND CONSERVATIVE DEMS WANT A TWO-TIER HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM In a previous post I wrote how American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten has broken with the position of her own union in advocating for work-based health insurance in opposition to those running for president like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Sanders and Warren advocate for universal healthcare in
Do Schools and Districts Actually Want Black Male Teachers? It Sure Doesn't Seem Like It. - Philly's 7th Ward

by Mike Simpson / 3h
DO SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS ACTUALLY WANT BLACK MALE TEACHERS? IT SURE DOESN’T SEEM LIKE IT. When it comes to Black male teachers , the question shouldn’t be, “Do we need to hire more?” We know Black teachers, both men and women, are vital; they are particularly critical to the education of Black and Brown children. They also enhance the education experiences of White children. The question shouldn
Carol Burris: Federal Analysis Finds No Difference in Performance Between Charter Schools and Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4h
Carol Burris: Federal Analysis Finds No Difference in Performance Between Charter Schools and Public Schools Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, reports on a new federal analysis comparing charter schools and public schools. She writes: A recent report on school choice commissioned by the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCE
More Cartoons on Teachers and Students | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 4h
More Cartoons on Teachers and Students As the school year begins–yes, more and more schools open in August but many of the 13,000 districts in the U.S. still open after Labor Day–I cannot resist picking cartoons about the on-going relationship between teachers and students (and their parents) in the ever-present age-graded school. Here are some more. Enjoy! CLICK HERE FOR More Cartoons on Teache
Now In the Minority, A School Board Member Changes His Tune

by Mike Simpson / 5h
Now In the Minority, A School Board Member Changes His Tune The means of one’s success can become the means of one’s downfall. ” As the Vice-President of the LAUSD School Board, Nick Melvoin constantly reminded the minority members of their status and how if they wanted a say they would need to win elections. This majority pushed through the hiring of Superintendent Austin Beutner without bother
antiracismdsa: Close the Camps Campaign #CloseTheCamps

by Mike Simpson / 5h
antiracismdsa: Close the Camps Campaign Close the Camps Campaign Here is the campaign. #CloseTheCamps http://closethecampsoct.org Stop the War on Immigrants -- A Call to Action on October 12 From the day he took office, Donald Trump escalated a failed and cruel immigration policy into an all-out war against immigrants, banning Muslims, slamming the door on refugees, tearing children from their pa
Yelp! … But For Schools?! – redqueeninla

by Mike Simpson / 5h
Yelp! … But For Schools?! Is it a good idea to label schools with a really simple star-rating? Can we do for Education and schools what Yelp has done for eating and restaurants? No! Of course not. And we all know it. It’s not just that summarizing a complex ecosystem like a school via one, single number is simplistic. It’s not just that your child’s needs are different from my child’s even while
THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 5h
Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report Do Kids Fall Behind in Math Because There Isn’t Enough Grade-Level Material, or Because There’s Too Much? It’s Both by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 22h Complete report New Classrooms Innovation Partners W alk into almost any classroom in America, and you’ll find at least some students who’ve fallen behind the academic standards for their grad
This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 5h
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 TODAY October 16th Is World Food Day – Here Are Related Teaching & Learning Resources by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay The United Nations has declared October 16th to be Wor
KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 5h
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools CLICK HERE TO Pre-order NOW Carol Burris: Federal Analysis Finds No Difference in Performance Between Charter Schools and Public Schools by

YESTERDAY

AFT and Medicare for All - Randi Weingarten - Medium

by Mike Simpson / 15h
AFT and Medicare for All This was submitted as a letter to the editor of Jacobin magazine. In his Sept. 26 Jacobin article — “ Why Is Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten Attacking Medicare for All?” — AFT member Ben Curttright says he was upset and disappointed by my advocacy for universal healthcare coverage as well as my effort to lift up all of the 2020 Democratic candidates’ proposals
CURMUDGUCATION: Stanford: Opportunity And Testing Baloney

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Stanford: Opportunity And Testing Baloney Look, it's not that I want everyone to stop any discussion of Big Standardized Test scores at all forever (okay, I might, but I recognize that I'm a radical in this issue and I also recognize that reasonable people may disagree with me). But what I really want everyone to stop pretending that the BS Test scores are an acceptable proxy for other factors.
No Justification for the Existence of Charter Schools | Dissident Voice

by Mike Simpson / 1d
No Justification for the Existence of Charter Schools One of the main claims to fame of privately-operated non-profit and for-profit charter schools is that they will deliver bigger and better results than public schools in exchange for greater flexibility and autonomy to operate than public schools. Two recent reports, however, build on extensive previous research which shows that academic perf
Sacramento, Calif., Cops Who Shot and Killed an Unarmed #StephonClark Are Headed Back to the Streets

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Sacramento, Calif., Cops Who Shot and Killed an Unarmed #StephonClark Are Headed Back to the Streets The two Sacramento, Calif., cops who shot and killed an unarmed Stephon Clark as he stood in his grandparents’ backyard last year not only will face no charges—but they have been cleared to return to duty. Minutes after the Justice Department decided not to pursue civil rights charges against Off
Today'S Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Education Research Report TODAY Do Kids Fall Behind in Math Because There Isn’t Enough Grade-Level Material, or Because There’s Too Much? It’s Both by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h Complete report New Classrooms Innovation Partners W alk into almost any classroom in America, and you’ll find at least some students who’ve fallen behind the academic standards for their grade — meaning they’re at risk of
Confessions of a Reluctant Radical | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Confessions of a Reluctant Radical Cheryl Gibbs was not an activist. She just wanted to teach her children in a Virginia public school and ignore politics. But step by step, she realized that there was a coordinated attack on public schools. One thing led to another. She joined the union. She became a union rep. She became a BAT. And when she retired, she became a full-fledged member of the Resi
Stigma Buster: Schools Look at Mental Health Days for Students

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Stigma Buster: Schools Look at Mental Health Days for Students As more school districts across the country implement programs to address student mental health , cutting through the stigma that surrounds this issue is a formidable challenge. Too often a discussion about mental health is constrained by uncomfortable silences, suggestions that teenagers are maybe just lazy or incapable of handling
The AFT’s Randi Weingarten attacks Medicare for All. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 1d
THE AFT’S RANDI WEINGARTEN ATTACKS MEDICARE FOR ALL The president of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten has decided to go against her own union’s official position and join her centrist Democratic allies in opposing national health care, also known as Medicare for All. In 2018, the AFT approved a resolution in support of defending and expanding the Affordable Care Act, then und
Lavish Lobbying Ensures that Washington, D.C. Charter Schools Remain Unregulated | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Lavish Lobbying Ensures that Washington, D.C. Charter Schools Remain Unregulated Rachel M. Cohen is a fine investigative reporter, whose stories have appeared in The American Prospect , The Intercept , The Atlantic , the Washington Post , Slate , The Nation , and a number of other publications. Her most recent investigation explores a topic that is much in the news: the seeming impossibility of
Chicago: CTU Votes Overwhelmingly to Strike | Diane Ravitch's blog #REDFORED

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Chicago: CTU Votes Overwhelmingly to Strike | Diane Ravitch's blog Chicago: CTU Votes Overwhelmingly to Strike NEWS RELEASE: For Immediate Release | ctulocal1.org CONTACT: Ronnie Reese 312-329-6235 , RonnieReese@ctulocal1.org Ninety-four percent of CTU members vote to authorize strike for schools Chicago’s students deserve Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates governing body will set strike d
SCUSD Ends 2018-19 With Unrestricted General Fund Surplus - Sacramento City Teachers Association

by Mike Simpson / 1d
SCUSD Ends 2018-19 With Unrestricted General Fund Surplus In 2018-19, the Sacramento City Unified School District submitted five budgets. In each of the budgets, the District projected massive deficit spending from $20 to $34 million, while District administrators and the School Board repeatedly told the public that the District was on the verge of being taken over by the State. Last night (Labo
What if everything you know about teacher pay was provided by a racist who thinks immigrants are mentally deficient? – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 1d
WHAT IF EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT TEACHER PAY WAS PROVIDED BY A RACIST WHO THINKS IMMIGRANTS ARE MENTALLY DEFICIENT? Libertarian union-hater, Michael Antonucci, has always been a teacher low pay denier and teacher shortage denier. But now Antonucci has reached down into the racist gutter for his latest attempts to discredit the data on teacher pay and teacher shortages. Antonucci in The 74 Union
CURMUDGUCATION: RAND Plays Corporate Reformy Buzzword Bingo

by Mike Simpson / 1d
RAND Plays Corporate Reformy Buzzword Bingo RAND Corporation, with its vision to be "the world's most trusted source for policy ideas and analysis." regularly contributes to the total thinky tank output of material that wants to be viewed as "a report" or "research" or "a study" or "a paper," but is more like an op-ed or blog post that has put on a tie and juiced up its vocabulary. This week the

SEP 26

Valerie Strauss: Betsy DeVos Expresses Her Contempt for Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Valerie Strauss: Betsy DeVos Expresses Her Contempt for Public Schools Valerie Strauss is not surprised yet disappointed that Betsy DeVos kicked off her “back to school tour” at a religious school in Milwaukee, flaunting her contempt for the vast majority of students who attend public schools. By doing so, she showed her agenda: privatization of public schools and transfer of public money to rel
Classroom in a Bathroom? Overcrowded Building Problems Betsy DeVos Doesn’t Think About

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Classroom in a Bathroom? Overcrowded Building Problems Betsy DeVos Doesn’t Think About Please tell Betsy DeVos that when Americans fail to invest in public school buildings, it affects how students learn. Betsy DeVos has never worked in poor building conditions. She doesn’t understand how difficult it is for students and teachers. On September 20, DeVos stated in her Education Freedom speech to
LAUSD Abruptly Cracks Down On Charter Schools That Took District Classrooms, Then Didn't Use Them All: LAist

by Mike Simpson / 2d
LAUSD Abruptly Cracks Down On Charter Schools That Took District Classrooms, Then Didn't Use Them All In Los Angeles' tough real estate market, the operators of charter schools have to make do with whatever classroom spaces they can find: hospital daycare centers , downtown office suites, even churches and former Hebrew schools. Or they can simply claim space on an L.A. Unified School District c
NYC Public School Parents: Today's "Talk out of School" on the toxic levels of testing and lead in NYC schools

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Today's "Talk out of School" on the toxic levels of testing and lead in NYC schools On today’s Talk Out of School on WBAI radio , we spoke with NYC Council Member and Chair of the Education Committee Mark Treyger, about yesterday's oversight hearing on “Breaking the test culture” in our NYC schools, the highlights of which I described on the blog. We discussed the success of the the 38 schools t
#RedforEd: Teachers Unions All In for Impeachment

by Mike Simpson / 2d
#RedforEd: Teachers Unions All In for Impeachment The presidents of the 2 largest teachers unions within the country, the Nationwide Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Academics (AFT), are supporting the impeachment inquiry on President Trump, announced Speaker of the Home Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Tuesday. Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT, struck first with this these
The Great Accountability Scam: High-Stakes Testing Edition | radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 2d
The Great Accountability Scam: High-Stakes Testing Edition Among other teachers and education scholars, I have been making a case throughout my 36 years in education that has prompted mostly derision from edureformers, politicians, the media, and “no excuses” advocates; the position grounded in evidence includes: Standardized and high-stakes tests are weak proxies for student achievement and tea
Cory Booker’s Long and Profitable Friendship with Betsy DeVos, and Why It Ended | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Cory Booker’s Long and Profitable Friendship with Betsy DeVos, and Why It Ended Cory Booker was recently interviewed by the Washington Post, and he was asked about his past support for vouchers and his friendship with Betsy DeVos. He insisted that he turned against vouchers in 2006, and he barely remembered any connection to DeVos. When someone asked if he had flown to Michigan in 2000 at the re
Is New York City Headed Toward a Collaborative School System Eschewing Testing for Project-Based Learning or Using Tests to Batter and Punish Schools? Schizophrenia Abounds | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Is New York City Headed Toward a Collaborative School System Eschewing Testing for Project-Based Learning or Using Tests to Batter and Punish Schools? Schizophrenia Abounds As the opening of school approaches CityandState, an online website hosts an Education Summit. The guest speaker was Richard Carranza, the chancellor, I blogged about his presentation here. and included an audio of his presen
Techno-Optimists Meet School: School Wins (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Techno-Optimists Meet School: School Wins (Part 2) Protests then and now—even fictitious student Bart Simpson–have not stopped technological innovations. That is the power of techno-optimism. Change is good. Change means progress. Changes makes life better. Sure, even if new technologies disrupt industries, people lose jobs, and corporate mergers drive out small businesses, life will be better t
NYC Educator: Co-Teaching--Making it Work

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Co-Teaching--Making it Work There's a lot of talk about what a successful co-teaching partnership entails. A few things are indisputable. One is that if it's genuine co-teaching, there should be genuine common prep time. Any administrator who assigns three or four co-teachers to one human cannot reasonably expect cooperation, let alone anything so productive it resembles success. My experience s
Stand for Children: Using Its Oregon Money to Influence Louisiana’s 2019 BESE Election | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Stand for Children: Using Its Oregon Money to Influence Louisiana’s 2019 BESE Election I have been watching for out-of-state money influencing Louisiana’s October 2019 state board of ed (BESE) elections. On its 09/10/19 filing , one PAC, Stand for Children LA IEC, reported $420K in contributions; it reported spending $168K on six BESE candidates: James Garvey (Dist 1) Sandy Holloway (Dist 3) Ash
Class Size Matters Testimony on high stakes testing before the NYC Council Education Committee | Class Size Matters

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Class Size Matters Class Size Matters Testimony on high stakes testing before the NYC Council Education Committee Testimony before the NYC Council Education Committee PDF of the testimony is here . September 24, 2019 Thank you, Chair Treyger for holding these important hearings and for the opportunity to testify before you today. My name is Emily Carrazana, I work at Class Size Matters and I att

SEP 25

Blinded by ‘Science’ | Teacher in a strange land

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Blinded by ‘Science’ At a moment when half of our elected officials are resisting Political Science as means of preserving democracy, or Climate Science as a resource for, say, saving the planet, it must be reassuring to some that the Education field, at least, seems to be pursuing Science these days. Aggressively. Science standards this and scientific method that and exponential STEM everywhere
Should a teacher really be the U.S. secretary of education? - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Should a teacher really be the U.S. secretary of education? In May, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, announced that if she were to become the U.S. president, she would hire a teacher to become education secretary and in the same speech, bashed President Trump’s education secretary, Betsy DeVos. “Let’s get a person with real teaching experienc
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 3d
It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 TODAY Video: Robot Gymnastics by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h erik_stein / Pixabay I’m adding this new video to The Best Sites To Learn About Robots : It’s That Time Of The Year When Students Begin Testing Boundaries – How Do You Handle It? by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h aitoff / Pixabay Things we
TODAY'S Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Education Research Report Helping smooth the transition to kindergarten by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3h The schools and districts profiled in the four communities in this report have taken different steps to help smooth the transition to kindergarten for children and families, with a particular emphasis on promoting equity by focusing on better serving children from low-income families. Because of t
CURMUDGUCATION: NH: Failing To Learn From Charter History

by Mike Simpson / 3d
NH: Failing To Learn From Charter History I have a soft spot in my heart for New Hampshire. I was born there, and much of my family lived there. My grandmother was a legislator for ages, and many of my relatives are still in the state. So it's a bummer to see the state fall into reformy mistakes. Earlier this year, the state announced that they were going to grab some of that free federal money
“Let the Children Play” is Developmentally Appropriate Education | tultican

by Mike Simpson / 3d
“Let the Children Play” is Developmentally Appropriate Education By T. Ultican 9/25/2019 Two education experts and fathers have issued a clarion call to “ Let the Children Play. ” Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle co-authored Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive . These two fathers with young children were both shocked by the education system they fou
From Stanford’s Sean Reardon: Schools Alone Cannot Overcome Racial Achievement Gaps Caused By Concentrated Poverty | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 3d
From Stanford’s Sean Reardon: Schools Alone Cannot Overcome Racial Achievement Gaps Caused By Concentrated Poverty Here is the succinct conclusion of a complex, technical, and nuanced report released on Monday by Stanford University’s Sean Reardon and a team of researchers, Is Separate Still Unequal? New Evidence on School Segregation and Racial Academic Achievement Gaps : “We use 8 years of dat
FAIRTEST: Four Dozen More Colleges Drop SAT-ACT Requirement | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 3d
FAIRTEST: Four Dozen More Colleges Drop SAT-ACT Requirement FairTest National Center for Fair & Open Testing for further information, contact: Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 mobile (239) 699-0468 for immediate release Wednesday, September 18, 2019 BEST YEAR EVER FOR TEST-OPTIONAL HIGHER ED. ADMISSIONS AS 47 ADDITIONAL INSTITUTIONS DROP ACT/SAT SCORE REQUIREMENTS; MORE THAN HALF OF “TOP 100” LIBERA
Mike Klonsky's Blog: What's happened to Chicago schools since Arne Duncan got Judge Kocoras to lift the deseg consent decree

by Mike Simpson / 3d
What's happened to Chicago schools since Arne Duncan got Judge Kocoras to lift the deseg consent decree I'm reading Sarah Karp's WBEZ story about Chicago's experiment with school desegregation and recalling how Arne Duncan helped get a federal judge to quash the city's deseg consent decree. Karp writes: Most of the city’s 78 magnet and test-in schools — including classical, gifted and selective
NYC Public School Parents: Revelations at today's hearings on high-stakes testing and testimony by Emily Carrazana

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Revelations at today's hearings on high-stakes testing and testimony by Emily Carrazana Today's NYC Council hearings on "Breaking the testing culture" were fascinating. CM Treyger did a great job in asking piercing questions to DOE, especially about the NY State high school Regents exams and why they don't encourage the creation of more Performance- based assessments like those used by the New Y
The Absurdity of Standardized Testing: Caught Between Prediction and Assessment | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 3d
The Absurdity of Standardized Testing: Caught Between Prediction and Assessment Standardized testing is truly absurd. It’s both a prediction and an assessment . You take a test to determine what you’ve learned and that will in turn predict what you will be able to learn in the future. We hardly ever do this anywhere else in life. We don’t measure babies’ leg muscles to predict whether they’re re
CURMUDGUCATION: Ohio Has A Chance To Fix A Terrible School Takeover Law. It's Going To Blow It.

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Ohio Has A Chance To Fix A Terrible School Takeover Law. It's Going To Blow It. It looked like Ohio was going to get better, but the legislature is poised to screw it all up. It has been hard to keep up with the news out of Lorain, Ohio, a school district that is being run through the wringer u nder Ohio's terrible, awful, no good, really bad school takeover law (HB 70). Lorain's CEO (a district
Was Daedalus really stricken with grief when Icarus fell into the sea? Or just disappointed by the design failure? – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 3d
WAS DAEDALUS REALLY STRICKEN WITH GRIEF WHEN ICARUS FELL INTO THE SEA? OR JUST DISAPPOINTED BY THE DESIGN FAILURE? Was Daedalus really stricken with grief when Icarus fell into the sea? Or just disappointed by the design failure? -Alison Bechdel As a K-5 art teacher the curriculum was a yearly construction and reconstruction, and always based fundamentally on what was interesting to me and what
Neo-segregation: Why these communities are divorcing their school districts - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Neo-segregation: Why these communities are divorcing their school districts After the U.S. Supreme Court declared separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional in the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling, some whites in the South resisted by opening private schools or by creating white-only public school districts. For nearly two decades, a new
Litigating Algorithms, Beyond Education | VAMboozled!

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Litigating Algorithms, Beyond Education This past June, I presented at a conference at New York University (NYU) called Litigating Algorithms. Most attendees were lawyers, law students, and the like, all of whom were there to discuss the multiple ways that they have collectively and independently been challenging governmental uses of algorithm-based, decision-making systems (i.e., like VAMs) acr
2019 Medley #20: Poverty and Testing | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 3d
2019 Medley #20: Poverty and Testing IT’S POVERTY, STUPID The connection between family income and school achievement has been well documented (see the links at the end of this post ) yet policymakers and the media continue to blame schools, teachers, and the students themselves for low achievement. David Berliner notes that there are out-of-school factors to student achievement including medica

SEP 24

Profile in Persistence: Every Educator Deserves a Living Wage

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Profile in Persistence: Every Educator Deserves a Living Wage Debbie Reyes gets very emotional when she recalls the day a student broke her nose. A special education paraeducator for the Pfleugerville Independent School District, in Texas, Reyes works with students on the autism spectrum, many of whom are nonverbal and have severe sensory and behavior challenges. It was the end of the day and ti
A Very Busy Day Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Video & Transcript Of Greta Thunberg’s speech to world leaders at UN Climate Action Summit | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES
Nick Hanauer Speaks Out Against Income Inequality in a Pair of TED Talks | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Nick Hanauer Speaks Out Against Income Inequality in a Pair of TED Talks Nick Hanauer, who may or may not be a billionaire, made a splash when he conspicuously dropped out of the Destroy Public Education Movement and the Billionaire Boys Club , which he had supported with donations of millions of dollars. He loudly declared that his fellow plutocrats were wrong to blame the schools for the dysfu
Jeff Bryant: How Private Search Firms Skim Millions From Public Schools | OurFuture.org by People's Action

by Mike Simpson / 4d
How Private Search Firms Skim Millions From Public Schools | OurFuture.org by People's Action How Private Search Firms Skim Millions From Public Schools In July 2013, the education world was rocked when a breaking story by Chicago independent journalist Sarah Karp reported that district CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett had pushed through a no-bid $20 million contract to provide professional development t
CURMUDGUCATION: The College Board Tweaked The SAT Adversity Score. But It's Not Fixed-- Or Gone.

by Mike Simpson / 4d
The College Board Tweaked The SAT Adversity Score. But It's Not Fixed-- Or Gone. Since David Coleman took the helm at the College Board, its flagship product--the ubiquitous SAT, one-time queen of college entrance exams--has been the victim of a series of unforced errors. The roll-out and walk-back of the "adversity score" is only the latest--and recent reports of that score's death may be great
“…you are still not mature enough…” | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 4d
“…you are still not mature enough…” Sixteen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg scolded the world’s adults today at the U.N. Climate Action Summit . Unfortunately, the American President didn’t listen to Ms. Thunberg’s speech. He dropped by the summit…but didn’t stay . He also hasn’t read the 2015 Department of Defense report on the national security risks caused by climate change.
Stumbling Towards a Post-Racial World: We Have a Long, Long Path Ahead | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Stumbling Towards a Post-Racial World: We Have a Long, Long Path Ahead The stain of slavery and Jim Crow appeared to be erased with election of Barack Obama in 2008. Many commentators , both conservative and liberal, have celebrated the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States, claiming the election signified America has truly become a “post-racial” society. It is not just Lou
Outside The Four Corners (Or “How Common Core Almost Broke Reading”)

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Outside The Four Corners (Or “How Common Core Almost Broke Reading”) The Reading Wars are a series of debates about how best to teach reading to small humans, and while the intensity of the debates themselves ebb and flow, the dates have been raging for only slightly fewer years than the printed word has existed. One of the fronts in the debate has been the phonics vs. “whole language,” recently

SEP 23

Movies, Word Finds, and Coloring Sheets - Teacher Habits

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Movies, Word Finds, and Coloring Sheets My daughter is in eighth grade now. She’s doing math I don’t remember and solved some problems the other night that I couldn’t help her with (luckily, Alexa could). She’s taking German and is all guten this and guten that when she gets home. She’s a programmer on her robotics team. She’s read “The Lottery” and “The Monkey’s Paw” in English class. She’s get
Just how intertwined are racial segregation and economic inequality?

26by Mike Simpson / 5d
An analysis of achievement gaps in every school in America shows that poverty is the biggest hurdle A Stanford study finds that racial segregation matters because black and Hispanic students are concentrated in high poverty schools H ere’s a tale of three cities: Atlanta, New York and Detroit. In all three cities, there is a high degree of racial segregation in the schools. White students go to
Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice | Just another WordPress.com weblog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Techno-Optimism Meets Schools: Schools Win (Part 1) From Thomas Edison’s words on film revolutionizing teaching and learning in the early 1900s to the acclaim accompanying desktop computers overhauling K-12 schools in the early 1980s to MOOCs in the 2010s transforming higher education to BrainCo –software that tracks and uses students’ brainwaves in 2019–enthusiasm for the latest technological i
Is the Long Alliance of Betsy DeVos and Cory Booker Really Over? | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Is the Long Alliance of Betsy DeVos and Cory Booker Really Over? I am not one for complimenting U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, but you have to give her credit for one virtue: she is not an opportunist. She remains a dogged school choice fanatic even though for three years now, she has been unable to get Congress to fund her highest priority, her Education Freedom Scholarship neovoucher-tu
“Important Parent Meeting” About College Funding, Yet Sponsor Withholds Identity from Mailer | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 5d
“Important Parent Meeting” About College Funding, Yet Sponsor Withholds Identity from Mailer On September 13, 2019, I received a mailer that at first glance appeared to be one that my southern Louisiana school district might send: No frills; just an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of white paper, xeroxed ad folded three times. However, in the place of the return address was written, “Important Parent Meeting
Oh, Aight [Giving Them The First Word] | The Jose Vilson

by Mike Simpson / 5d
OH, AIGHT [GIVING THEM THE FIRST WORD] A little noise. A small plastic flick. A few curses. A thwop. A burst of laughter. A myriad of ways for Student X to distract themselves from the classroom activity of the moment. I put up one finger, give myself a three-second time out and say, “I’ll be patient with you.” Student X does Action Y again. “That’s twice now and I’m asking you to please focus o
How The Other 1/300th Learns | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
How The Other 1/300th Learns Robert Pondiscio’s new book “How The Other Half Learns” (Avery September 2019) answers the age old question: Can a bunch of twenty-something teachers who know nothing about education, nothing about child development, and nothing about what it is like to be a parent, get a non-random sampling of students of color to pass standardized tests? In addition to answering th

SEP 22

“Sustainability” for Financiers: What Climate Marchers Need to Know About the UN Sustainable Development Goals – Wrench in the Gears

by Mike Simpson / 5d
“Sustainability” for Financiers: What Climate Marchers Need to Know About the UN Sustainable Development Goals I’m writing the day after the climate strike. With so many people taking to the streets, it made me wonder how much people actually know about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)? Why is that important? Well, there are powerful interests seeking to misdirect peopl
Now In the Minority, A School Board Member Changes His Tune

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Now In the Minority, A School Board Member Changes His Tune “ The means of one’s success can become the means of one’s downfall. ” As the Vice-President of the LAUSD School Board, Nick Melvoin constantly reminded the minority members of their status and how if they wanted a say they would need to win elections. This majority pushed through the hiring of Superintendent Austin Beutner without both
Catch Up With Curmudgucation

by Mike Simpson / 6d
CURMUDGUCATION AND DON'T FORGET PETER GREENE ON FORBES CLICK HERE ALEC Issues A Report Card, But Still Fails 41 by Peter Greene / 1d The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is the corporate Match.com for wealthy mover-shakers and legislators looking for someone to do their homework together. Among their many favorite issues is education, and to that end, ALEC trots out a report card eve
Pennsylvania: Speaker of the House Berates Public Schools and Their Teachers, Praises Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Pennsylvania: Speaker of the House Berates Public Schools and Their Teachers, Praises Charters Once again, we are reminded that charter schools are a Republican cause, and their champion is Betsy DeVos. Mike Turzai, Republican Speaker of the House in Pennsylvania, was on his way to a meeting with Betsy DeVos when he encountered some public school teachers, who were picketing with signs saying th
Louisiana Educator: Help Break the Grip of Special Interest Lobbyists Over BESE!

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Help Break the Grip of Special Interest Lobbyists Over BESE! Should we continue to allow special interest lobbyists to rule over K-12 education, when the evidence proves they have failed? How is it that we, the citizens of Louisiana, have allowed a non-educator, big business lobbying group to almost totally control our public education system? The answer is big $ . For the past two terms, the Lo
Betsy Devos is using anti-Muslim, anti-Black bigotry to threaten diversity in higher ed programs | Eclectablog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Betsy Devos is using anti-Muslim, anti-Black bigotry to threaten diversity in higher ed programs Betsy Devos has done it again. On August 29th, the Department of Education sent a letter to the Consortium for Middle East Studies departments at the University of North Carolina and Duke University, claiming that the program “disproportionately portrays ‘the positive aspects of Islam'” . They threat
First desegregation order in 50 years hits Marin schools - Los Angeles Times

by Mike Simpson / 6d
First desegrega tion order in 50 years hits Marin schools - Los Angeles Times A tiny Marin County district got California’s first school desegregation order in 50 years MARIN CITY, Calif. — The hillside school with the dreamy view of San Francisco Bay seems to practically shout e pluribus unum. A racially diverse group of children play an afternoon game of capture the flag. Teachers and parents p
Education Insider for September 22, 2019 - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Education Insider for September 22, 2019 Democratic House takes action on gun violence; Republican Senate resists The House is a hotbed of activity on gun-related issues while the Senate literally does nothing despite broad public support for comprehensive background checks, “red flag” laws, according to a Monmouth University Poll released this month. More than 200 days ago, the House voted 240-
Rev/Dr. Anika Whitfield Writes a Letter to the Governor of Arkansas: Return Our Public Schools to Us! | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Rev/Dr. Anika Whitfield Writes a Letter to the Governor of Arkansas: Return Our Public Schools to Us! Rev/Dr. Anika Whitfield wrote the following letter to newly re-elected Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas about the failed state takeover of the Little Rock School District, whose only purpose was to take away any democratic control of the district’s public schools by its residents. Dr. Whitfie
Choosing Democracy: California Ethnic Studies Curriculum Conflict

by Mike Simpson / 6d
California Ethnic Studies Curriculum Conflict Dozens of teachers, activists, former officials and community members from all over California packed the California Department of Education on Friday to give their input on how the state should move forward with the ethnic studies curriculum. The curriculum, which was shelved because of its controversy , was put back on the table this week after Sta

SEP 21


Top Post This Week 9/21/19 #Redfored

by Mike Simpson / 7d
Big Education Ape TOP POST THIS WEEK 9/21/19 Big Education Ape: Lee P. Barrios - Geaux Teacher! #ElectLeeBarrios - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/09/lee-p-barrios-geaux-teacher.html 


Big Education Ape
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CURMUDGUCATION: A Good Teacher Is Not Like A Candle

CURMUDGUCATION: A Good Teacher Is Not Like A Candle

A Good Teacher Is Not Like A Candle


 I just hate this kind of thing.

First of all, is there any other profession that has to put up with this. Substitute "lawyer" or "plumber" or even "doctor" for "teacher" in this meme, and it just sounds dumb. "Nurse," maybe. (Hmm. What do nursing and teaching have in common as professions. Could it be that they're not commonly associated with testosterone?) We don't expect any professionals to consume themselves in order to do their jobs.

Second of all, notice the use of "it." For the simile to really tracks, "it" should be "she," but as soon as we put it that way, the ickiness of the analogy becomes more obvious. Really? Do parents say, "I expect my child's teacher to consume herself in order to educate my child?"

If we walk into our child's classroom in March and find a teacher who is exhausted, worn down, barely functioning, do we think, "Excellent. This is going just as it should." Do we expect a teacher to somehow become a new, fresh candle every fall and be a burned-out stub every May, or do we CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: A Good Teacher Is Not Like A Candle


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UTLA Endorses LAUSD School Board Candidates | UTLA

UTLA Endorses LAUSD School Board Candidates | UTLA

UTLA Endorses LAUSD School Board Candidates
LOS ANGELES — With four LAUSD School Board seats up for election in 2020, UTLA has endorsed a powerful team to take back the board majority from the pro-privatization forces. As overwhelmingly approved by the UTLA House of Representatives last night, the UTLA slate includes incumbents George McKenna, Scott Schmerelson, and Jackie Goldberg — fresh off her landslide win in the special election last spring. 
 
For the seat being vacated by Richard Vladovic, UTLA is endorsing an LAUSD parent who is committed to the fight against privatization and for fully funded schools. Patricia Castellanos is a founding member of Reclaim Our Schools LA, the parent-community coalition that was with us during our strike, walking the picket lines and protesting outside privatizers' homes. She is a former deputy director for L.A. Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) and led campaigns with unions and the community for better working conditions for employees and stronger neighborhoods for families. 


UTLA also endorsed an experienced, pro-public education candidate in LA City Council President Herb Wesson, running for LA County Board of Supervisors, District 2. Wesson walked the picket line with UTLA members in January, helped resolve the successful Accelerated Charter strike (the second charter school strike in the country). He is supported by unions across the labor movement, and he campaigned vigorously for more school funding in the Measure EE campaign.



Herb Wesson


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Peter Greene: School Vouchers And Federal Support For Discrimination

School Vouchers And Federal Support For Discrimination

School Vouchers And Federal Support For Discrimination

School voucher programs are becoming one of the major fronts in a federal battle to safeguard discrimination by religious organizations.
Some flaps created by private religious schools seem minor, like the pastor at a Catholic school who banned Harry Potter books because he believes the books contain “actual curses and spells.” But earlier this year, the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis touched off a flurry of excitement by requiring Catholics schools in the archdiocese to fire all gay teachers. Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School refused, and was stripped of its Catholic identity. To avoid a similar fate, Cathedral High School terminated a teacher in a decision it called “agonizing.” The teacher settled with the school, but has since sued the archdiocese.
This might be a matter of Catholic internal business, except that in Indianapolis, as in many areas around the country, the Catholic school system is now funded in part by school vouchers, a system of using public tax dollars for tuition t0 private schools. Indiana has CONTINUE READING: School Vouchers And Federal Support For Discrimination

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Little Rock: Activists Demand a Meeting with Governor Hutchinson | Diane Ravitch's blog

Little Rock: Activists Demand a Meeting with Governor Hutchinson | Diane Ravitch's blog

Little Rock: Activists Demand a Meeting with Governor Hutchinson
Parents and supporters of public schools in Little Rock are outraged that Governor Asa Hutchinson refuses to meet with them. The state took control of the Little Rock district, and parents want democratic decision making restored. Remember when Republicans used to support local control? Not anymore.
Rev/Dr. Anika Whitfield write to the Governor on behalf of a large coalition of parents.
Gov. Hutchinson, 
As you may have heard at our rally on September 25, 2019, to fulfill the legacy of the Little Rock Nine to obtain a world class equitable education for students currently being denied by discrimination and state laws, and to #ReclaimLRSD in total with a locally elected school board, we demanded a meeting with you.
The organizers of the Support OUR LRSD coalition, a coalition of parents/guardians, students, alumni, community activists and supporters, faith leaders, volunteers in the LRSD, teachers, educators, retired teachers, and LRSD business leaders and faith leaders and communities need to speak with you about the fate of our beloved LRSD. 
You have been talking at us, and not with us. You and your appointed board and CONTINUE READING: Little Rock: Activists Demand a Meeting with Governor Hutchinson | Diane Ravitch's blog


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Weingarten and conservative Dems want a two-tier health insurance system. – Fred Klonsky

Weingarten and conservative Dems want a two-tier health insurance system. – Fred Klonsky

WEINGARTEN AND CONSERVATIVE DEMS WANT A TWO-TIER HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM



In a previous post I wrote how American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten has broken with the position of her own union in advocating for work-based health insurance in opposition to those running for president like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Sanders and Warren advocate for universal healthcare in the form of Medicare for All (MFA)
Here is the position of the AFT:
RESOLVED, that the AFT reaffirms that the most sensible and cost-effective solution for health coverage is a single-payer system modeled after the federal Medicare system, such as that proposed by S.B. 1804 and H.R. 676; and
RESOLVED, that the AFT will educate and mobilize its members and our broader community to support universal healthcare coverage.
Two systems of coverage – one public and one privately run by insurance companies and paid for by part of the employee’s compensation package.
I argue that the existence of a multi-billion dollar insurance system will always operate CONTINUE READING: Weingarten and conservative Dems want a two-tier health insurance system. – Fred Klonsky
Big Education Ape: AFT and Medicare for All - Randi Weingarten - Medium - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/09/aft-and-medicare-for-all-randi.html

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Do Schools and Districts Actually Want Black Male Teachers? It Sure Doesn't Seem Like It. - Philly's 7th Ward

Do Schools and Districts Actually Want Black Male Teachers? It Sure Doesn't Seem Like It. - Philly's 7th Ward

DO SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS ACTUALLY WANT BLACK MALE TEACHERS? IT SURE DOESN’T SEEM LIKE IT.

When it comes to Black male teachers, the question shouldn’t be, “Do we need to hire more?” We know Black teachers, both men and women, are vital; they are particularly critical to the education of Black and Brown children. They also enhance the education experiences of White children. The question shouldn’t be, “Are there any Black male teachers out there to hire?”
It is true that Black male teachers only make up 2 percent of the teaching population. According to an analysis by Howard University’s Ivory A. Toldson, however, the job of primary school teacher is actually the first choice of profession among college-educated Black men.
The question that we need to ask is this: “Are Black male teachers actually wanted?” And if not: “Why don’t more districts want Black male teachers?” The answer to those questions will help those serious about increasing the number of Black male teachers.
A few years ago, University of Pennsylvania professor Marybeth Gasman argued that universities fail to hire Black professors because they simply didn’t want them. She said:
I have learned that faculty will bend rules, knock down walls, and build bridges to hire those they really want (often white colleagues), but when it CONTINUE READING: 
Do Schools and Districts Actually Want Black Male Teachers? It Sure Doesn't Seem Like It. - Philly's 7th Ward

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Carol Burris: Federal Analysis Finds No Difference in Performance Between Charter Schools and Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Carol Burris: Federal Analysis Finds No Difference in Performance Between Charter Schools and Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Carol Burris: Federal Analysis Finds No Difference in Performance Between Charter Schools and Public Schools
Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, reports on a new federal analysis comparing charter schools and public schools.

She writes:
A recent report on school choice commissioned by the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) documented what we already know–the performance of students who attend charter schools is no better than the academic performance of those who attend true public schools.
The report based its findings on 4th and 8th grade NAEP scores. No school, public or charter, can test prep students for success on the NAEP, thus it is considered by many to be the most reliable measure of student achievement.
In addition to a simple comparison of results, the researchers who prepared the report used regression analysis to control for the influence of parental education level on student achievement on the NAEP. This is important because it contradicts those who claim that charters do a better job at educating disadvantaged students, and that the equal academic performance between the two sectors is because public schools educate a more privileged population.  Parental education level has been shown repeatedly to have a significant effect on student achievement, even when controlling for SES. 
The report also told us that the percentage of students in private schools has dropped to 9% and homeschool enrollment has risen to 3%. Of the remaining 88%, 94% of all students are enrolled in true public schools, while 6% are enrolled in charter schools. 
The charter school sector can produce as many biased studies not subject to peer review as they like, but studies from objective sources consistently produce the same results–charters, despite their creaming of students and “freedom” do no better than true public schools. Ironically, this one was commissioned by the US Department of Education led by Betsy DeVos. 
—
Carol Burris
Executive Director
Network for Public Education


Carol Burris: Federal Analysis Finds No Difference in Performance Between Charter Schools and Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
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More Cartoons on Teachers and Students | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

More Cartoons on Teachers and Students | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

More Cartoons on Teachers and Students
As the school year begins–yes, more and more schools open in August but many of the 13,000 districts in the U.S. still open after Labor Day–I cannot resist picking cartoons about the on-going relationship between teachers and students (and their parents) in the ever-present age-graded school. Here are some more. Enjoy!

your-daughter-is-a-pain-in-the-ass-new-yorker-cartoon_u-l-pgq2rn0.jpg

images.jpg

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ab9cb2e4aae2f403e3128accf6ae4786.jpg

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CLICK HERE FOR More Cartoons on Teachers and Students
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Now In the Minority, A School Board Member Changes His Tune

Now In the Minority, A School Board Member Changes His Tune

Now In the Minority, A School Board Member Changes His Tune


As the Vice-President of the LAUSD School Board, Nick Melvoin constantly reminded the minority members of their status and how if they wanted a say they would need to win elections. This majority pushed through the hiring of Superintendent Austin Beutner without bothering to build consensus and asked the district attorney to investigate Scott Schmerelson when in an act that promoted transparency he dared to tell the public about what went on behind the scenes during the hiring process.
With the conviction of Ref Rodriguez and the election of Jackie Goldberg to replace him, Melvoin’s block has lost its majority status. Now, the lawyer from the West Side is singing a different tune. Apparently, policies should no longer be dictated by the majority. Instead, we should have “collaboration.”
Melvoin sits on the LAUSD Board because supporters of the California Charter School Association (CCSA) spent millions on a dirty campaign against former Board President Steve Zimmer. This race wasn’t based on CONTINUE READING: Now In the Minority, A School Board Member Changes His Tune



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antiracismdsa: Close the Camps Campaign #CloseTheCamps

antiracismdsa: Close the Camps Campaign

Close the Camps Campaign
Here is the campaign.
#CloseTheCamps




Stop the War on Immigrants --

A Call to Action on October 12

From the day he took office, Donald Trump escalated a failed and cruel immigration policy into an all-out war against immigrants, banning Muslims, slamming the door on refugees, tearingchildren from their parents' arms.

 Each new affront has been met with outrage and protest, but even when he has retreated, Trumphas sought new lines of attack: concentration camps, workplace raids, new bars to green cards and citizenship.

Meanwhile many immigrants are being terrorized in their own communities, afraid to answer the door, take children to school, or go to work. These communities need to see and feel the
solidarity of the majority that stands with them.

We call on all those who oppose the raids, family separation, deportations and incarceration tounite against this reign of racist persecution.

It is time to say, "¡Basta Ya!" Enough is enough!

This indigenous people's day weekend let us act together --whether with a march, vigil, rally ordirect action-- against those who would give us a future of division and white supremacist hate.

Let us unite in broad regional coalitions drawing together people of faith, unions, anti-nativist
fighters and other progressives to target camps, jails, shelters or other parts of Trump's
anti-immigrant, deportation machinery.

Let us act in the knowledge that no human being is illegal anywhere, not least in a country
formed through violent colonialism.

Most of all let us open our arms to immigrants in our country or at our borders with a greeting of friendship: Mi casa es tu casa.
Our home is also your home.


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Yelp! … But For Schools?! – redqueeninla

Yelp! … But For Schools?! – redqueeninla

Yelp! … But For Schools?!

Is it a good idea to label schools with a really simple star-rating? 
Can we do for Education and schools what Yelp has done for eating and restaurants?
No!  Of course not.
And we all know it.  It’s not just that summarizing a complex ecosystem like a school via one, single number is simplistic. It’s not just that your child’s needs are different from my child’s even while both may be served perfectly well (even mutually beneficially) in adjacent seats. It’s not just that your opinion being different from mine might not reflect our legitimate, genuine differences.
It’s that an opinion aggregator like Yelp is fundamentally, technically different from the “School Performance Framework (SPF)” LAUSD resolved to develop for stakeholders in spring of 2018. On further reflection the school board will be reconsidering the summative framework (the wording of this resolution is here, at “tab 26”) at its BOE meetings next month.
Yelp works by taking a hard number, your assessment, and “averaging” that opinion with everyone else’s. Statistical theory shows that with enough of these assessments, they will fall out in a bell curve shape with the peak being the “best guess” of “most” folks’ opinion.
The School Performance Framework would cough up a single number just like Yelp does, but it’s derived completely differently. The SPF depends on a guess, an estimate, instead of simply characterizing hard data. (The leap of faith in Yelp CONTINUE READING: Yelp! … But For Schools?! – redqueeninla


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