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Saturday, March 28, 2020

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 3/28/20 #REDFORED #tbats

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POSTS THIS WEEK 3/28/20 




Coronavirus and schools: Free meals are (and aren’t) getting to kids - Vox

by Mike Simpson / 11min
How schools are (and aren’t) providing meals to children during coronavirus Parents rely on schools for children’s meals. Coronavirus has exposed the vulnerabilities of these programs. In an effort to keep children safe from the coronavirus pandemic , schools in the United States have shut down . Teachers have had to adapt by going online with classes to keep kids on schedule with their educatio
With A Brooklyn Accent: How Hip Hop Differed From Rock and Roll In Its Formative Years

by Mike Simpson / 1h
How Hip Hop Differed From Rock and Roll In Its Formative Years There were significant differences between Hip Hop's emergence as the most popular youth music in the nation, compared to rise of Rock and Roll, though both began as musical forms in Black communities. First of all, the take off period for hip hop, the time it took from its first commercial dissemination till its conquest of the yout


Stop Wasting Money - This App Finds Every Promo Code Online
by Honeysponsored
If you aren't using this tool when you shop online, you're probably wasting money.
If You’re Going to Write About Science of Reading, Get Your Reading Right – radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 2h
If You’re Going to Write About Science of Reading, Get Your Reading Right The release of the joint statement ( National Education Policy Center and Education Deans for Justice and Equity ) on the “science of reading” version of the current Reading War held, I hoped, great promise for at least slowing a very harmful process. I also briefly crossed my fingers that the statement could ease some of
Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control” | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control” In Arkansas, the governor and the legislature does not want the citizens of Little Rock to have democratic control of their public schools. They took over the schools five years ago and were supposed to return it to the people but passed a hoax of a bill. Now activists have filed a lawsuit to expose the hoax and d
NYC Educator: One Giant Step for Stupidity

by Mike Simpson / 2h
One Giant Step for Stupidity Yesterday I marked a student present who had not shown up to class all week. How does that happen? Lately it happens when the DOE puts out guidelines without consulting with the union. It turns out that people who sit in offices all day may have little knowledge of what goes on in classrooms. And yes, if school supervisors sit in offices all day that can apply to the
Project Propaganda AKA Project Forever Free | tultican

by Mike Simpson / 3h
Project Propaganda AKA Project Forever Free By Thomas Ultican 3/28/2020 During final months of 2019, the Education Post was reorganized. In 2014, four billionaires spent $5.5 million to establish a new digital media channel in response to the massive and effective push back against their favored education reforms. Actually, it was more than four billionaires. One of those funders was the Walton
With Schools Closed, Kids With Disabilities Are More Vulnerable Than Ever | 89.3 KPCC

by Mike Simpson / 3h
With Schools Closed, Kids With Disabilities Are More Vulnerable Than Ever With school closed, Marla Murasko begins her morning getting her 14-year-old son, Jacob, dressed and ready for the day. They have a daily check-in: How are you doing? How are you feeling? Next, they consult the colorful, hourly schedule she has pinned on the fridge. Jacob, who has Down syndrome, loves routine. So this dail
Where’s the Silver Lining for Education? | My Island View

by Mike Simpson / 4h
Where’s the Silver Lining for Education? With the cloud of the Corona Virus hanging over us and growing by the hour, it is difficult to see any silver lining. Health and safety are our greatest concerns. The stakes are high and the consequences may be fatal to too many. Anything I discuss here should not in any way diminish the seriousness of our condition. The consequences of our nationwide qua
Catch Up With Newblackman (In Exile)

by Mike Simpson / 4h
NewBlackMan (in Exile) Black America: The Power in Telling Your Story with Morgan Jerkins by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d 'The lives and stories of women are told through their strength, resilience, beauty, character and so much more. Guest host, Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson talks with Morgan Jerkins , Author of New York Times bestseller This Will Be My Undoing and Senior Editor of Zora ; a medium Black
THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 4h
Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report Arts education policies for all 50 states by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 3d This summary includes arts education policies for all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. Complete results from this review are available in an online searchable database on the Arts Education Partnership website . What Kids Are Reading: 2020 Edition by Jonatha
This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 4h
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 All The “Best” Lists Related To Supporting Teachers In The Age Of The Coronavirus – In One Place! by Larry Ferlazzo / 37min enriquelopezgarre / Pixabay I’ve obviously been posting a lot of resou
KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 4h
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 TODAY Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control” by dianeravitch / now In Arkansas, the governor and the legislature does not want the citizens of Little Rock to have democratic control of their public scho

YESTERDAY

CURMUDGUCATION: Business and Humanity (When People Tell You Who They Are)

by Mike Simpson / 22h
Business and Humanity (When People Tell You Who They Are) It has been a central conflict in education for decades now. Should education be organized around the needs of the business world, guided by the invisible hand in service to The Economy. We've heard it over and over again. Business is the customer for the product created by schools, so schools should be organized around cranking out the k
Education In The Time Of Plague – Los Angeles Education Examiner

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Education In The Time Of Plague The following will be updated in the sidebar to the right as a running file of information and links about SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 . All articles for the foreseeable future will also feature these links at the bottom. Talking To Kids/Learning About Covid: Introductory videos: Elementary School ~ Middle School ~ High School and up Life, interrupted: Steph Curry & Antho
Another Charter School Attempts A Hostile Takeover - Carl J. Petersen - Medium

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Another Charter School Attempts A Hostile Takeover Shirley Elementary is the latest LAUSD school to find its campus under siege by Citizens of the World. When will the district fight back? “ First and foremost we have every right to stay here ” -Citizens of the World Charters Schools during a previous Prop 39 co-location battle “ Since 1953 Shirley Avenue Elementary has been a vital part of the
Congress responds to educators' calls for a COVID stimulus package that helps students and educators - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Congress responds to educators’ calls for a COVID stimulus package that helps students and educators By Amanda Menas America’s public schools are the economic engines of tens of thousands of communities across the country, providing not only quality education for students, but also jobs and community-sustaining economic benefits for millions of professionals. As lawmakers pressed forward in draf
1.5 billion children around globe affected by school closure. What countries are doing to keep kids learning during pandemic. - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 1d
1.5 billion children around globe affected by school closure. What countries are doing to keep kids learning during pandemic. There are now nearly 1.5 billion children around the globe — or 87 percent of Earth’s student population — whose schools have closed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, and more than 60 million teachers are home as well, according to a United Nations agency. School
What Students Are Saying About Living Through a Pandemic - The New York Times

by Mike Simpson / 1d
What Students Are Saying About Living Through a Pandemic Teenage comments in response to our recent writing prompts, and an invitation to join the ongoing conversation. The rapidly-developing coronavirus crisis is dominating global headlines and altering life as we know it. Many schools worldwide have closed. In the United States alone, 55 million students are rapidly adjusting to learning and s
Desperate parents need help as coronavirus forces us into homeschooling

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Desperate parents need help as coronavirus upends our lives We’re all exhausted, some of us are going hungry, and more and more of us are getting sick As an education reporter, I’ve watched hundreds of teachers lead classrooms and I’ve learned that their job is one of the hardest in the world. The best teachers seem to have endless supplies of energy, patience and creativity. They manage to insp
Kennedy HS whistleblower sues charter group | The Lens

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Kennedy HS whistleblower sues charter group A former charter school network administrator who was fired last year after alerting superiors to suspicious grade changes at John F. Kennedy High School, is suing the school’s charter operator — the New Beginnings Schools Foundation — citing the state’s whistleblower law. In the suit, the former administrator, Runell King, alleges he was fired immedia
Ohio Legislature Allows Continued Growth of EdChoice Vouchers in Schools Where EdChoice Now Operates | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Ohio Legislature Allows Continued Growth of EdChoice Vouchers in Schools Where EdChoice Now Operates Both chambers of the Ohio Legislature came into session on Wednesday to pass an omnibus “coronavirus” bill, which sets the date of the now delayed primary election, waives mandated standardized testing in schools that have been closed during the pandemic emergency, and allows seniors to graduate
CURMUDGUCATION: Why Teach Literature Stuff: #3 Knowing Stuff Is Useful

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Why Teach Literature Stuff: #3 Knowing Stuff Is Useful When I was teaching, and I had extra time on my hands, I would reflect on the work--the whys and hows and whats. So in solidarity with my former colleagues, I'm going to write a series about every English teacher's favorite thing-- teaching literature, and why we do it. There will be some number of posts (I don't have a plan here). Also, it
Audio: The Biggest Distance-Learning Experiment In History: Week One | 89.3 KPCC

by Mike Simpson / 1d
The Biggest Distance-Learning Experiment In History: Week One For 6-year-old Sadie Hernandez, the first day of online school started at her round, wooden kitchen table in Jacksonville, Fla. She turned on an iPad and started talking to her first grade teacher, Robin Nelson. "Are you ready to do this online stuff?" her teacher asks, in a video sent to NPR by Hernandez's mother, Audrey. "Yeah," Sad
Please Don’t Call It ‘HOMESCHOOLING’ | The Merrow Report

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Please Don’t Call It ‘HOMESCHOOLING’ Now that nearly all public schools have closed their doors because of Covid-19, about 50 million school-age children are being ‘ Homeschooled, ’ and parents are being told that they should be dividing their children’s days into time periods for academic subjects and following lesson plans. That’s how The Today Show approached the subject recently, giving pare
NEA Tele-Town Hall with Lily Eskelsen García on COVID-19 - NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 1d
NEA Tele-Town Hall with Lily Eskelsen García on COVID-19 - NEA Today NEA Tele-Town Hall with Lily Eskelsen García on COVID-19 Understanding the need for clear and accurate information during a time that’s filled with fear and uncertainty led NEA President Lily Eskelsen García to host a tele-town hall meeting on March 25 with more than a thousand association leaders around the country. While there

MAR 26

With coronavirus closures, disabled students lose services - Los Angeles Times

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Students with disabilities deprived of crucial services because of coronavirus closures Nine-year-old Trevor de la Torre was home with a migraine when his parents got word that his school was closing in response to the coronavirus emergency — and his critically needed hands-on therapies would effectively stop, too. His one-on-one reading specialist, gone. His speech therapy, gone. His occupation
Hope and the History of School Reform | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Hope and the History of School Reform Nine years ago I wrote this post after meeting with a group of graduate students working on their Masters in Business Administration. Many had taught for a few years through Teach for America and were eager to apply their knowledge and skills learned in the MBA program to low-performing schools where most students were of color. So why re-post this piece? As
A Wise Superintendent Offers Counsel for Our Times | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2d
A Wise Superintendent Offers Counsel for Our Times Michael Matsuda is Superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District in California. He served on the board of the Network for Public Education. Important Message Sent on Behalf of Superintendent Matsuda Fifty years from now, when our students are old, when they have children and grandchildren of their own, they will look back and say, “Do
John Richard Schrock: Distance Learning Is Inferior to Human Interaction | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2d
John Richard Schrock: Distance Learning Is Inferior to Human Interaction John Richard Schrock was a professor of science education at a Emporia State University for many years. He also taught in middle and high schools, as well as in Hong Kong. He frequently writes about education issues. Screen Reading and Online Coursework Inferior The forced closure of classrooms and shift to online learning
Advice for Parents: Talking to Kids About COVID-19 | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 2d
ADVICE FOR PARENTS: TALKING TO KIDS ABOUT COVID-19 Below is a blog post from the University of Kentucky College of Education Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology’s Candace Hargons about best practices when talking to your kids about COVID-19. In these unprecedented and trying times, most of us are having to manage our own fears and concerns about how we want to live throug
CURMUDGUCATION: Why Teach Literature: #2 Humanity

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Why Teach Literature: #2 Humanity When I was teaching, and I had extra time on my hands, I would reflect on the work--the whys and hows and whats. So in solidarity with my former colleagues, I'm going to write a series about every English teacher's favorite thing-- teaching literature, and why we do it. There will be some number of posts (I don't have a plan here). Also, it would be nice to writ
Teacher Tom: We Can Help Children Heal Through the Stories We Tell

by Mike Simpson / 2d
We Can Help Children Heal Through the Stories We Tell I went for a long walk yesterday, past Seattle Center to the Olympic Sculpture Park, then along the waterfront as far as Pioneer Square where I hairpined back along 1st Avenue to Pike Place Market, before turning up Pike Street, to Westlake Center, then back home to South Lake Union. On a normally sunny spring afternoon, all of those places w
Searching for Normalcy in a Chaotic World: Teaching, Learning and Living at a Distance | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Searching for Normalcy in a Chaotic World: Teaching, Learning and Living at a Distance We have routines, our early morning ablutions, our route to work, shopping, job responsibilities, family responsibilities, now, remote working, remote interactions, and for children the abnormality is unsettling. Being cooped up in an apartment, not being able to visit friends, not being able to interact with
Physical Distance, Social Collective Mourning [A Plague On All Our Houses] | The Jose Vilson

by Mike Simpson / 2d
PHYSICAL DISTANCE, SOCIAL COLLECTIVE MOURNING [A PLAGUE ON ALL OUR HOUSES] There must have been a cumulative gasp from every educator in the city when we found out Dez-Ann Romain passed away . If we don’t know her personally, we know an educator like her. Young, energetic, helpful, a team player. Once we clear this curve, may we remember the moments when we sacrificed the helpers we sought out.
2020 ESP of the Year Offers Guidance, Advocacy During Crisis

by Mike Simpson / 2d
2020 ESP of the Year Offers Guidance, Advocacy During Crisis When Ohio announced the closure of schools for the rest of the academic year to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, Andrea Beeman’s thoughts, like most educators, went to her students. A special education paraprofessional in Maple Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, she works with students who have severe developmental disabilities.
CURMUDGUCATION: Where Is Teaching's Dr. Fauci?

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Where Is Teaching's Dr. Fauci? There are Dr. Fauci fan clubs already thriving around the country, in honor of the physician who has managed to thread the thorny needle that is being a nation's medical guide in these challenging times. He's a trusted voice, an expert in his field. He's a reminder that "leading US physician" is a thing, like the Surgeon General is a thing. So where is the Dr. Fauc
Ideas to Teach Reading and Writing, and Other Stuff, for Students with or without Disabilities: HANDWRITING

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Ideas to Teach Reading and Writing, and Other Stuff, for Students with or without Disabilities: HANDWRITING It sounds like there’s a shortage of ideas to work with students with or without disabilities, especially students who don’t work well online, or need a break from it. So, I am starting this page and will add to it, if there’s interest, in days to come. I welcome teachers and parents to ad

MAR 25

Community Care During COV19 – Parenting for Liberation

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Community Care During COV19 Dear Community, Parenting for Liberation is holding you, your children, your families, and your communities in our thoughts and prayers. These are scary times right now—with lots of uncertainty and rapidly evolving updates about COVID-19, from school closures, remote working, to social isolation. On top of information from the government and public health officials, t
Misreading the Main Idea about Reading – radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Misreading the Main Idea about Reading About a decade ago, I accepted an invitation from the ACT to review a set of new test questions for their reading section. As a career-long anti-standardized test advocate, after talking with several colleagues, I accepted that an inside view of the process would help me better confront the problems with tests such as the ACT and the SAT. The process includ
Washington State: Gov. Inslee Signs Bill Aiding Gates’ Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Washington State: Gov. Inslee Signs Bill Aiding Gates’ Charter Schools Washington State has experienced a long history of turmoil over charter schools. It has held four state referenda over whether they should be allowed in the state. They are opposed by school boards, teachers’ unions, PTAs, and civil rights groups. Bill Gates and his billionaire clique really wanted the state to have charter s
Virtual Learning Through Quarantine Will Leave Poor and Disabled Students Behind | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Virtual Learning Through Quarantine Will Leave Poor and Disabled Students Behind In the wake of the coronavirus crisis with most people self quarantined at home, schools across the country are shut down. Some offer (or are considering offering) distance learning over the Internet. However, this poses problems. Not all student services can be provided via computer. And not all students even have
So, You Have to Move Your Classes Online. Now What? - NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 3d
So, You Have to Move Your Classes Online. Now What? “Cynthia, I can’t run my toaster oven. How am I going to run an online class? I don’t want to be an online professor. You have to help me.” Teaching in the time of COVID-19 , many of my faculty colleagues feel this way. It’s not so much that we’re being asked to suddenly become online professors. It’s more like we’re being asked to build a life
Betsy DeVos Derides Our System of Public Schools but Today’s School Closures Show Why the System Matters | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Betsy DeVos Derides Our System of Public Schools but Today’s School Closures Show Why the System Matters The coronavirus pandemic has shown us the flaws in the thinking of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. As you may remember, back in July, 2017, in a speech at the annual meeting of the right-wing, American Legislative Exchange Council, DeVos declared : “Choice in education is good politi
NYC Educator: Online Teaching and Offline Infections

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Online Teaching and Offline Infections I have a lot of questions about doing this online. Who's paying attention, for one? Most of my students have pictures up where their faces should be. Sometimes I call on them and they show their faces. Sometimes they don't. How do I know that the kid isn't on the other side of the room playing a game on his phone? One kid yesterday wasn't responding when I
Jessica Baghian and Paul Vallas Among 7 Candidates for La. State Superintendent | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Jessica Baghian and Paul Vallas Among 7 Candidates for La. State Superintendent On March 19, 2020, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) superintendent search work group, headed by Kira Orange-Jones, petitioned BESE to narrow the search for Louisiana’s next state education superintendent to the following seven candidates: Jessica Baghian Cade Brumley Debbra Lindo Lonni
Montgomery MD parents ask, is our children’s privacy safe when they use Google classroom? | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy

by Mike Simpson / 3d
MONTGOMERY MD PARENTS ASK, IS OUR CHILDREN’S PRIVACY SAFE WHEN THEY USE GOOGLE CLASSROOM? Many districts are now using Google classroom and Chromebooks for remote instruction while schools are closed. Below is a sample letter for Montgomery County (MD) Safe Tech Subcommittee of MCCPTA’s Health and Safety Committee, that they are encouraging parents to send to their district to ensure their child
Julian Vasquez Heilig | Connections | KET teaser | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 3d
JULIAN VASQUEZ HEILIG | CONNECTIONS | KET TEASER KET PBS Host Renee Shaw welcomes Julian Vasquez Heilig, Dean of the University of Kentucky’s College of Education. He came to UK in 2019 from California State University where he was a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Dean Vasquez Heilig has been an author or co-author on nearly 50 peer-reviewed journals and written extensiv
Update on COVID-19 and the Suspension of Statewide Testing - Assessment Spotlight, Issue 85 - Smarter Balanced Assessment System (CA Dept of Education)

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Assessment Spotlight, Issue 85 - Smarter Balanced Assessment System (CA Dept of Education) Update on COVID-19 and the Suspension of Statewide Testing Assessment Spotlight, Issue 85 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) email update, March 18, 2020. Focusing on the CAASPP System and English Language Proficiency Assessments of California (ELPAC)—and including, when time
NYC Public School Parents: "Talk out of School" - what's happening with testing?

by Mike Simpson / 3d
NYC Public School Parents: Tomorrow on "Talk out of School" - what's happening with testing? "Talk out of School" - what's happening with testing? Please join us tomorrow Wed. March 25 at 10 AM for "Talk out of School" with Akil Bello of FairTest on WBAI-FM 99.5 when we'll talk about what's happening with standardized testing during the period of schools being shut down and remote learning -- bot
A Virtual Book Discussion with Diane Ravitch - Network For Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 3d
A Virtual Book Discussion with Diane Ravitch Start: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 • 7:30 PM • Eastern Time (US & Canada) (GMT-05:00) End: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 • 9:00 PM • Eastern Time (US & Canada) (GMT-05:00) The Network for Public Education invites you to join us for a video conference with Diane Ravitch as she discusses her new book, Slaying Goliath. Participants will not only have a chance to l

MAR 24

Senators urge Trump administration to protect student data in rush to online schooling - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Senators urge Trump administration to protect student data in rush to online schooling With tens of millions of American students now learning online after their schools closed amid the global coronavirus pandemic, some U.S. senators are urging the Trump administration to take steps to protect personal student data. “The recent dramatic increase in American children’s use of ed tech offerings cr
CURMUDGUCATION: The Ed Tech Vultures Circle

by Mike Simpson / 4d
The Ed Tech Vultures Circle Some ed tech companies and their investors are busily imagining that the coronaviral hiatus may be their Katrina. Natural disaster plus government botch job equals the board being swept clean, allowing players a golden opportunity to move in and clean up. I see folks on Twitter wondering where Betsy DeVos is, why the USED isn't offering more guidance to schools as the
CURMUDGUCATION: Why Teach Literature Stuff: #1 What Is It?

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Why Teach Literature Stuff: #1 What Is It? When I was teaching, and I had extra time on my hands, I would reflect on the work--the whys and hows and whats. So in solidarity with my former colleagues, I'm going to write a series about every English teacher's favorite thing-- teaching literature, and why we do it. There will be some number of posts (I don't have a plan here). Also, it would be nic
AFT’s Weingarten Launches ‘Capstone’ Proposal to Complete School Year amid Coronavirus Crisis | American Federation of Teachers

by Mike Simpson / 4d
AFT’s Weingarten Launches ‘Capstone’ Proposal to Complete School Year amid Coronavirus Crisis WASHINGTON —American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has launched an initiative (link is external) to engage millions of students marooned at home during the coronavirus crisis with a capstone project to bring closure and completion to an interrupted school year. Nearly 53 million of A
Did Balance Literacy Fail to Teach Your Child to Read? – radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Did Balance Literacy Fail to Teach Your Child to Read? For 36 years now, I have been teaching people to write; that journey is a large subset of my own being and becoming a writer, an experience that is captured well in an old Nike poster I used to hang on the wall of my high school classroom, proclaiming “There is no finish line.” For the last decade-plus, I have taught first-year college stude
Educators Take a Stand Against Coronavirus Racism + Q&A: Educator Rights and Benefits- NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Educators Take a Stand Against Coronavirus Racism - NEA Today NYC Public School Parents: Some advice and guidance for the week ahead A Vietnamese-American student in a Los Angeles classroom coughs after swallowing some water, and his teacher makes him go to the nurse. When the nurse clears him to return to his eighth-grade classroom, other students tease him that he has the coronavirus. Bullies a
NPE Action Endorses Joyce Elliott for Congress in Arkansas! | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d
NPE Action Endorses Joyce Elliott for Congress in Arkansas! NPE Action is pleased to endorse Joyce Elliott for U.S. House District 2 in Arkansas. Joyce is an outstanding state senator and she will be an outstanding Member of Congress, representing the people of Little Rock and nearby areas. She is running against a Trumpian Republican, who is outspending her by enormous margins. Joyce plans a gr
Giving to Those Who Need Our Help Due to Covid-19 - Network For Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Giving to Those Who Need Our Help Due to Covid-19 - Network For Public Education Giving to Those Who Need Our Help Due to Covid-19 Below are some sites that we found that need donations to support those impacted by the virus. We had two criteria. The organization is an established nonprofit charity with 501(c3) status and it has a fund dedicated for those in need because of Covid-19. Direct Relie
CURMUDGUCATION: Protecting Students In The Screen Age: An Action Tool For Parents And Teachers

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Protecting Students In The Screen Age: An Action Tool For Parents And Teachers It has been just a month since this piece ran at Forbes.com, but what a month. In some ways, the protections for students regarding screens are even more important. It has been a decade since I was introduced to the idea of a 1:1 classroom—a school in which every single student carried a computing device—and I never r
The Classroom: The Basic Dilemma That Teachers Face and Manage | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 4d
The Classroom: The Basic Dilemma That Teachers Face and Manage Pick the photos that you think best capture activities that you most like to see when you–as a teacher, parent, supervisor, administrator, community activist–enter a classroom. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Which ones did you pick? How many did you choose? Here is my hunch: viewers will choose those photos that best line up with their b
Jersey Jazzman: Education Policies We Should Stop Right Now: An Incomplete List

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Education Policies We Should Stop Right Now: An Incomplete List ADDING: Here's another one for the list: I am against school vouchers, especially the way they are ( not ) regulated these days. However, in a time of crisis, children need stability. If a family has received a voucher in the past and the school is legitimate, OK, continue the voucher (unless they didn't need it in the first place)
Epistemic Trespassing: From Ruby Payne to the “Science of Reading” – radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Epistemic Trespassing: From Ruby Payne to the “Science of Reading” In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump has continued his disturbing trademark of self-assurance and bravado in the absence of expertise : The president – who repeatedly downplayed the threat early in the global outbreak – has this week been hyping an anti-malarial drug, chloroquine, as a possible therapeuti

MAR 23

Jeff Bryant: Why the Coronavirus Pandemic Could Weaken the School Privatization Agenda - LA Progressive

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Why the Coronavirus Pandemic Could Weaken the School Privatization Agenda - LA Progressive Why the Coronavirus Pandemic Could Weaken the School Privatization Agenda T he COVID-19 crisis reveals the true intentions of people,” Kathleen Oropeza told me during a phone call. Oropeza is a public school mom in Orlando and founder of Fund Education Now, a non-partisan grassroots effort to advocate for p
Schools and students with disabilities likely to struggle with special ed at a distance - HoustonChronicle.com

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Schools and students with disabilities likely to struggle with special ed at a distance Big Education Ape: Is Congress Using Crisis to Suspend IDEA? | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/03/is-congress-using-crisis-to-suspend.html Caleb Cook already had three meltdowns by 11:30 in the morning Wednesday. It was his third day home since Fort Bend ISD and virtually ever
Introducing the Loving Communities Response Fund | Schott Foundation for Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Introducing the Loving Communities Response Fund Like us, you are likely asking how you can most effectively support life-saving work in our nation’s most vulnerable communities — if so, please read on. Organizations and communities supported by the Schott Foundation come from generations of people grounded in community, organized and resilient in the face of structural violence and institutiona
Resources for Parents and Teachers - Network For Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Resources for Parents and Teachers Education Resources General/Multiple Subjects Below are educational resources for children during these difficult days of social distancing. We will add additional high-quality, free resources as we find them. Please feel free to send along your suggestions by using the button we provide below. HippoCampus 7,000 free videos across 13 subjects Arcademics Improve
Los Angeles: Schools Discover Snafus of Distance Learning | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Los Angeles: Schools Discover Snafus of Distance Learning The Los Angeles Times published a disturbing article about the problems and obstacles that students and teachers are encountering as online learning becomes the new normal. For many children, instruction is inaccessible. The gaps between the haves and have-nots are glaring. “ Misti Kemmer, a fourth-grade teacher at Russell Elementary Scho
An Appeal to Educators and Scholars of Color: Please Sign This Statement! | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
An Appeal to Educators and Scholars of Color: Please Sign This Statement! Kevin Kumashiro , leader of a Deans for Justice and Equity, has written an appeal addressed to Educators and Scholars of Color. It invites their endorsement of a statement opposing failed “reforms” that have stigmatized and harmed children of color and other vulnerable students. Please share this statement with your friend
Stephen Sawchuk: This Was the Week We Learned How Vital Our Public Schools Are | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Stephen Sawchuk: This Was the Week We Learned How Vital Our Public Schools Are This is one of the best articles I have ever read in Education Week . It is not an opinion piece. It is a news article by veteran journalist Stephen Sawchuk. He begins: This was the week that American schools across the country closed their doors. It was the week that our public schools—often dismissed as mediocre, in
Schools are shut, so how will kids learn amid the covid-19 pandemic? - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Schools are shut, so how will kids learn amid the covid-19 pandemic? Schools may be shuttered and families hunkered down, but teacher Tim Rodman is keeping his Maryland classroom going during the coronavirus pandemic — ever the energetic voice of AP Macroeconomics as he hosts a video call with students who live 40 miles away. “It’s a little bit of normalcy during a crisis,” said Rodman, a teache
3 Minute Privatization Video: Must See | Educate All Students: Larry Miller's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
3 Minute Privatization Video: Must See 3 Minute Privatization Video: Must See | Educate All Students: Larry Miller's Blog
Immediate And Peripheral Vigilance: LAUSD’s Schoolboard Election … Then Covid19 – Los Angeles Education Examiner

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Immediate And Peripheral Vigilance: LAUSD’s Schoolboard Election … Then Covid19 A running section will follow below with information and links on Covid-19. In the meantime a primary election was held less than three weeks ago in LA County that is still being actively counted. Results continue to be updated twice-weekly with (2,101,601) ballots comprising more than 38% of the over 5.5m registered
Pandemic: School Closures Past, Present, Future – Have You Heard

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Pandemic: School Closures Past, Present, Future This isn’t the first time schools have shuttered in the wake of a pandemic. Resident education historian Jack Schneider on what we can learn from school closures past. Meanwhile, the absence of schools seems to have awakened even their critics to how key they are. (Psst: turns out that they’re not just places to develop *human capital*…) And what o
Teacher Tom: "I Have an Idea!": The Essence of Intellectual Development

by Mike Simpson / 5d
"I Have an Idea!": The Essence of Intellectual Development "I have an idea!" It's a call that rises from the playground, from the classroom, from wherever it is that children are playing together. "I have an idea!" Eureka! Aha! You don't hear it often, if ever, when children are bent over their lessons, doing what they've been told, but the moment they are free to play, free to engage their worl
Some advice and guidance for the week ahead | Class Size Matters

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Some advice and guidance for the week ahead | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes Some advice and guidance for the week ahead Dear Friend, A lot of news to catch up on. Tomorrow starts remote learning for NYC public school students. If you don’t have an online device for your child, the Chancellor said on Friday you can pick up written packets o
Is the Ohio Senate Intent on Running Out the Clock to Enable Vast Voucher Expansion on April 1? | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Is the Ohio Senate Intent on Running Out the Clock to Enable Vast Voucher Expansion on April 1? Yesterday a member of the Cleveland Plain Dealer’ s editorial board, Thomas Suddes commented on problems in the Ohio Legislature, but he wasn’t describing merely the delays imposed by the coronavirus, which has stopped the Legislature from meeting and eliminated in-person deliberation and voting. The
AFT Endorses Joe Biden | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
AFT Endorses Joe Biden American Federation of Teachers Endorses Joe Biden for President WASHINGTON—The American Federation of Teachers’ executive council voted today to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic primary as the party’s nominee for president in 2020p. The union represents 1.7 million educators, healthcare professionals and public employees across more than 3,00
CURMUDGUCATION: Virus and Vouchers

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Virus and Vouchers US education has essentially ground to a halt. Districts have announced that no work done distantly will count, largely out of fear that they cannot properly serve IEP students and therefor distance schooling would be illegal (aka "likely to prompt a lawsuit from a special ed family's lawyer). Where distance learning is occuring, the gap between haves and have-nots is being hi
NYC Public School Parents: Letter from CSA President Mark Cannizzaro to principals

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Letter from CSA President Mark Cannizzaro to principals I thought this letter to NYC principals from Mark Cannizzaro, President of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, the principal union, was terrific -- with advice that we should all listen to, no matter what our respective roles, whether administrator, teacher or parent. Feel free to share it widely. - Leonie Though I have be

MAR 22

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Stay In Place Edition (3/22)

by Mike Simpson / 6d
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Stay In Place Edition (3/22) Stay In Place Edition (3/22) Well, here we all are, in place (except for some of you who think this is a fake and some of you who think nothing should interfere with spring break). Frankly, the reading this week has been a bit....well, repetitive. But here are some things to peruse while you're holding down your couch. An Open Letter To Seniors
Is Congress Using Crisis to Suspend IDEA? | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Is Congress Using Crisis to Suspend IDEA? I received this notice from two trusted allies. From: Maggie Hart Date: Fri, Mar 20, 2020 at 3:23 PM Subject: Threat to ALL Special Education by COVID-19 Hi Everyone: I’m sorry to be bothering you with something work related but Senator Alexander has attached an amendment to the next proposed relief package that includes a full and complete waiver of the
Mitchell Robinson: White House Press Conferences: The New Faculty Meetings | Eclectablog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
White House Press Conferences: The New Faculty Meetings | Eclectablog White House Press Conferences: The New Faculty Meetings Watching today’s Corona Virus Task Force press briefing, I experienced flashbacks to so many faculty meetings I’ve attended during my career as a teacher… The meeting begins with opening remarks from the “big boss” (think: Trump), alternating between attempts at morale bui
EdAction in Congress March 22, 2020 - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 6d
EdAction in Congress March 22, 2020 Congress passes coronavirus package, but much more is needed On March 18, the president signed into law the bipartisan Families First Coronavirus Response Act that provides free testing and paid sick and emergency leave for some (steps must be taken to cover more); the bill also bolsters unemployment insurance, food initiatives, and federal support for Medicai
When Crisis Presents an Opportunity: How about a National Teacher Plan? | Teacher in a strange land

by Mike Simpson / 6d
When Crisis Presents an Opportunity: How about a National Teacher Plan? Remember Katrina? Remember when schools were closed and the students who went to public schools in NOLA fled, a diaspora , as the city tried to clean up and rebuild and restore? My friend Jill Saia , who was teaching in Baton Rouge at the time, described days where batches of new students would appear, shell-shocked and sad,
Ed Notes Online: Carranzavirus: Sue Edelman, NY Post: DOE, DeB Blood on their hands - Where was UFT?

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Carranzavirus: Sue Edelman, NY Post: DOE, DeB Blood on their hands - Where was UFT? One after another, sick Brooklyn Technical High School teachers called union chapter leader Nate Bonheimer last week, to tell him they’d tested positive for COVID-19 . By Friday, five of them had shared the devastating news. But after being notified about each one, the city Department of Education still ordered t
Teachers find many obstacles as they try to keep kids learning amid coronavirus - Los Angeles Times

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Teachers find many obstacles as they try to keep kids learning amid coronavirus Misti Kemmer, a fourth-grade teacher at Russell Elementary School in South Los Angeles, is working hard to keep her students learning now that schools are closed. She shares detailed lesson plans on Google Drive, sends messages to families every day and delivers YouTube lectures from her home. But only three or four
MOST POPULAR POSTS OF THE WEEK – ALL CORONAVIRUS RELATED- Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 MOST POPULAR POSTS OF THE WEEK – ALL CORONAVIRUS RELATED Big Education Ape: CORONAVIRUS EDITION: This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/03/coronavirus-edition-this-week-with.html TODAY Most
2020 Medley #9: Hunkered Down at Home Edition | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 6d
2020 Medley #9: Hunkered Down at Home Edition DUMPING THE TESTS IS A GREAT IDEA Why Scrapping School Testing This Year Is a Good Idea Before I retired, I had the difficult task of serving as one of my school’s co-test coordinators. It was my job to count, secure, distribute, secure, package up, secure, and prepare our state’s Big Standardized Test (h/t Curmudgucation ) for shipping. Sadly, I hav
NYC Educator: Co-Teaching in Virus Times

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Co-Teaching in Virus Times Yes, I know. Toby's a little young and he hasn't got a certification yet. But I assure you he'll only be my assistant while I lead the class. Meanwhile, I've been getting an awful lot of email about how to navigate this seemingly new world. It's getting so I can't keep up. I'm qute surprised to find myself continually referencing a message from the CSA President, Mark
Class of 2020: Redeem Your Senior Year | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Class of 2020: Redeem Your Senior Year On Friday, March 13, 2020, I reported to school for a professional day to end the third grading period. Since it was a teacher workday, my students had the day off. Just as our faculty was assembling for an afternoon meeting, Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards released a statement that all schools were to close until April 13, 2020. My principal was stunne
Educators Nationwide Feed Students During COVID-19 Closures

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Educators Nationwide Feed Students During COVID-19 Closures Glenda Utter has been feeding students in the Lebanon, Oregon, school district for more than 20 years and she’s not about to stop now. Even as COVID-19 cases surge around the country and she worries about her husband at home with a heart condition, she arrives at Lebanon High School at 6:00 a.m., armed with gloves, hand sanitizer, and a
CURMUDGUCATION: AI Is Not Going To Drive Trucks (Or Your Classroom)

by Mike Simpson / 6d
AI Is Not Going To Drive Trucks (Or Your Classroom) From Jalopnik, we get this report from the world of self-driving truck s. Mark it the gazillionth cautionary tale for folks who believe that AI will be able to take over critical human functions any time soon. The article takes a look at Starsky Robotics, a company that was in the business of producing unmanned semis for public highways. Now it
Public Schools: Supporting America's Children in a Time of Crisis - Network For Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Here is how the public school community is serving the nation “They are allowing kids to eat”: Denver children relying on meals provided by schools amid closure “Families having one less thing to worry about is one way we can contribute positively and stand behind those more vulnerable in our community,” Figoli said. “No virus is stronger than our community.” Read the story here . Chino Valley U
Coronavirus, School Closings and Remote Learning: Teaching and Learning in the New World | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Coronavirus, School Closings and Remote Learning: Teaching and Learning in the New World Schools in 44 states are closed and school districts are scrambling to put some sort of remote learning in place: challenging. State standardized tests have been cancelled . The school closings could last for months, and, perhaps into the next school year. No one knows. We’re currently in the “spiking phase,

MAR 21



CORONAVIRUS EDITION: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 3/21/20 #REDFORED #tbats

by Mike Simpson / 7d
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 3/21/20 ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post Advice to parents 


Big Education Ape
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Coronavirus and schools: Free meals are (and aren’t) getting to kids - Vox

Coronavirus and schools: Free meals are (and aren’t) getting to kids - Vox

How schools are (and aren’t) providing meals to children during coronavirus
Parents rely on schools for children’s meals. Coronavirus has exposed the vulnerabilities of these programs. 
In an effort to keep children safe from the coronavirus pandemic, schools in the United States have shut down. Teachers have had to adapt by going online with classes to keep kids on schedule with their education, and other forms of distance learning — teachers holding office hours by phone, the distribution of learning packets, etc. — are being implemented. Essentially, educators are finding ways to ensure kids don’t need to go to a physical building to get schooled.
But there’s at least one big problem this presents.
Many students around the country rely on schools to provide free or low-cost meals. These meals — which speak to the country’s larger problem of income inequality — are a necessary staple for many families across the country.
On a typical school day, the National School Lunch Program provides low-cost or free lunches to 29.7 million children. In New York City, the Department of Education offers free breakfast, lunch, and after-school meals to public school students during the school year. These low-cost and free options are even more imperative considering the record-shattering unemployment spike in the US.
With the shutdown of physical school, that option is gone and the US is scrambling to address this problem, on top of all the other problems the coronavirus pandemic presents.
During this pandemic, the White House has signaled that states need to take care of themselves without relying on the federal government when it comes to vital medical equipment, with Trump picking fights with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and saying New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is exaggerating his state’s need for ventilators.
On Friday, his administration signaled that state and local officials may, similarly, need to CONTINUE READING: Coronavirus and schools: Free meals are (and aren’t) getting to kids - Vox


The “CA Meals for Kids” app was originally released in 2018 to help users to find the locations of California’s Summer and Afterschool Meal Programs, which are spread throughout the state. These programs provide no-cost meals to children aged eighteen and under. The app is available for free download through Apple’s App Store External link opens in new window or tab., Google’s Play StoreExternal link opens in new window or tab., and Microsoft’s App StoreExternal link opens in new window or tab. web pages.
More information about the app is available on CDE’s CA Meals for Kids Mobile Application support web page.
More information and resources regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) and California's response is available at the CDE’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) web page.
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With A Brooklyn Accent: How Hip Hop Differed From Rock and Roll In Its Formative Years

With A Brooklyn Accent: How Hip Hop Differed From Rock and Roll In Its Formative Years

How Hip Hop Differed From Rock and Roll In Its Formative Years


 There were significant differences between Hip Hop's emergence as the most popular youth music in the nation, compared to rise of Rock and  Roll, though both began as musical forms in  Black communities. 

First of all, the take off period for hip hop, the time it took from its first commercial dissemination till its conquest of the youth market, was longer than that of Rock and Roll. For Hip Hop, the period was approximately ten years  (1979-1989); for Rock and Roll only three ( 1954-1956).  Both were maligned and resisted, but it took longer for Hip Hop to conquer youth markets, with the major vehicles for doing so being a single Music Show, MTV, along with music radio stations around the nation, rather than variety shows like Steve Allen and Ed Sullivan, and dance shows like American Bandstand, which helped promote Rock and Roll

Secondly, whereas Rock and Roll was a product of a wave of American Prosperity of unprecedented power and length, elevating the incomes of working class Americans, even those from  previously marginalized groups,  to the point where they could produce a teenage market for popular music and creating a wave of optimism that affected almost everyone in the nation, Hip Hop was a product of economic stagnation, urban decay, growing inequality, and the decline of post war optimism and Sixties idealism. The South Bronx of the 70's ("broken glass everywhere, people pissing on the stairs you know they just don't care') would have been- and actually was- unrecognizable to the people who sang doo wop on the corners and in school hallways in Bronx CONTINUE READING: With A Brooklyn Accent: How Hip Hop Differed From Rock and Roll In Its Formative Years
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If You’re Going to Write About Science of Reading, Get Your Reading Right – radical eyes for equity

If You’re Going to Write About Science of Reading, Get Your Reading Right – radical eyes for equity

If You’re Going to Write About Science of Reading, Get Your Reading Right


The release of the joint statement (National Education Policy Center and Education Deans for Justice and Equity) on the “science of reading” version of the current Reading War held, I hoped, great promise for at least slowing a very harmful process. I also briefly crossed my fingers that the statement could ease some of the discord and help key figures in the debate find that there is more common ground than disagreement.
However, social media has provided evidence that neither of these outcomes is likely. The advocates of the “science of reading” doubled down on their condescension and general nastiness (a feature of Twitter), and there is this blog post from Daniel Willingham: If You’re Going to Write About Science of Reading, Get Your Science Right.
I commented several times on the post and even offered a discussion by email. Willingham did respond to my comments and the exchange was civil, but alas, fruitless.
The crux of Willingham’s concerns about the statement seems to be:
I think the statement is pretty confused, as it conflates issues that ought to be considered separately. This statement is meant to be about the science of reading, so much of the confusion arises from a failure to understand or appreciate the nature of science, how basic science applies to applied science, and the scientific literature on reading.
This is a misreading of the policy; I think that misreading is in part prompted by Diane Ravitch’s framing of the statement with “There is no Science of Reading,” which Willingham references in his first paragraph.
To clarify, Ravitch’s framing is misleading, and Willingham has failed to grasp the purpose of the statement, directly identified by NEPC:
All students deserve equitable access to high-quality literacy and reading instruction and opportunities in their schools. This will only be accomplished when policymakers pay heed to an overall body of high-quality research evidence and then make available the resources necessary for schools to provide our children with the needed supports and opportunities to learn. This joint statement from NEPC and the Education Deans for Justice and Equity provides guiding principles for what any federal or state legislation directly or indirectly impacting reading should and should not do.
This statement is a policy statement that raises a long-overdue red flag about CONTINUE READING: If You’re Going to Write About Science of Reading, Get Your Reading Right – radical eyes for equity
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Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control”
In Arkansas, the governor and the legislature does not want the citizens of Little Rock to have democratic control of their public schools. They took over the schools five years ago and were supposed to return it to the people but passed a hoax of a bill.
Max Brantley, veteran journalist in Little Rock, explains how the state intends to clamp down on a new local board and hang on to the reins of power.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three plaintiffs by Matthew Campbell, challenges the state Board’s order that prevents the School Board from filing lawsuits; from negotiating with the teachers union on a contract, and from firing the school superintendent.
The plaintiffs are a parent of a child in the district, Heather Speyer-Rainbolt; Jim Ross, a member of the School Board disbanded by the state five years ago on account of low standardized tests scores in a handful of the district’s almost four dozen schools, and Marshall Sladyen, a teacher at Hall High School.


The lawsuit argues that the state’s ability to control the CONTINUE READING: Little Rock: Parents and Activists Fight Against Sham of “Restoring Local Control” | Diane Ravitch's blog
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NYC Educator: One Giant Step for Stupidity

NYC Educator: One Giant Step for Stupidity

One Giant Step for Stupidity
Yesterday I marked a student present who had not shown up to class all week. How does that happen? Lately it happens when the DOE puts out guidelines without consulting with the union. It turns out that people who sit in offices all day may have little knowledge of what goes on in classrooms. And yes, if school supervisors sit in offices all day that can apply to them as well.

We got a directive the other day that we must take attendance daily whether or not we hold class.I checked to make sure the source was DOE, and of course it was. That's understandable, of course, if you aren't holding virtual classes. If you're communicating via email or chat or something, the student doesn't have to actually show up to a class meeting. If you are holding class meetings, as I am, that's something else altogether. Nonetheless, those of us holding classes should send an email, a yes/no question, or whatever, and if the student responds, we are to mark that student present.

Now in case this isn't sufficiently absurd, consider this--you may not penalize anyone for not showing up to your virtual class. Therefore, the students who bother to show up and participate have no actual advantage over those who do not. In fact they may be at a disadvantage, as perhaps their performance could negatively impact their grade. Of course there may be circumstances under which a student may not participate. For example, your student may not have an internet-enabled device. That applies to exactly none of my students, as far as I know.

I have one student who I know suffers from depression, and has anxiety over everything that's going on. I understand that completely and I would never penalize this student. I'm not actually looking to penalize anyone anyway. Still, the notion of assessing students who are held harmless for doing nothing is tough to get my head around.

Assessments in the traditional sense are also absurd. I cannot force students to show their faces during live sessions. I had limited success yesterday when I offered  CONTINUE READING
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Project Propaganda AKA Project Forever Free | tultican

Project Propaganda AKA Project Forever Free | tultican

Project Propaganda AKA Project Forever Free
By Thomas Ultican 3/28/2020
During final months of 2019, the Education Post was reorganized. In 2014, four billionaires spent $5.5 million to establish a new digital media channel in response to the massive and effective push back against their favored education reforms. Actually, it was more than four billionaires. One of those funders was the Walton Family Foundation made up of multiple billionaires. The channel was called Education Post but its official non-profit name was the Results in Education Foundation (RIEF) whose existence seemed to be purposely obscured. Peter Cunningham was listed on tax forms as President of RIEF, but publicly Cunningham was only known as the founding Executive Director of Education Post.
During the first four years of operation, the top contributor to REIF has been Michael Bloomberg. Available tax records show that between 2014 and 2017 he granted it more than $7 million and when added to the sizeable donations by the Waltons, Eli Broad, Laurene Jobs Powell, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg the total is almost $20 million. Spending since December 31, 2017 is unknown because there is a lag time of almost two years for non-profit taxes to be filed and made public.
Last year, a new organization called Brightbeam was created. It claims to be an umbrella organization for the Education Post and other sites. Brightbeam is the new operating name for RIEF. Two other digital platforms, Citizen Education and Project Forever Free are controlled by Brightbeam and they share some of the same employees. The following LittleSis map shows the new structure of this digital media group dedicated to disrupting public education.
Education Post Reorganized
Billionaire Financed Digital Media Structure Supporting School Privatization
Professor Noliwe Rooks is an accomplished woman of color who is director of American studies at Cornell University and was for ten years the associate director of African American studies at Princeton University. In her recent book, Cutting Schools, she coined the term “segrenomics” – the business of profiting CONTINUE READING: Project Propaganda AKA Project Forever Free | tultican

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With Schools Closed, Kids With Disabilities Are More Vulnerable Than Ever | 89.3 KPCC

With Schools Closed, Kids With Disabilities Are More Vulnerable Than Ever | 89.3 KPCC

With Schools Closed, Kids With Disabilities Are More Vulnerable Than Ever


With school closed, Marla Murasko begins her morning getting her 14-year-old son, Jacob, dressed and ready for the day. They have a daily check-in: How are you doing? How are you feeling? Next, they consult the colorful, hourly schedule she has pinned on the fridge.
Jacob, who has Down syndrome, loves routine. So this daily routine is important. Schools in Hopkinton, Mass., are closed until April 6th, so Jacob's morning academic lesson — which according to the schedule starts at 9 a.m. — has been temporarily moved to the basement.
But there's been one big hiccup to all this: What, exactly, to learn during these at-home sessions? Some of Jacob's teachers have sent packets home — one, for a science class, includes a video and a worksheet on wolves — but teachers haven't included any of the modifications, or "accommodations" he normally gets that are designed to adapt the lessons to his learning style. Normally, Jacob is in a general education classroom, with special help. In some subjects, like reading and math, he works with different teachers and sometimes does different lessons.
"It has been very frustrating for us," says Murasko, "he can't look at a five-page worksheet and learn. He needs it very simplified in order for him to learn it. If there's no accommodations or modifications for him, he really can't attend to that lesson plan unless I modify it for him." So Murasko, who insists she is not and has never been a teacher, has had to get creative. She found some worksheets online that CONTINUE READING: With Schools Closed, Kids With Disabilities Are More Vulnerable Than Ever | 89.3 KPCC
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Where’s the Silver Lining for Education? | My Island View

Where’s the Silver Lining for Education? | My Island View

Where’s the Silver Lining for Education?


With the cloud of the Corona Virus hanging over us and growing by the hour, it is difficult to see any silver lining. Health and safety are our greatest concerns. The stakes are high and the consequences may be fatal to too many. Anything I discuss here should not in any way diminish the seriousness of our condition. The consequences of our nationwide quarantine however, may be having a profound positive effect on our education system. From an education perspective, there may be a silver lining to one of the darkest clouds to ever cover this country.
In the past, many discussions by several education leaders have sometimes suggested the idea of education reform needing to blow up the current education system in order to affect any real change. In March of 2020 in response to a life-threatening pandemic, our education system, as we have known it for centuries, was blown up. Schools across the nation closed their doors, but required their teachers to try to carry on educating their students using online technology. Overnight, discussions, which were in many cases theoretical about online teaching and learning, became a reality. It was a “ready or not, here we come” event.
Educators, who were trained and programmed to teach face-to-face with students in classrooms with a support staff within a larger school building, found CONTINUE READING: Where’s the Silver Lining for Education? | My Island View
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