NYC Public School Parents: News update: PEP meeting postponed after reports of hugely wasteful spending of $700 million on busing we're not using

NYC Public School Parents: News update: PEP meeting postponed after reports of hugely wasteful spending of $700 million on busing we're not using

News update: PEP meeting postponed after reports of hugely wasteful spending of $700 million on busing we're not using

Update on Sue Edelman's reporting last night of how the DOE is proposing to extend busing contracts through the end of June, at a potential cost of $700 million, despite the fact that our schools are closed and there is no busing happening or needed.  

We have now heard from several reliable sources that Wednesday's meeting of the Panel for Educational Policy when these contracts were to be voted upon has now been postponed until April 29, presumably to allow DOE to reconsider the need for these contracts and hold additional discussions with Panel members, though we have not heard a peep about this officially or from the DOE itself. Update: DOE has now posted the postponement here, which you see when you click on April 22, 2020 meeting.

See also my blog post about this and other wasteful spending being proposed by DOE, which is especially mind-boggling given the fiscal crisis we are facing.  My blog also includes a letter to the Chancellor from the NYC Comptroller, pointing out that some of these busing contracts contain a Force Majeure clause, which means that either party can cancel them when faced with extraordinary circumstances, including epidemics.

When I first looked at these contracts last Tuesday, I was simply astonished.  Even though I am used to DOE's profligate ways, I haven’t been this flabbergasted since on a Sunday night, six years ago, when I was leafing through a list of proposed contracts to be voted on the following week.  

That Sunday night, February 22, 2014, I  noticed that the DOE was proposing to award $1.1 billion in one year for computer wiring and internet devices, extendable to two billion dollars over two years, to a company called Custom Computer Specialists, a contractor that had been named in a notorious DOE kickback scheme a  CONTINUE READING: NYC Public School Parents: News update: PEP meeting postponed after reports of hugely wasteful spending of $700 million on busing we're not using

NANCY BAILEY: Public School “Reimagine” and “Revolution” Hypocrisy: Put Them Out to Pasture!

Public School “Reimagine” and “Revolution” Hypocrisy: Put Them Out to Pasture!

Public School “Reimagine” and “Revolution” Hypocrisy: Put Them Out to Pasture!

Teachers and parents on the frontlines of this pandemic should be given control of how their schools are reimagined in the future. When this crisis ends, they should be given the voice on how to bring back democratic public schools and make them their own. Any revolution surrounding schools is theirs.

Those who foisted unproven and draconian school reform on America’s public schools in the past, now attack those reforms like they’re the fault of teachers and school systems. If public schools are broken it’s largely due to what these so-called reformers did to schools. They’re criticizing the mess they created!

Who…

• insisted on high-stakes standardized tests?
• pushed a no-play, no-recess curriculum on our youngest learners?
• denied children with disabilities the services they need?
• wrote and insisted on Common Core State Standards?
• insisted on one-size-fits-all goals and instruction?
• drove parents to distrust teachers?
• ignored the mental health needs of children in our schools? CONTINUE READING: Public School “Reimagine” and “Revolution” Hypocrisy: Put Them Out to Pasture! 

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... 

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

It’s Patriots’ Day – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources About The American Revolution

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h

272447 / Pixabay It’s Patriots’ Day : Patriots’ Day is an annual event, formalized as several state holidays , commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord , and the Battle of Menotomy , the first battles of the American Revolutionary War . I don’t actually have a specific Revolutionary War “Best” list. However, I have several posts about it filled with resources I use in my ELL US History

“All Classroom Q&A Posts on the Coronavirus Crisis”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h

All Classroom Q&A Posts on the Coronavirus Crisis is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. You can find links here to all Classroom Q&A posts related to supporting teachers, students, and parents during the school closure crisis. I’m adding it to THE “BEST OF THE BEST” RESOURCES TO SUPPORT TEACHERS DEALING WITH SCHOOL CLOSURES .

YESTERDAY

Video: Here’s An Example Of My Daily Online Lesson For ELL Newcomers

37by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h

GraphicMama-team / Pixabay Regular readers know that I’ve been teaching a daily half-hour live class to my ELL Newcomer class (see Here’s What I’m Trying Out In My Daily Thirty-Minute Live Online Newcomers Class ). I also record the main parts of the lesson separately and post it on Google Classroom. Students who miss the lesson can watch it there, and they can also re-watch it to help them with

“Visualization of ‘7 Tips for Parents Supporting Remote Learning'”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h

Visualization of ‘7 Tips for Parents Supporting Remote Learning’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Teacher Wendi Pillars shares a visual illustration of the points made in my video, “7 Tips for Parents Supporting Remote Learning.’

A Guide To The Best Teaching & Learning Resources On This Blog

28by Larry Ferlazzo / 18h

Jon Tyson Readership of this blog has more than doubled over the past few weeks, as has readership of my Ed Week Teacher column. I’ve been posting here for over thirteen years, and the resources can sometimes appear overwhelming. Newer readers might find this post useful: The “All-Time” Best Teaching & Learning Resources Available On This Blog

Study Finds Writing In Content Enhances Learning, As Long As It Is A Specific Kind of “Writing-to-Learn”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 23h

The Effects of Writing on Learning in Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis is a new study by Steve Graham, , Sharlene A. Kiuhara, and Meade MacKay. The quote in the text box at the top of this post summarizes their findings, but what I think is most important is the kind of writing they included in their meta-analysis. It’s what they called “writing-to-learn” activities. Keep

Pins Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 23h

I’m fairly active on Pinterest and, in fact, have curated 21,000 resources there that I haven’t shared on this blog. I thought readers might find it useful if I began sharing a handful of my most recent “pins” each week (I’m not sure if you can see them through an RSS Reader – you might have to click through to the original post). You might also be interested in MY MOST POPULAR PINS OF 2019 Here

APR 18

Most Popular Posts Of The Week

21by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. Often, these are different posts. You might also be interested in IT’S THE THIRTE

This Week’s Resources To Support Teachers Coping With School Closures

40by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Wokandapix / Pixabay I have a number of regular weekly features (see HERE IS A LIST (WITH LINKS) OF ALL MY REGULAR WEEKLY FEATURES ). It’s time for a new addition to that list, and this post introduces a weekly compilation of new and good resources to support those of us dealing with school closures. Some will be added to The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coron

Video: Dylan Wiliam On “What formative assessment is and isn’t”

40by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

It might just be me, but I prefer my videos to be ten minutes or less. This new Dylan Wiliam video lasts sixteen minutes, but it’s well-worth watching. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Formative Assessment .

Harriet Voices The Feelings Of All Of Us Teachers These Days

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

Check out this cute video:

Video: “Earth Day 1970 – 2020: 50th Anniversary”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

purwakawebid / Pixabay I’m adding this new video from the American Museum of Natural History to The Best Earth Day Sites :

Join Me On April 30th For A Webinar On “Distance Learning & ELLs: What Have We Learned So Far?”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

DarkWorkX / Pixabay I do lots of professional development sessions for our school, but I don’t often do webinars or professional development elsewhere because of all my teaching and writing commitments (and my usual 

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007