Big Education Ape

Saturday, July 25, 2020

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 7/25/20 #REDFORED #tbats #EducationVotes #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLS #edJustice #DEMOCRACY #BIDEN2020 #JohnLewis

Big Education Ape

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 7/25/20

‘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
NANCY BAILEY: Poor Air Quality in Schools: During Covid-19 and Before!
John Thompson: Save My Former Student’s Life
CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Vacation Edition (7/19)
NYC Educator: The Safest and Best Education for our Students
TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 7/18/20 #REDFORED #tbats #EducationVotes #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLS #edJustice #DEMOCRACY #BIDEN2020 #JohnLewis
Parents In No Rush To Reopen Schools With Coronavirus Cases Surging : Coronavirus Live Updates : NPR
Educators Prepare for Reopening with Living Wills and Life Insurance
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-24-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #soschat #p2 #1u

TOP POSTS THIS MONTH 7/25/20

POSTS THIS WEEK 7/25/20

Confused by changing CDC guidance on school reopening? Here’s help. - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Confused by CDC’s changing guidance on school reopening? Here are recommendations from experts not pressured by the White House The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued new guidance on how schools can reopen safely for the 2020-21 school year — and, as it turns out, some of it was edited in the White House. That could help explain why there is little discussion about

The New CDC School Reopening Guidelines Should Be Ignored - Teacher Habits

by Mike Simpson / 1h

The New CDC School Reopening Guidelines Should Be Ignored The CDC finally released new guidance to aid school administrators in their Herculean (and in some cases, Sisyphean) task to reopen schools to in-person learning this fall. Unfortunately, the guidelines suffer from a number of faults, starting with the credibility of the agency itself. The CDC makes its position clear, releasing a documen

Marion Brady: When Face-to-Face Learning Is Impossible | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Marion Brady: When Face-to-Face Learning Is Impossible Marion Brady is a veteran educator who has been trying to reform the school curriculum for many years. He persists. He writes: When face-to-face schooling isn’t possible There’s no getting around it. Firsthand experience is the best teacher. If what’s attempting to be taught is worth knowing, it’s going to be complicated. And if it’s complic

Never open Excel again

by Flatfile

YESTERDAY

Examining Higher Education Approaches to Advancing Teacher Diversity | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 21h

EXAMINING HIGHER EDUCATION APPROACHES TO ADVANCING TEACHER DIVERSITY I’m looking forward to the conversation today entitled “Examining Higher Education Approaches to Advancing Teacher Diversity” on zoom sponsored by Education Deans for Justice . Education Deans for Justice and Equity ( EDJE ) is a nationwide alliance of education deans that advances equity and justice in education. The panelists

A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 21h

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 You Won’t Want To Miss This NY Times Podcast On School Segregation: “Nice White Parents” 23 by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h mohamed_hassan / Pixabay The New York Times just announced that they are unveiling a new podcast next week called “Nice White Parents.” : “Nice White Parents” is a new podcast from Seria

Resources Identified to Support Distance Learning + Virtual Classroom Lesson on Asian American Studies - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

by Mike Simpson / 21h

Resources Identified to Support Distance Learning - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education) State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and Digital Divide Task Force Identify Resources, Partnerships Available to Support Successful Distance Learning in the Fall SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and leaders serving on the Closing the Digital Divide Task Force identified new resour

NYC Educator: How Many People Have to Die Here?

by Mike Simpson / 1d

How Many People Have to Die Here? In Israel, the reopened the school buildings. A 64-year-old teacher died of Coronavirus after having reported that parents failed to quarantine students with the virus. Could that happen in a country where a President generally pretends the virus doesn't exist? Could someone be unfamiliar with the symptoms and assume it's something else? Could someone decide to

Teacher Tom: Who's With Us?

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Who's With Us? These past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Today is the final day of the free part of The Play First Summit , a project that my friend Sally Haughey from Fairy Dust Teaching proposed to my wife Jennifer and me a mere three months ago. Three months. That's hardly enough time to plan a decent dinner party, let alone an international gathering of early childhood educators and parent

New CDC guidelines come down hard in favor of opening schools | CDC

by Mike Simpson / 1d

The Importance of Reopening America’s Schools this Fall | CDC The Importance of Reopening America’s Schools this Fall As families and policymakers make decisions about their children returning to school, it is important to consider the full spectrum of benefits and risks of both in-person and virtual learning options. Parents are understandably concerned about the safety of their children at scho

glen brown: Perhaps a Paradigm for the Entire Country: Washington Education Association demands safety first in any plans to return to school this fall

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Perhaps a Paradigm for the Entire Country: Washington Education Association demands safety first in any plans to return to school this fall As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to grow across Washington [and elsewhere], we are sadly faced with a choice between two bad options – either return to schools and put our educators, students, and community at risk or return to a distance learni

Our Children Need Us to Bring the Pandemic Under Control: Only Then Can Public Schools Fully Reopen | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Our Children Need Us to Bring the Pandemic Under Control: Only Then Can Public Schools Fully Reopen This blog will take a one week break. Look for a new post on Monday, August 3 . Widespread disarray as schools struggle to figure out how to reopen is a catastrophe we have permitted to occur this summer as we all watched. Most of us failed to pay enough attention. On some level, I have begun to w

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: DCPS gives "SOME" i.e poor families an impossible choice while telling OTHER i.e. well off families to opt for safety.

by Mike Simpson / 1d

DCPS gives "SOME" i.e poor families an impossible choice while telling OTHER i.e. well off families to opt for safety. DCPS gives "SOME" i.e poor families an impossible choice while telling OTHER i.e. well off families to opt for safety, they exacerbate the inequalities between groups and further harm the families they think they are helping. In short with fronds like superintendent Greene and t

Will the Tech Industry’s Obsession for Disruption End my Blogging | Crazy Normal - the Classroom Exposé

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Will the Tech Industry’s Obsession for Disruption End my Blogging Last Saturday, July 18, 2020, my blogging was disrupted by WordPress, and my temper, calm for months, exploded. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I had lunch with friends every week and joined others in group meetups. Thanks to the virus, I have lived alone since March 13. No one has visited me, and I have visited no one. Zoom, e-mail

Review of Governor's updated COVID-19 guidance for schools Webinar (CA Dept of Education)

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Review of Updated School Guidance Webinar July 20 - Health Services & School Nursing (CA Dept of Education) Review of Governor's updated COVID-19 guidance for schools Webinar Recorded webinar on the Review of Updated School Guidance from the California Department of Education on July 20, 2020. During this webinar, officials from CDE and the California Department of Public Health will provide loca

Providence Journal Blasts Governor Raimondo for Acting Like Trump | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Providence Journal Blasts Governor Raimondo for Acting Like Trump The Providence Journal published a scathing editorial about Governor Gina Raimondo’s dereliction of duty in demanding the full opening of schools next month while failing to provide sensible plans to do so. It is titled “Rhode Island’s Education System Goes from Mediocre to Just Plain Chaotic.” Raimondo is a former venture capital

2020 Medley #15 | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 1d

HOW TO MOTIVATE A READER? MAKE THEM FEEL GOOD The First Question to Ask of a Vulnerable Reader In this recent blog post, Russ Walsh provides us with seven thing s teachers can do to foster a desire to learn to read in their students. Unfortunately, if students come to school without the desire to learn to read, it just makes it that much harder for teachers to convert them into avid readers. The

JUL 23

Parents In No Rush To Reopen Schools With Coronavirus Cases Surging : Coronavirus Live Updates : NPR

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Polls: Parents Are Hurting Without Child Care But In No Rush To Reopen Schools For American families with children, the pandemic has meant lost income, increased child care responsibilities, worry and stress. But a majority are not eager for schools to reopen this fall, given the health risk. That's according to two new national polls of parents by the Kaiser Family Foundation and ParentsTogethe

Rachel Cohen: Pandemic Creates Opening for Public Funding of Home Schooling | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Rachel Cohen: Pandemic Creates Opening for Public Funding of Home Schooling Rachel Cohen writes that the pandemic is encouraging many parents to consider home schooling and to pressure Congress to pay them to do it. I disagree. Before the pandemic, about 2 million children were home schooled, mostly by parents who were either evangelical Christians or who worried about the diverse culture of the

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

by Mike Simpson / 1d

A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Slideshow: Sketchnotes From Books About Teaching ELLs by Larry Ferlazzo / 19min Katie Toppel is the founder and coordinator of a fabulous online book study group for teachers of English Language Learners. She makes “sketchnotes” about the different books, and she agreed to let me share a

Special Education Lawsuits Are Growing During The COVID-19 Pandemic : NPR

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Families Of Children With Special Needs Are Suing In Several States. Here's Why. Vanessa Ince's daughter, Alexis, has a rare chromosomal abnormality and autism. Alexis has thrived at her public school in Wailuku, Hawaii, and loves spending time with her classmates. Ince says when the COVID-19 pandemic closed her school in Wailuku, the effect on her daughter's well-being was "devastating." "Alexi

Making the Grade – Have You Heard

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Making the Grade When the pandemic shuttered schools, it also put grades on hold, and exposed an underlying problem frequently ignored before the crisis: A-F grades serve several different and conflicting purposes. In the latest episode of Have You Heard, historian of education and friend of the show Ethan Hutt joins us to discuss the origins of our high-stakes grading system and what we might d

Teachers May Use Federal Disability, Medical-Leave Laws to Fight Return to Classroom | CT News Junkie

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Teachers May Use Federal Disability, Medical-Leave Laws to Fight Return to Classroom Teachers who fear returning to the classroom due to COVID-19 might consider using federal disability and medical-leave laws to force schools to allow them to teach remotely from home, according to a legal memo prepared for the national American Federation of Teachers (AFT) union. But the memo and the union cauti

glen brown: Some Students Should Go to School, Most Should Stay Home by Shayla R. Griffin, PhD, MSW

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Some Students Should Go to School, Most Should Stay Home by Shayla R. Griffin, PhD, MSW THE PROBLEM Currently, the U.S. education debate is stuck in an either/or trap — either we open schools for face-to-face instruction, or we pursue only online teaching and learning. People from both camps say their thinking is informed by a commitment to equity and social justice. Those who think schools must

Cartoons on Re-Opening during Pandemic | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Cartoons on Re-Opening during Pandemic As barber shops and tattoo parlors open, as customers return to bars and restaurants, as parents are called back to work, louder and louder calls for children to return to school mount. I have collected cartoons that poke at the re-opening of “normal” life including schools. Enjoy! MORE CARTOONS: Cartoons on Re-Opening during Pandemic | Larry Cuban on Schoo

1st NYC school planning all-remote for September – more will follow | JD2718

by Mike Simpson / 2d

1st NYC school planning all-remote for September – more will follow Gotta start somewhere. NEST+ is planning to go all-remote . Carranza will say no. But that’s only the first. New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School is a highly regarded Manhattan K-12 school. They’re going to get attention. They’re reasoning will be good. They will better serve their community, while keep

NYC Public School Parents: "Talk out of School" podcast on Outdoor Learning with Liat Olenick and John Allgood

by Mike Simpson / 2d

"Talk out of School" podcast on Outdoor Learning with Liat Olenick and John Allgood In my latest podcast, I spoke to Liat Olenick and John Allgood, both NYC teachers who have led students in outdoor learning, who explained how this would be a great option for schools to adopt next year, both for health and safety reasons and for its educational benefits. They also discussed issues related to sch

NAACP Sues Betsy DeVos Over Federal Aid Money For Private Schools | 89.3 KPCC

by Mike Simpson / 2d

NAACP Sues Betsy DeVos Over Federal Aid Money For Private Schools The NAACP has become the latest organization to sue the Education Department over the distribution of more than $13 billion in federal aid intended for K-12 schools. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued a rule that says if states want to use the funds to provide services for all students, such as tutoring or extra school buses t

NYC Educator: Today in Flip Flops--de Blasio Comes to His Senses, Maybe

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Today in Flip Flops--de Blasio Comes to His Senses, Maybe It's hard to say which mayor we want to see. This notwithstanding, I'm going to opt for this week's mayor . A few weeks ago, Bill de Blasio was telling the entire world that New York City schools would be open for business in September. That was a remarkable thing to hear. After all, NYC hasn't even opened indoor restaurants yet. Broadway

It Will Take a Village to Open Schools Safely | The Merrow Report

by Mike Simpson / 2d

It Will Take a Village to Open Schools Safely | The Merrow Report It Will Take a Village to Open Schools Safely When public schools closed in March because of the pandemic, a different U.S. President would have said to the education community, “Children, their parents, teachers, and the economy will need schools to open in the fall, so please tell me how the Federal Government can help.” Unfortun

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY

by Mike Simpson / 2d

NewBlackMan (in Exile) Phi Beta Sigma International President Hon. Bro. Micheal E. Cristal on the Passing of Congresman and Hon. Bro. John R. Lewis by Mark Anthony Neal / 1h 'Bro. Rod Carter, 2nd VP of Sigma Xi Sigma and news anchor for WFLA News Channel 8, talked with International President, Hon. Bro. Micheal E. Cristal , on the passing of Congressman, Hon. Bro. John R. Lewis .' Yolonda Wilson

IN FOR A DIME, IN FOR A DOLLAR…or 5 MILLION OF THEM – Dad Gone Wild

by Mike Simpson / 2d

IN FOR A DIME, IN FOR A DOLLAR…or 5 MILLION OF THEM “He read a lot. He used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he did too much thinking. Sometimes he tried too hard to make sense of the world, to figure out why people were bad to each other so often. A couple of times I tried to tell him it was a mistake to get too deep into that kind of stuff, but Alex

What is the HEROES Bill? How would it impact schools? Why hasn’t the bill passed in the Senate? [A Civics Lesson] | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 2d

What is the HEROES Bill? How would it impact schools? Why hasn’t the bill passed in the Senate? [A Civics Lesson] | Ed In The Apple What is the HEROES Bill? How would it impact schools? Why hasn’t the bill passed in the Senate? [A Civics Lesson] In May the Democratic-majority in the House of Representatives passed the HEROES bill, a $3 trillion (yes, a 3 with twelve zeros), a bill that included f

JUL 22

Five (Conservative) Ideas about Going Back to School in the Fall | Teacher in a strange land

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Five (Conservative) Ideas about Going Back to School in the Fall Could you give us some of your wisdom? Hard to turn down a request like that, from a friend. This particular friend created a freebie news magazine for parents 20 years ago, filled with local ads and feature stories. It’s professionally assembled and well-known locally—and has just shifted to a glossy online platform. And now, my f

Ten things parents should do to help schools safely reopen - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Ten things parents could and should do to help schools safely reopen There are a mountain of stories every day about what schools and districts have to do to reopen schools in a manner deemed safe for the 2020-21 year. Schools and districts are, for example, spending enormous amounts of money to buy masks to give students and teachers, thermometers to take temperatures of kids before they walk o

Dave Grohl: Teachers Deserve a Better Plan - The Atlantic

by Mike Simpson / 2d

In Defense of Our Teachers When it comes to the daunting question of reopening schools, America’s educators deserve a plan, not a trap I hate to break it to you, but I was a terrible student. Each day, I desperately waited for the final bell to ring so that I could be released from the confines of my stuffy, windowless classroom and run home to my guitar. It was no fault of the Fairfax County Pu

John Thompson: Save My Former Student’s Life

by Mike Simpson / 2d

| Diane Ravitch's blog John Thompson: Save My Former Student’s Life John Thompson, historian and retired teacher in Oklahoma, makes an urgent appeal to save the life of his former student Julius Jones. He writes: I just watched the rebroadcast of ABC’s “20 20” documentary, “The Last Defense,” about my former student, Julius Jones, who is on Death Row even though he’s probably innocent. It was an

School staff must be ensured safety in school reopening plans

by Mike Simpson / 2d

School reopening plans must ensure safety of custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and substitutes We need millions more from the federal government to protect the most vulnerable school staff if we’re going to keep everyone safe in schools “Students want and need to come back to school,” Kimberly Martin, a principal of Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C. told me last week. Marti

Educators Prepare for Reopening with Living Wills and Life Insurance

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Educators Prepare for Reopening with Living Wills and Life Insurance As school districts and college campuses get ready for the school year, and as COVID-19 cases rise across the U.S ., anxious educators have a message for administratorhttp://neatoday.org/wp-admin/upload.phps and lawmakers: We want to teach our students, but we don’t want to die doing it. “I want to be in my class, teaching them

Public Schools Can’t Open Safely Unless Congress Provides Fiscal Relief | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Public Schools Can’t Open Safely Unless Congress Provides Fiscal Relief Back in session this week following a two-week, July 4th recess, Congress must now pass emergency fiscal relief for states and local school districts to make it safe for students and their teachers to return to school this fall. To rescue school districts whose funding has already begun to erode as the recession has undermin

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Greene's apathy towards teachers is disturbing (draft)

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Greene's apathy towards teachers is disturbing (draft) I would like you to listen to the 1:06-1:10 mark of the meeting. There Superintendent Greene answers the question, if there was no executive order what would she do, start with distance learning, go with a hybrid, or something else. https://www.facebook.com/watchparty/593166871393231/?entry_source=USER_TIMELINE She says she would still push

Discussing Safety while Looking at Educational Justice and Equality | JD2718

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Discussing Safety while Looking at Educational Justice and Equality My primary focus for the last few days, weeks, months, has been safety. And Black Lives Matter. And the pandemic. But for the last few days, as the NYC Department of Education has issued directives that they have mislabeled “plans,” it has been just safety. A friend asked me to reframe the conversation in a way to bring the need

THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Wednesday’s Three “Must-Read” Articles On School Reopening Plans by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h Here are today’s new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FAL

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all John Thompson: Save My Former Student’s Life by dianeravitch / 47min John Thompson, historian and retired teacher in Oklahoma, makes an urgent appeal to save the life of his former student Julius Jones. He writes: I just watched the rebroadcast of A

No State Has Met CDC Guidelines for Steadily-Decreasing COVID Cases, So Let’s Open Schools. | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 3d

No State Has Met CDC Guidelines for Steadily-Decreasing COVID Cases, So Let’s Open Schools Opening school buildings at this point nationwide represents different levels of crazy across the country. Coronavirus is on the rise across the nation, and it is certainly more than “just the flu.” The virus is a crap shoot for those who contract it. Maybe they will show no symptoms . Maybe they will be m

Finally Integrating Public Education Is All The Reparations We Need - Perdaily.com

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Finally Integrating Public Education Is All The Reparations We Need Finally integrating and raising the academic level of all our schools- public and private- is all the reparations we as a people would need for this country to finally reach its potential for ALL our people. As superb writer and intellect James Baldwin and many others have known for generations, an "educated people, of any color

Contact your legislators now – schools desperately need funding to reopen safely next fall! | Class Size Matters

by Mike Simpson / 3d

| A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes Contact your legislators now – schools desperately need funding to reopen safely next fall! Last week, Governor Cuomo , the State Department of Health , and the NY State Education Department all came out with detailed guidance on what measures schools should take to reopen in the fall to ensure health and sa

JUL 21

Outflanking CTA From The Left: How Anti-Racist Demands Are Captured By Privateers – Los Angeles Education Examiner

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Outflanking CTA From The Left: How Anti-Racist Demands Are Captured By Privateers The death of George Floyd in custody of the Minneapolis City Police has roiled our nation. There can be no tolerance of murder, which is all the more abominable at the hands of authority. As citizens everywhere rise – and continue to rise – to protest injustice, and we collectively contemplate systemic and institut

‘It's insane’: Millions of kids could lose access to free meals if this program expires - POLITICO

by Mike Simpson / 3d

‘It's insane’: Millions of kids could lose access to free meals if this program expires Families haven’t had to prove their income in recent months, but the Trump administration hasn’t extended that flexibility The Trump administration is resisting calls to make it easy for tens of millions of students to get free meals at school this year, even as childhood hunger rates have risen to the highes

Larry Ferlazzo: Teacher: 8 school concerns robbing me of sleep - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Teacher: 8 school concerns robbing me of sleep - The Washington Post Teacher: Eight concerns about school this fall that are robbing me of sleep The beginning of the 2020-2021 school year is just weeks away for millions of students — and some districts have yet to provide clarity on what is going to happen then. With covid-19 cases rising — sometimes exponentially — in numerous states, a growing

Where Lynching Terrorized Black Americans, Corporal Punishment In Schools Lives On | HuffPost

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Where Lynching Terrorized Black Americans, Corporal Punishment In Schools Lives On These counties had high rates of lynchings. Now their schools are more likely to paddle Black children, a new study reveals. DURANT, MISSISSIPPI ― Justice Grisby, like every other student in Holmes County School District, knew about the paddle. Long, smooth and wooden, it was kept locked away in the principal’s of

Public Education Partners: Ohio Is Not Ready for a Safe Reopening | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Public Education Partners: Ohio Is Not Ready for a Safe Reopening Public Education Partners is the leading volunteer advocacy group for public schools in Ohio. They issued this statement last night. We are public education experts. Public Education Partners (PEP) is a statewide, grassroots public education advocacy group whose mission is to preserve, protect, and strengthen Ohio’s public schools

Audio: When Can Kids Go Back To School? Leaders Say 'As Soon As It's Safe' | 89.3 KPCC

by Mike Simpson / 4d

When Can Kids Go Back To School? Leaders Say 'As Soon As It's Safe' Ann Levett's worst day as superintendent of Savannah-Chatham County Public School System wasn't March 26, the day Georgia's governor first closed schools, keeping Levett's more than 37,000 students home in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Her worst day came just a couple of weeks ago, Levett says, when she realized the infe

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Duval virtual numbers are low. Could that be by design?

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Duval virtual numbers are low. Could that be by design? The Jacksonville press is reporting only 7 percent of students have signed up for some sort of virtual learning. Tampa's media is reporting half their children are and nationally seventy percent of parents think sending children to school is risky, so is Jacksonville and outlier, or is something else going on? From News4Jax, With three week

Reopening Schools Issues and Evidence | tultican

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Reopening Schools Issues and Evidence By Thomas Ultican 7/21/2020 The President of the United States and his Secretary of Education have demanded schools open with in-person classes five days a week. Many parents are not confident their children will be safe and significant numbers of teachers are profoundly frightened . How does the rhetoric square with credible scientific evidence concerning t

NYC Safety Plan for Schools – Needed, Doesn’t Exist | JD2718

by Mike Simpson / 4d

NYC Safety Plan for Schools – Needed, Doesn’t Exist Each school is working, planning. Shouldn’t each school come up with a safety plan? Isn’t each school unique? Schools do need to apply safety guidelines to their individual situations. But those guidelines need to come from the New York City Department of Education – a citywide safety plan. And, as of today, no dice. There is a New York State d

THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Guest Post: How Teachers & Students Can Use Google Classroom’s Calendar Most Effectively – Part Two 31 by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h JCamargo / Pixabay Editor’s Note: Yesterday, Kara Synhorst

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all New York: Billionaires Get Richer During Pandemic by dianeravitch / 51min A group called Americans for Tax Fairness has tracked the remarkable increase in the wealth of billionaires during the rise of the pandemic. Shouldn’t billionaires pay higher

NYC Public School Parents: Please urge your legislators now to support our schools so they can reopen safely next year!

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Please urge your legislators now to support our schools so they can reopen safely next year! Last week, Governor Cuomo , the State Department of Health , and the NY State Education Department all came out with detailed guidance on what measures schools should take to reopen in the fall to ensure health and safety as well as provide instructional and emotional support to their students. If the CO

NYC Educator: Those Zany Madcap NY State Guidelines--Up Against the Wall, Teacher

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Those Zany Madcap NY State Guidelines--Up Against the Wall, Teacher They say you should watch your back. Well, you can't really watch your back without mirrors, and you won't have any of them anyway. But your students will be watching your back very carefully. On page 29 of this document it states the following: Turn desks (including teachers) to face in the same direction rather than facing eac

WHEN DOES CRISIS BECOME EVOLUTION – Dad Gone Wild

by Mike Simpson / 4d

WHEN DOES CRISIS BECOME EVOLUTION “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg “I will baptise her,” he said. “You have walked a long way for something you believe in. In our day that is rare. People seldom walk long distances for their faith. That’s why the world looks the way it does.” ― Henning Mankell, Sidetracked For

JUL 20

Russ on Reading: The First Question to Ask of a Vulnerable Reader

by Mike Simpson / 5d

The First Question to Ask of a Vulnerable Reader When I was six years old, I was given my very first "big boy" two wheel bicycle for Christamas. I loved it. I can still see it all shiny and red and huge by the Christmas tree. As soon as my Dad would let me, I took it out the side door into the driveway, leapt aboard (it was too big for my six-year-old legs) aimed it down the steep drive, and rod

NANCY BAILEY: Poor Air Quality in Schools: During Covid-19 and Before!

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Poor Air Quality in Schools: During Covid-19 and Before! Poor Air Quality in Schools: During Covid-19 and Before! For years this country has ignored school infrastructure due to attempts to privatize public education. This includes indoor air quality (IAQ). It has been a part of the overall disinvestment in America’s public schools. We’re told by the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),

No-Excuses Charter Chain Fires Principal for Caring About Children and Teachers | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d

No-Excuses Charter Chain Fires Principal for Caring About Children and Teachers Emily Hoefling was principal of Leadership Prep Canarsie in Brooklyn, which is part of the Uncommon Schools charter chain. She was fired because she dared to express views that ran counter to the authoritarian culture of the chain. Yes, she writes, it is an authoritarian regime, and it always was. When she led a prof

Waiting For a Teaching Assignment This Year is Like Anticipating a Death Sentence | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Waiting For a Teaching Assignment This Year is Like Anticipating a Death Sentence Going to the mailbox each time, my heart flutters. I open the lid and see a stack of letters. My heart sinks. Is today the day? Has my teaching assignment finally arrived? It’s not that I’m so anxious to find out what grade I’ll be teaching this year or whether I have lunch duty or have to monitor in-school suspens

Introduction To My Next Book (Part 4) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Introduction To My Next Book (Part 4) This is the final part of my draft Introduction to “Confessions of a School Reformer.” The research literature on children’s academic performance has shown time and again that anywhere from over half to two-thirds of minority and white students’ test scores—lower, middle, and upper class–can be attributed to family’s socioeconomic background. Yet many educat

Mitchell Robinson: Betsy DeVos Isn't Serious About Reopening Schools: Here's How We Know | Eclectablog

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Betsy DeVos Isn't Serious About Reopening Schools: Here's How We Know | Eclectablog Betsy DeVos Isn’t Serious About Reopening Schools: Here’s How We Know You know how I know that the corporate education reformers, and their leader, Betsy DeVos, were never serious about actually improving public education? Because now, in the midst of a global pandemic, and a complete lack of national education po

John Thompson: Why it keeps getting harder to reopen schools safely

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Why it keeps getting harder to reopen schools safely Why it keeps getting harder to reopen schools safely he Oklahoma City Public Schools ’ “ Roadmap to Readiness ” is a good blueprint for reopening schools. It is consistent with the leaked 69-page Center for Disease Control analysis that the Trump administration refused to release, which also described school reopenings as the “highest risk” for

We need time & faith & funds to reopen schools safely - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

by Mike Simpson / 5d

We need time & faith & funds to reopen schools safely As a rule, whenever you see something Trump is doing, do the opposite, That may seem like a no-brainer, but right now, with all the conversation going on about whether schools should, or shouldn’t open, I think it bears remembering. Lately, in many of the “pod” conversations sprouting up on social media, I’m noticing that parents and caregive

New Study: Children As Young As 10 Can Spread the Virus | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d

New Study: Children As Young As 10 Can Spread the Virus The New York Times reports on a new study from South Korea that finds that children as young as 10 can spread the coronavirus. Will the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC revise their guidelines based on this new information? A large new study from South Korea offers an answer: Children younger than 10 transmit to others much less o

Trump vs. Biden on reopening schools - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Trump vs. Biden on reopening schools There are, not unexpectedly, big differences between the approaches that President Trump and former vice president Joe Biden are taking about whether and how to reopen schools during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has been repeatedly saying that all schools should open fully — even in areas where coronavirus infection rates are spiking — and that he wants to

Disappointing but Not Surprising: Trump and DeVos Ignore Equity and Abandon Safety In Demands to Reopen Schools | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Disappointing but Not Surprising: Trump and DeVos Ignore Equity and Abandon Safety In Demands to Reopen Schools There is lots of penetrating writing about the collapse of our society’s ideals in these months since mid-March, when we suddenly realized the coronavirus was among us. As the weeks wore on last spring, and children were thrust into online lessons provided by their schools, a vast invi

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Daycare for working families is a city and state problem not a school problem.

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Daycare for working families is a city and state problem not a school problem. Let me say everyone wants to be back in school, and my heart breaks for those working families put in impossible positions, but that being said, teachers and school staff members shouldn't have to risk their lives because the cities and state won't do their #$%@ing jobs. You hear it all the time, schools need to open

JUL 19

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Vacation Edition (7/19)

by Mike Simpson / 5d

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Vacation Edition (7/19) Vacation Edition The Institute staff and board of directors are headed for a corporate retreat in a place where the internet doesn't really reach, so things will be quiet here for a bit. But before I go, here's some reading for you to do. Sorry for all the paywalls today. There have been several recurriing themes in this week's coverage. For instance

Randi Weingarten: COVID-19: Teachers are ready to open classrooms if Congress acts

by Mike Simpson / 5d

COVID-19: Teachers are ready to open classrooms if Congress acts Randi Weingarten: Teachers want to be in a classroom — Congress must make it safe Teachers aren't waiting for a vaccine to reopen schools, but we do need to keep students and educators safe. Where is the support from lawmakers? We can usually count on a president and Education secretary to prioritize children’s and teachers’ well-be

As fear of the virus wins out, a fast retreat from in-person learning - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 5d

As fear of the virus wins out, a fast retreat from in-person learning From the moment schools shuttered unceremoniously in March, one thought dominated: How to return. Officials across the Washington region huddled to make plans for a triumphant resumption of in-person learning. Discussions persisted into the summer: Superintendents held listening sessions to solicit safety suggestions, parents

Mike Klonsky's Blog: There are no good choices when it comes to opening schools in the fall. I'm still hoping for something better.

by Mike Simpson / 6d

There are no good choices when it comes to opening schools in the fall. I'm still hoping for something better TOTAL U.S. CASES 3,630,587 74,710 New Cases* TOTAL DEATHS 138,782 918 New Deaths* TO BE SURE, THERE ARE DECENT PEOPLE, MAINLY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, TRYING TO COME UP WITH HUMANE PLANS FOR THE FALL—PLANS THAT KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE, TEACH THEM, AND DON’T KILL THOUSANDS OF TEACHERS WHILE DOING S

NYC Educator: The Safest and Best Education for our Students

by Mike Simpson / 6d

The Safest and Best Education for our Students If you read my NY Post piece yesterday , you know I'm less than bullish on Mayor de Blasio's opening plan. In that piece, I give some suggestions on how we best approach September. Hong Kong's in its third wave of Covid, closing its Disney Park and movie theaters. Chancellor Carranza and Mayor de Blasio appear determined to set us on our second wave

Betsy DeVos wants to turn millions of America’s children into pandemic lab rats – Raw Story

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Betsy DeVos wants to turn millions of America’s children into pandemic lab rats The trouble with actually listening to Education Sec. Betsy DeVos and other Trump cabinet members is that their words lead nowhere. They are circular arguments: Schools should open despite coronavirus because, well, schools should be open. Clearly DeVos is backing Trump’s demand for schools across the country to be f

Why this teacher and mom is considering quitting - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 6d

This teacher and mother of 3 says she may quit if forced back to school, and so will other educators like her Heather Mace is a teacher mentor in Arizona, where coronavirus infections are rising, a teacher working in summer school died of the disease and educators are calling on Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to start the 2020-2021 school year online. Some districts have already announced they are going to

EdAction in Congress July 19, 2020 - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 6d

EdAction in Congress July 19, 2020 McConnell’s coronavirus bill to be unveiled this week Two months after the House took bold action and passed the HEROES Act, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is finally expected to reveal his vision for the next coronavirus bill. Initial indications are that it will provide insufficient support for education and contain multiple poison pills, inclu

glen brown: A Teacher's Letter: “Our students are not problems” by Kirstin Roberts

by Mike Simpson / 6d

A Teacher's Letter: “Our students are not problems” by Kirstin Roberts “I've been struggling to put into words my thoughts about CPS re-opening plans: Terrifying, Nope, and Heartbroken are definitely up there. Then, reading about the police violence carried out on young people at the demonstrations last evening in Chicago--a 16 year old young Black woman had her teeth knocked by club-wielding co

Joe and Jill Biden Speak Out About Reopening Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Joe and Jill Biden Speak Out About Reopening Schools This is an excellent message from the Bidens about reopening schools safely. They say what most educators and parents say. We want schools open but we want them open safely. Job one: lower the infection rate in the community. Job two: Make sure schools have the resources so that students and adults are safe. Biden pledges to follow through on

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: About those teacher raises

by Mike Simpson / 6d

About those teacher raises When DeSantis declared this the year of the teacher, little did we know that he meant, the year he would use them as a prop and put their lives in danger, but that is sure what happened. Now about that teacher raise. He put 500 million towards them but then took out 480 million by eliminating the best and brightest and school recognition funds. Now I didn't like either

Arthur Goldstein: Why de Blasio’s school reopening plan fails students and teachers alike

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Why NYC's school reopening plan fails students and teachers Why de Blasio’s school reopening plan fails students and teachers alike Many people argue it’s important for the social and emotional well-being of our students to be in school. That’s not even debatable. It’s essential to children and teenagers to interact with both peers and authority figures. They must practice skills to navigate our

Heroes Act Matters for NYC Schools (but too late for September) | JD2718

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Heroes Act Matters for NYC Schools (but too late for September) The Heroes Act would send money to the states, and NY State would send some to localities, including NYC, which could then spend it on essential workers and teachers: …nearly $1 trillion in aid for state and local governments so they can pay “vital workers like first responders, health workers, and teachers” Right now, the Chancello

JUL 18

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 7/18/20 #REDFORED #tbats #EducationVotes #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLS #edJustice #DEMOCRACY #BIDEN2020 #JohnLewis

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 7/18/20 ‘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 TOP POSTS THIS

Big Education Ape

The Hybrid Model of School Reopening is Not Safe Either | gadflyonthewallblog

The Hybrid Model of School Reopening is Not Safe Either

Safety is in the eye of the beholder.

No matter what you do, life involves some risk.

The question is whether certain actions or courses of action involve acceptable risk and exactly what you consider to be acceptable.

These issues are not academic. School directors across the country are juggling such questions in their reopening plans.

With federal and state officials largely leaving the decision up to local elected school boards of how to hold classes in August and September, people used to choosing between bids for text books and whether to renovate the gymnasium are forced to make life and death decisions for hundreds or thousands of students, staff and their families.

There are three main options:

(1) Open schools completely to in-person learning with safety precautions
(2) Keep classes entirely on-line as they were in April and May
(3) Offer some kind of hybrid of the two

Many schools are opting for this hybrid model.

This means reopening to in-person classes part of the time and on-line learning for the rest.

There are many ways to do this.

In my home district of McKeesport, this means having half of the students attend in CONTINUE READING: The Hybrid Model of School Reopening is Not Safe Either | gadflyonthewallblog

Why are the Trump administration and GOP senators playing politics with school reopening? - Education Votes

Why are the Trump administration and GOP senators playing politics with school reopening?

By Amanda Menas

Public schools play a central role in every community. That’s why everyone is eager for schools to reopen for in-person learning–state and local leaders, educators, parents, and students alike–but only if it can be done safely.

Educators across the country are working tirelessly to get ready for the coming year, and for many, the year will begin with virtual instruction. The pandemic has continued to worsen in recent weeks, and many school districts have found that they cannot offer even part-time in person learning because they lack the resources needed to follow CDC guidelines on social distancing, personal protective equipment for students and staff, and cleaning supplies and staff to disinfect at regular intervals.

The country desperately needs national leadership to provide federal financial assistance to states and localities that will be forced to slash billions from public schools due to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. As many as 2 million educator jobs could be lost over the next three years if Congress doesn’t act, an NEA analysis shows.

Instead of providing the leadership and funding that schools and communities need to support the reopening of the entire economy, the Trump administration has repeatedly tried to downplay the severity of the pandemic, and has used the crisis to push its privatization agenda that will siphon much-needed funding from public education to private schools.

The Senate has not acted to pass another major COVID relief package, leaving America’s public schools and all the families who rely on them in limbo as they try to figure out on their own what comes next.

Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stalled legislation that would provide billions of CONTINUE READING: Why are the Trump administration and GOP senators playing politics with school reopening? - Education Votes

A patchwork of reopening plans for schools in the fall

A patchwork of reopening plans for schools in the fall

Local control of schools leads to a patchwork of reopening plans
Experts say flexibility is needed to reopen schools safely this fall, but some argue giving schools a wide berth will cause problems.

On a Thursday evening in mid-July, Superintendent Miskia Davis stuck to a careful script as she presented the Sunflower County Consolidated School District’s reopening plan to an audience of hundreds of parents on Facebook. The district’s school board had approved a hybrid model in which some students will spend the day learning on campus while their peers learn remotely at home, before the groups rotate later in the week.

Davis was in a difficult position. Just next door, the Leland School District was leaning toward keeping schooling fully remote until at least October. Thirty-minutes down the road, the Cleveland School District was planning to bring kids back to school buildings full time. In a stream of comments, parents grilled Davis about how in the world schools could require young children to wear masks with no exceptions. Others worried whether learning in person was safe at all.

“This isn’t going to work! My baby has a weak immune system and I know he’s not going to keep on a mask,” wrote one commenter.

30 (or more) — Number of cases of the coronavirus per 100,000 residents in several Mississippi districts that are planning to reopen for in-person teaching next month

Davis tried to offer reassurance through an extended nautical metaphor. She displayed a picture of boats being tossed at sea and asked families to notice the boats’ different sizes and colors, and the different direction each vessel was headed. The boats represented school districts, she said. The CONTINUE READING: A patchwork of reopening plans for schools in the fall

Confused by changing CDC guidance on school reopening? Here’s help. - The Washington Post

Confused by CDC’s changing guidance on school reopening? Here are recommendations from experts not pressured by the White House

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued new guidance on how schools can reopen safely for the 2020-21 school year — and, as it turns out, some of it was edited in the White House. That could help explain why there is little discussion about the risks of returning to school buildings, which President Trump has been demanding for a few weeks.

The new guidelines for school administrators appears to drop specific reference to keeping students six feet apart, a social distancing measure that had been in previous CDC guidelines, and suggests that schools consider closing only if there is “substantial, uncontrolled transmission” of the virus. “Consider” is the key word there; the new guidance doesn’t say schools should definitely close under those circumstances.

Trump trains his eyes on education as he hunts path to victory

This week, Trump himself stepped back a little bit from his call that all schools should fully open, saying that there should probably be flexibility in places that are “hot spots,” which is what the CDC’s director, Robert Redfield, also said Friday. But neither acknowledged the extent of the spread of the virus in many states.

This Washington Post story reported that Redfield did concede that exceptions should be made for places with significant covid-19 infection rates but he underplayed the number of places that would be included. However, the infection rate that Redfield offered as the definition of a “hot spot” existed in 33 states over the past week.

The Post story says: “The mixed messaging was another indication of how public health officials at the CDC have been squeezed between Trump’s demand for a normal school year and an out-of-control virus.”

If you are confused by the CDC’s changing guidance, here are some recommendations from two infectious-disease specialists who have not been pressured by the White House.

The two are Wendy Armstrong, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University’s School of Medicine, and Tina Tan, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Both are board members of the CONTINUE READING: Confused by changing CDC guidance on school reopening? Here’s help. - The Washington Post

The New CDC School Reopening Guidelines Should Be Ignored - Teacher Habits

The New CDC School Reopening Guidelines Should Be Ignored

The CDC finally released new guidance to aid school administrators in their Herculean (and in some cases, Sisyphean) task to reopen schools to in-person learning this fall. Unfortunately, the guidelines suffer from a number of faults, starting with the credibility of the agency itself.

The CDC makes its position clear, releasing a document titled “The Importance of Reopening America’s Schools This Fall“, which parrots favored talking points of the most vocal reopening advocates. We are reminded that in addition to their original purpose of educating kids, schools also perform such vital functions as developing the social and emotional skills of children, addressing kids’ nutritional needs, and facilitating physical activity among children. The CDC bolsters its argument by citing statistics and studies showing that “COVID-19 poses relatively low risks to school-aged children” and that children “are not the primary drivers of COVID-19 spread in schools or in the community.”

Shoot The Messenger

The problem here is less the message than the messenger. As recently as June, Americans generally trusted the nation’s premier public health agency, with 64% saying it “gets the facts right almost or most of the time regarding COVID-19.” But in the last month, the President has CONTINUE READING: The New CDC School Reopening Guidelines Should Be Ignored - Teacher Habits

Marion Brady: When Face-to-Face Learning Is Impossible | Diane Ravitch's blog

Marion Brady: When Face-to-Face Learning Is Impossible

Marion Brady is a veteran educator who has been trying to reform the school curriculum for many years. He persists.

He writes:

When face-to-face schooling isn’t possible

There’s no getting around it. Firsthand experience is the best teacher. If what’s attempting to be taught is worth knowing, it’s going to be complicated. And if it’s complicated, firsthand experience isn’t just the best teacher, it’s the only teacher.

That’s the main reason most adults remember so little of what they were once “taught.” Information delivered by teacher talk, textbooks and computer screens is dumped on kids’ mental “front porch”—short-term memory—but gets no farther. To be useful, information has to be interesting enough to be picked up, taken inside, and a place in memory found for it that allows logic to access it weeks, months, or years later.

That rarely happens. Most classrooms are purpose-built for delivering information, making it hard to create CONTINUE READING: Marion Brady: When Face-to-Face Learning Is Impossible | Diane Ravitch's blog

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Florida's circular firing squad with schools in the middle.

Florida's circular firing squad with schools in the middle.

The state says schools can close at the guidance of their local health department. However, the local health department says they don't have the authority to advise schools to close. UM, WHAT!!!!

Andrew Atterbury, education reporter for politic tweeted this.

Who can decide when Florida schools should close?

“I do not have the authority as health officer to advise you to close schools or when to re-open,” Claudia Blackburn, Florida Department of Health in Leon County's Health Officer, said today during a task force meeting. pic.twitter.com/RNcv3VMPd4
— Andrew Atterbury (@ALAtterbury) July 23, 2020

Um, what? This may explain why Health Departments throughout the state haven't been very helpful.

From Florida Today, 

When the order for all brick-and-mortar schools to open in August came down from Tallahassee on July 6, the state apparently gave worried school districts an out. Reopenings were "subject to advice and orders" of state health officials and "local departments of health," the document said.It also said: "Absent these directives, the day-to-day decision to open or close a school must always rest locally with the board or executive most closely associated with a school."
The wording led school boards in at least three counties to believe they needed to seek advice on the safety of opening from their local health officials, many of whom served on local reopening task forces and worked closely with district leaders to craft their plans.
At least one county health leader apparently thought so, too. Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, on July 6 told the Palm Beach school district's health advisory committee the situation there was too dangerous to reopen schools. Based on her guidance, the committee — and later, the Palm Beach School Board — agreed to keep campuses closed.
But days later, Alonso refused to put her recommendation in writing, the Palm Beach Post reported.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Orange County School Board on Tuesday vented at local CONTINUE READING: Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Florida's circular firing squad with schools in the middle.

Please Don’t Make Me Risk Getting Covid-19 to Teach Your Child (Rebecca Martinson) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Please Don’t Make Me Risk Getting Covid-19 to Teach Your Child (Rebecca Martinson)

Rebecca Martinson is a teacher at Northwest Career & Technical Academy in Mount Vernon, Wash. This appeared in the New York Times, July 18, 2020.

I write often about the inescapable personal and professional dilemmas that each educator (including myself) confronts as we traverse our daily lives. Martinson expresses very clearly the stark dilemma facing her (and the choice she would make) if her district directs her to return to the classroom for face-to-face instruction during this pandemic.

But the fact is that for Martinson and other teachers there is no right answer on what to do. During these difficult moments when we face such dilemmas about how much risk each of us is willing to take for ourselves and loved ones, no one can say with any confidence that X, Y, or Z is the correct thing to do. Yes, we have learned to protect ourselves to some degree by wearing masks, keeping physical distance, washing hands, etc. but beyond that no one knows for sure whether opening schools for children and their teachers will lead to more infections and some deaths. Sure, experts state probabilities but health risks remain. Individual choices must be made between staying free of the virus and jobs, between losing a year of schooling CONTINUE READING: Please Don’t Make Me Risk Getting Covid-19 to Teach Your Child (Rebecca Martinson) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Who Got the Money? See for Yourself: ProPublica’s COVID-19 PPP Loan Search | deutsch29

Who Got the Money? See for Yourself: ProPublica’s COVID-19 PPP Loan Search

To view recipients of the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to businesses and nonprofit organizations during the coronavirus pandemic, use ProPublica’s marvelous search engine.

***

In researching nonprofits, I find ProPublica’s nonprofit search engines to be incredibly resourceful. For example, ProPublica offers a full text keyword search of thousands of nonprofit tax forms.

Often when I am researching nonprofit organizations related to education reform, including charter schools, I begin by Googling the name of the organization and including the term, “propublica” with the name, to immediately locate ProPublica’s concisely organized tax forms for the organization.

During the coronavirus pandemic, with the federal government offering Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to businesses and nonprofit organizations, ProPublica has once again delivered a marvelous search engine enabling the public to easily investigate which companies and nonprofits have received federal money in the form of loans ranging from $150K to $10M, including charter and private schools and other education organizations.

ProPublica offers this summary of PPP loan criteria:

Companies and nonprofit organizations that receive PPP loans may have the loans forgiven if they meet certain criteria, including not laying off employees during an 8-week period covered by the loan. Applicants must attest in their application that the loans are necessary for their continuing operation. Note: This data includes loan applications approved by banks and submitted to the SBA. It may not reflect money distributed to, or credit used by, a given company.

One controversy surrounding the issuance of PPP money to charter schools CONTINUE READING: Who Got the Money? See for Yourself: ProPublica’s COVID-19 PPP Loan Search | deutsch29

Are principals being set up to take the fall? | JD2718

Are principals being set up to take the fall?

The mayor was planning to reopen NYC public schools in September. It is a disaster on the NYC horizon. But it is far enough away to be avoided. The mayor now coyly claims he doesn’t know which way he will decide, and that he won’t decide until the eleventh hour. The UFT and CSA (principals union) are talking about problems with plans. The UFT has focused on staffing and safety. The CSA has a broader attack, including how unrealistic the “scheduling models” are. But neither UFT president Mulgrew nor CSA president Mark Cannizzaro have openly come out and called for the plans to be halted. Skeptical, but political. I hate political responses, especially when a right/wrong response (this won’t work, let’s plan for remote) is available.

II

Imagine, if you will, a ‘normal’ year – first day of school. Parents, mostly moms, arriving with kindergartners. Many of the kids are excited. Some are scared, and clutch at their parent’s pant leg. Some are in tears. Introduction. Separation. Some parents leave fast. Others stay…. While five other grades are finding new teachers, new classrooms, and some new classmates. Now imagine this masked. Now imagine some parents there on the A day, when their child is a C. Imagine tiny children confronted by strangers in masks.

Or imagine if you will, the first week of high school. Assume they start September 21. (What, you say, no CONTINUE READING: Are principals being set up to take the fall? | JD2718

Social-Distance Traveling during the Covid-19 Pandemic – radical eyes for equity

Social-Distance Traveling during the Covid-19 Pandemic

For nearly a decade, I have been taking about a 2-week trip in July or early August for a cycling/brewery vacation. Many of the trips have been to Colorado, but also Asheville, NC and Fayetteville, AR (where I am sitting now).

To insure a good place to stay, reservations must be made many months ahead of this trip; so for the summer of 2020, I had secured and apartment near Old Town in Ft. Collins, CO many weeks before the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic occurred.

Beginning in early to Mid-March, my life has been changed significantly as it has been for most of the world. Also, I and my family as well as close friends have had to make decisions about how to navigate the pandemic in terms of social distancing.

Throughout the first phase of Covid-19, the shut-down phase, and into the phased-in reopening, I have taken a practical approach, recognizing the threat of the pandemic to myself and my communal responsibility.

I have maintained a semi-normal outdoor routine (I am an avid cyclist), but have stopped group riding (riding alone or with one or a very few other CONTINUE READING: Social-Distance Traveling during the Covid-19 Pandemic – radical eyes for equity

THE ANTI-SUCK BUTTON VS FUNDING AN EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT – Dad Gone Wild

THE ANTI-SUCK BUTTON VS FUNDING AN EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT

“All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing.”
― Molière

“When I was a kid, the county in which I lived was dry. That is, you had to buy your booze from a bootlegger in order to keep the church people happy.”
― Lewis Grizzard, Don’t Sit Under the Grits Tree with Anyone Else But Me

Back in the day, I used to work with a sound engineer that in his rack, had an excess piece of gear that had no discernable function in shaping the sound emitting from the stage. It was plugged into power but wasn’t connected to anything else. When a button was hit, it produced a show of bouncing lights. If you asked him about it, he would tell you that it was the module that housed the anti-suck gear.

He’d be mixing a show and invariably a patron would make their way to the sound booth, “The mix is off,” they would yell to him, “I can’t hear the vocals. It’s all too bright.”

He’d look at them. Give them an earnest look. Stare at his board with a puzzled look. Then he’d shift his look to the rack, his look of puzzlement would suddenly change to one of eureka. He would reach out and punch a button on the module, and suddenly the display of bouncing lights would appear. With a look of relief, he’d turn to the sound connoisseur, “Thanks, man! I’d forgotten to hit the anti-suck button. Much appreciated.”

The patron would turn to the stage, nod their head a few times, a smile would creep unto their face. They’d turn to the sound engineer and give him a big thumbs up, “Yea that was it. It sounds fantastic now!”

The engineer would return the thumbs up and return to the job of mixing the sound. The customer CONTINUE READING: THE ANTI-SUCK BUTTON VS FUNDING AN EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT – Dad Gone Wild

Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, July 25, 2020

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 7/25/20 #REDFORED #tbats #EducationVotes #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLS #edJustice #DEMOCRACY #BIDEN2020 #JohnLewis

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The Hybrid Model of School Reopening is Not Safe Either | gadflyonthewallblog

Why are the Trump administration and GOP senators playing politics with school reopening? - Education Votes

A patchwork of reopening plans for schools in the fall

Confused by changing CDC guidance on school reopening? Here’s help. - The Washington Post

The New CDC School Reopening Guidelines Should Be Ignored - Teacher Habits

Shoot The Messenger

Marion Brady: When Face-to-Face Learning Is Impossible | Diane Ravitch's blog

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Florida's circular firing squad with schools in the middle.

Please Don’t Make Me Risk Getting Covid-19 to Teach Your Child (Rebecca Martinson) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Who Got the Money? See for Yourself: ProPublica’s COVID-19 PPP Loan Search | deutsch29

To view recipients of the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to businesses and nonprofit organizations during the coronavirus pandemic, use ProPublica’s marvelous search engine.

***

Are principals being set up to take the fall? | JD2718

II

Social-Distance Traveling during the Covid-19 Pandemic – radical eyes for equity

THE ANTI-SUCK BUTTON VS FUNDING AN EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT – Dad Gone Wild

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