Friday, January 1, 2021

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES #REDFORED #tbats #COVIDVACCINE #newyear #BestOf2020

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES

All Twenty-Eight Annual Education-Related “Best” Lists! | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=114477 on @Larryferlazzo

Welcome 2021! Go Away, 2020! | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-sYJ via @dianeravitch

Will Republican Senators and House member “Objections” Prevent the Election of Biden/Harris? Why January 6th will be an “Interesting” Day. | Ed In The Apple - https://wp.me/p2zCG-2PQ via @edintheapple

Joe Clark, Tough Principal at New Jersey High School, Dies at 82 - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/nyregion/joe-clark-dead.html

Liberty University Students 'Embarrassed' By Jerry Falwell Jr.-Founded Think Tank | HuffPost - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/liberty-university-students-falkirk-center_n_5febb29ac5b6acb5345bc7f6 on @HuffPostPol

Please Support the Network for Public Education! | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-sZw via @dianeravitch

Kwanzaa Week: Celebrating Imani Day 7, Community Building - https://www.theroot.com/having-faith-giving-back-in-the-spirit-of-imani-the-s-1845969342 on TheRoot

Big Education Ape: Education Matters: DCPS is full steam ahead while other school districts play it cautious. - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/01/education-matters-dcps-is-full-steam.html

A teacher’s deepest concerns going into 2021: students who disappeared, covid-19 myopia and six more - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 4min

A teacher’s deepest fears about 2021: Students who disappeared, covid-19 myopia and six more Longtime educator Larry Ferlazzo has been a frequent writer on this blog for a decade — and now he is back with his list of the things that most concern him about schooling going into 2021. Ferlazzo teaches English and social studies at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. He has written or edited 1

2021 Student Podcast Challenge Opens For Grades 5-12 : NPR

by Mike Simpson / 4min

NPR's Student Podcast Challenge Opens For Middle And High School Students It's that time of year! New semester, new assignments, new Student Podcast Challenge. Yep, NPR's Student Podcast Challenge is back for its third year, and it opens today, Jan 1. We know you have stories to tell and we at NPR are excited to listen. Tell us about your life, or something you're passionate about — like tater t

Fred Smith: The Night Before New Year’s | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4min

Fred Smith: The Night Before New Year’s Fred Smith, assessment expert (retired from the New York City Board of Education) and part-time poet, published this poem today in the New York Daily News. The night before New Year’s : A Message from Your President! By FRED SMITH NEW YORK DAILY NEWS – DEC 31, 2020 ‘Tis the eve of the new year and in his White House Sits a lame duck-tailed bad man with uns

2020 Taught Us to be Ambidextrous. | Schott Foundation for Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 4min

2020 Taught Us to be Ambidextrous. As the year ends, we are looking back at the many challenges and the fierce organizing — and equally fierce love — that our partners brought to meet them. In the early days of March, educators in St. Paul were on strike: not just for better wages, but for more special education support, smaller class sizes, bilingual teachers’ aides and mental health teams in e

Education Matters: A sad but true fact is DCPS can't be trusted

by Mike Simpson / 4min

A sad but true fact is DCPS can't be trusted 2020 was a difficult year, I had COVID fatigue, then got Covid, election fatigue which is sadly ongoing, and the realization my employer doesn't care about me, my colleagues, or my students. Nothing DCPS says can be trusted. In the last month, the media has reported how DCPS cooking the books about discipline and COVID, or you know two of the last thi

Teacher Tom: Reflections on This First Day of 2021

by Mike Simpson / 4min

Reflections on This First Day of 2021 When our daughter was little and frightening news of the world got to her, I would try to put things in perspective: "Most people, most of the time are having a fine day." That this has been true throughout all of history, even when great tragedy is unfolding in one part of it. (And indeed when is it not?) Maybe it's not a great day, although someone is also

Please Support the Network for Public Education! | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4min

Please Support the Network for Public Education! As a new year begins, and as a new administration prepares to take charge of the U.S. government, our fight to support and improve public education goes on. The Network for Public Education is and will continue to be the single largest voluntary group advocating on behalf of public schools. We had humble beginnings, starting with a bank account of

Another set of New Year’s Resolutions | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 4min

Another set of New Year’s Resolutions The New Year is a time for reflection and planning. Many people enjoy reading top ten lists from the past year as well as making New Year’s Resolutions. Last year I suggested some New Year’s Resolutions for teachers. This year I have a few more to suggest…only this year they’re resolutions for legislators and education policymakers ( and even billionaires wh

Grassroots Education Network- December 2020 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 4min

Grassroots Education Network- December 2020 Newsletter The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of 160 grassroots organizations nationwide who have joined together to preserve, promote, improve, and strengthen our public schools. If you know of a group that would like to join this powerful network, please go here to sign on. If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education N

The Lives That Chose Us (2020 Year-In-Review) | The Jose Vilson

by Mike Simpson / 4min

THE LIVES THAT CHOSE US (2020 YEAR-IN-REVIEW) In mid-September, I was knee-deep in a few readings, one for each class I had taken this fall. The readings ranged from dead white men (think Durkheim, Marx, et. al.) to the history of education, all so compelling that, for a time, I could isolate the words on the page from the specter of death, fascism, and impending doom. A global pandemic laid was

Schools Matter: The Good News and the Bad News on Miguel Cardona

by Mike Simpson / 4min

The Good News and the Bad News on Miguel Cardona First the good news. Cardona's has deep experience as a teacher, school administrator, and state education commissioner. He understands public school culture, and he understands the challenges of growing up short on privilege. Cardona will be the first Secretary of Education to understand the kinds of school environments and programs that allow En

CURMUDGUCATION: Another Round Of Teacher Bashing

by Mike Simpson / 4min

Another Round Of Teacher Bashing Remember back in the spring (approximately ten years ago in 2020 time), when teachers were hailed as heroes for their tenacity and adaptability? Actually, if you're teacher, what you probably remember is hearing that for what often comes next. And sure enough, here we are. The attitude bubbles up in lots of outlets, sometimes snide and subvocalized, and sometimes

A 360 DEGREE VIEW – Dad Gone Wild

by Mike Simpson / 4min

A 360 DEGREE VIEW “Investigations, meditations, careers, relationships were much the same, he mused. They failed because no one thought to ask the right question.” ― Eliot Pattison, The Skull Mantra It’s taken 364 days to get here, but we have arrived. Today officially marks the last day of a year that certainly ranks among the most challenging. It’s been a year that few would have predicted 365

2020 TOP 10 MOST POPULAR POSTS OF THE YEAR + THE TOP 8 MOST POPULAR " THIS WEEK POSTS" OF 2020 #REDFORED #tbats #newyear #BestOf2020

by Mike Simpson / 17h

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR POSTS OF THE YEAR Big Education Ape: ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/01/slaying-goliath-diane-ravitch-argues-in.html Big Education Ape: The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post - htt

Thursday, December 31, 2020 THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES #REDFORED #tbats #COVIDVACCINE #BIDEN #edsecMiguelCardona

by Mike Simpson / 23h

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES A teacher’s deepest concerns going into 2021: students who disappeared, covid-19 myopia and six more - The Washington Post -

Big Education Ape

Education Matters: DCPS is full steam ahead while other school districts play it cautious.

DCPS is full steam ahead while other school districts play it cautious

Duval County has been averaging a thousand cases a day. Our positivity rate is close to ten percent. The new even more, contagious strain of COVID has been found in Florida, and we are undoubtedly going to get a holiday bump in cases, so what does DCPS do? Nothing, as more districts take their students and staff safety seriously, DCPS does nothing about their reckless policies.

Pittsburg pumps the breaks,

From WPIX.com,

Officials with Pittsburgh Public Schools said they are delaying the spring return to in-person learning.

“I talked to the board about not coming back on Jan. 4 because I knew the numbers would be high. We tentatively are going to bring our educators and staff back into our buildings on Jan. 18,” said Superintendent Dr. Anthony Hamlet.

https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/pittsburgh-public-schools-delays-spring-return-in-person-learning/TSOINMVU3RCEXJR25A2UOH7XJI/

Ware County slows things down too,

From ActionNewsjax.com,

The school district released the following CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: DCPS is full steam ahead while other school districts play it cautious.

A teacher’s deepest concerns going into 2021: students who disappeared, covid-19 myopia and six more - The Washington Post

A teacher’s deepest fears about 2021: Students who disappeared, covid-19 myopia and six more

Longtime educator Larry Ferlazzo has been a frequent writer on this blog for a decade — and now he is back with his list of the things that most concern him about schooling going into 2021.

Ferlazzo teaches English and social studies at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. He has written or edited 12 books about education, writes a teacher advice blog for Education Week and has a popular resource-sharing blog.

His many pieces on this blog include one about how teachers can help students motivate themselves, and a favorite of mine, titled, “NEWS BREAK (not breaking news): Teacher asks students to grade him. One wrote: ‘I give Mr. Ferlazzo an A at being annoying.’ ”

In July, he wrote a post about the eight things that were most worrying him about the start of the 2020-21 school year during the global coronavirus pandemic. They included concerns about how he would quickly and effectively build relationships with students remotely, the mental health of his students, and concerns about the difficulty of remote learning but the lack of understanding about those difficulties by administrators and others.

This new piece about what most concerns him heading into a new calendar year appeared on one of his blogs, and he gave me permission to publish it.

Ferlazzo also recently made his annual list of what he considered the worst and best education news of the year, which you can read here.

By Larry Ferlazzo

In July, I wrote a column for The Answer Sheet headlined, “Teacher: Eight concerns about school this fall that are robbing me of sleep.”

And, boy, was I spot-on with those concerns as the fall semester unfolded.

I was able to get a decent handle on the ones I listed that were within my control, such as what to cover in the curriculum and what to jettison.

And I have developed a substantial amount of cynicism about others beyond my control, particularly those related to people who have never done remote teaching but still tell teachers how to do it. CONTINUE READING: A teacher’s deepest concerns going into 2021: students who disappeared, covid-19 myopia and six more - The Washington Post

2021 Student Podcast Challenge Opens For Grades 5-12 : NPR

NPR's Student Podcast Challenge Opens For Middle And High School Students

It's that time of year! New semester, new assignments, new Student Podcast Challenge. Yep, NPR's Student Podcast Challenge is back for its third year, and it opens today, Jan 1.

We know you have stories to tell and we at NPR are excited to listen. Tell us about your life, or something you're passionate about — like tater tots. You could investigate a hometown mystery, or write a radio drama and direct a dramatic reading with friends. We've heard all these and more in our first two years. The world is your oyster!

Last year, despite a massive disruption to the school year amid the global pandemic, the Student Podcast Challenge brought in thousands of podcasts from high school and middle school students in 46 states and the District of Columbia. (We missed you, Dakotas!)

This year, the basics are pretty much the same: Students will create a podcast about a topic they want to explore — and that can be just about anything.

There are some rules to keep in mind: Only students in grades 5-12 are eligible to enter, and a teacher, or after-school program coordinator, or parent or anyone over the age of 18 has to be the one to submit the podcast.

One big change this year: The maximum length of your podcast will be eight minutes. We've found, after listening to a lot of podcasts, that shorter is better. Plus that's how long we get to tell our stories at NPR!

And, as always, we've got a host of training materials, guides for sound recording and audio production, what you can — and can't — do with music, lists of do's and don'ts, and we even made a podcast about making a good podcast!

The Students' Podcast is in its second season with new episodes every Sunday. This year we're sharing advice from some students who are already pretty good at podcasting — so good, in fact, that they were finalists in last year's challenge. Listen to our new episodes on storytelling, interviewing and how to deal with sensitive topics. Check back Sunday for an episode on investigations!

The NPR Student Podcast Challenge opens today, Jan. 1, and will close on March 15. The SPC: College Edition opened in December and runs until February 15.

Make sure to sign up for our newsletter with more tips and advice, here! And follow us on twitter @NPR_Ed

Ready, set, record!

2021 Student Podcast Challenge Opens For Grades 5-12 : NPR

Fred Smith: The Night Before New Year’s | Diane Ravitch's blog

Fred Smith: The Night Before New Year’s

Fred Smith, assessment expert (retired from the New York City Board of Education) and part-time poet, published this poem today in the New York Daily News.

The night before New Year’s: A Message from Your President!

By FRED SMITH

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS – DEC 31, 2020

‘Tis the eve of the new year and in his White House

Sits a lame duck-tailed bad man with unsmiling spouse.

“This may be my last chance before my thoughts drift

To give all those who miffed me one parting gift.

Whether I liked them or hated, they can’t escape blame,

They’re bound to be “Fired” in my blazing endgame:

To my faithless AG and once true legal goon,

I leave Barr to flame out in a hot air balloon. CONTINUE READING: Fred Smith: The Night Before New Year’s | Diane Ravitch's blog

2020 Taught Us to be Ambidextrous. | Schott Foundation for Public Education

2020 Taught Us to be Ambidextrous.

As the year ends, we are looking back at the many challenges and the fierce organizing — and equally fierce love — that our partners brought to meet them.

In the early days of March, educators in St. Paul were on strike: not just for better wages, but for more special education support, smaller class sizes, bilingual teachers’ aides and mental health teams in every school. In coordination with allied community groups, the four-day strike ended with wins on many of their demands. But even then, under a growing cloud of concern for the spread of COVID-19, few recognized how utterly transformed our schools and society would become in the space of a few short months.

COVID-19 was the deadly gust of wind that exposed just how rickety the social safety net is, especially in communities of color. But, as has happened in previous disasters, people stood up with masks on our faces and courage in our hearts. Countless justice organizing groups, from Puerto Rico to Los Angeles, Little Rock to Boston provided masks, food and other essentials to residents in need. All while keeping their organizing and advocacy underway.

In the wake of George Floyd’s and Breonna Taylor’s murders, many of these groups escalated their efforts against the epidemic of police violence on our streets and the negative presence of police in our public schools. #PoliceFreeSchools went from a hashtag to a rallying cry for a nationwide campaign to public policy change in many cities. And that effort is growing every CONTINUE READING: 2020 Taught Us to be Ambidextrous. | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Education Matters: A sad but true fact is DCPS can't be trusted

A sad but true fact is DCPS can't be trusted

2020 was a difficult year, I had COVID fatigue, then got Covid, election fatigue which is sadly ongoing, and the realization my employer doesn't care about me, my colleagues, or my students. Nothing DCPS says can be trusted.

In the last month, the media has reported how DCPS cooking the books about discipline and COVID, or you know two of the last things they should be doing so about.

From First Coast News,

A new statewide grand jury report studying school safety issues lambasted the Duval County School Police Department for "outright fraud" and underreporting incident and crime numbers to make a better impression.

While the interim report largely focused on Florida's mental-health systems and deficiencies in funding, separately, the report pointed out issues with schools' abilities to differentiate criminal behavior from simple misbehavior. Duval School was used as the key example.

Out of Florida's 67 counties and 74 school districts when alternative and virtual districts are included, Duval County was the only school district singled out.

"It is also apparent, though, that some incentives to 'decrease the statistics' are perverse," the report said. "Administrators are rewarded with promotion or better jobs in larger districts; school police chiefs tout phony CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: A sad but true fact is DCPS can't be trusted

Teacher Tom: Reflections on This First Day of 2021

Reflections on This First Day of 2021

When our daughter was little and frightening news of the world got to her, I would try to put things in perspective: "Most people, most of the time are having a fine day." That this has been true throughout all of history, even when great tragedy is unfolding in one part of it. (And indeed when is it not?)

Maybe it's not a great day, although someone is also always having one of those as well, but a fine one, because most things involving humans are like that -- a little high a little low, a little hot a little cold, a little smooth a little rough. Both the optimists and the pessimists are right: it could always get better and it could always get worse.

I suspect that most of us are pro-optimism, even if we're pessimistic by nature. It's hard not to be when you're working with young children, who themselves are generally having fine days, but by virtue of the metaphor of their youth shines for us like a light into the certainty of a better future. And even if we can't help but regret in advance the equal CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: Reflections on This First Day of 2021

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Friday, January 1, 2021