Saturday, January 2, 2021

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

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES

Education Matters: School Board members in line for huge raises - https://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2021/01/school-board-members-in-line-for-huge.html

Why Students Should Learn To Use Tech Tools http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2021/01/why-students-should-learn-to-use-tech.html

4 signs that food pantries improve the diets of low-income people https://www.salon.com/2021/01/02/4-signs-that-food-pantries-improve-the-diets-of-low-income-people_partner/

Latest Health Research https://blog.ctnews.com/kantrowitz/2021/01/02/latest-health-research-148/

Former Students Remember Joe Clark, Educator Who Inspired 'Lean On Me' https://www.npr.org/2021/01/02/952806833/former-students-remember-joe-clark-educator-who-inspired-lean-on-me

Anxiety and depression can affect your learning ability https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/depression-anxiety-learning

Young people are managing relationships and starting new ones. In a pandemic, it’s not easy. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/coronavirus-young-relationships-students/2021/01/01/e7211012-408e-11eb-8bc0-ae155bee4aff_story.html?tid=ss_tw

Peter Greene: Democrats Need a Major Restart for Education | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-sX7 via @dianeravitch

Nevada: Charter Schools Cashed in on PPP Money | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-sW8 via @dianeravitch

Disney, Pixar and Netflix are teaching your children the wrong messages about pain | Salon.com - https://www.salon.com/2021/01/02/disney-pixar-and-netflix-are-teaching-your-children-the-wrong-messages-about-pain_partner/

From IQ tests and sperm banks to "The Queen’s Gambit": a history of gifted children | Salon.com

by Mike Simpson / now

From IQ tests and sperm banks to "The Queen’s Gambit": a history of gifted children While identifying gifted children has helped some receive needed attention, it has sent us down a dangerous path I n Netflix hit "The Queen's Gambit," we see young orphan Beth Harmon discover her talent for competitive chess. During a game played in the orphanage basement, Harmon's chess tutor, the janitor, tells

Steve Hinnefeld: Indiana Legislators Preparing to Expand Failed Voucher Program | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / now

Indiana Legislators Preparing to Expand Failed Voucher Program Steve Hinnefeld warns that Republican legislators in Indiana are laying the groundwork to expand the state’s failed voucher program. The research on

Nevada: Charter Schools Cashed in on PPP Money | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Nevada: Charter Schools Cashed in on PPP Money Last spring, you may recall, the CARES Act included $13.2 billion for public and charter schools. In addition, $660 billion was allocated to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses and nonprofits that were struggling to survive due to the pandemic. Public schools were not allowed to apply for PPP. However, many charter schools lea

NYC Educator: Today in PTA (Pass Them All)

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Today in PTA (Pass Them All) Yesterday, I got a prescient comment from SC Math Teacher, and I'll repost it here. The first part is a quote from me, but he comes to an inescapable conclusion directly afterward: “The last I heard, the DOE was holding individual teachers responsible this year for NX students. That means that next semester we could be burdened with not only our regular caseload, but

El Paso Teacher, 35, Dies of COVID-19 | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 36min

El Paso Teacher, 35, Dies of COVID-19 Zelene Blancas, who taught in the public schools of El Paso, died of COVID-19 . She was 35. She taught first grade, and she emphasized kindness. Her 2018 video of her children saying goodbye with a hug at the end of each day was viewed more than 22 million times. Blancas tested positive for coronavirus October 20 and days later, she was hospitalized, her bro

States: Ask Biden Administration to Waive Spring 2021 Testing | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 36min

States: Ask Biden Administration to Waive Spring 2021 Testing This is a school year fraught with quarantine disruption, turnstile attendance, distancing and sanitizing burdens, and spotty internet capabilities. The very idea that most schools and districts could somehow pull off federally-mandated standardized testing in the spring of 2021 and that the testing outcome would evidence anything oth

Private schools pull students away from public schools - Axios

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Private schools pull students away from public schools Private institutions are attracting wealthy families who are frustrated with public schools' flip-flopping on remote and in-person learning. Why it matters: The trend is weakening public schools, which will lose funding as they lose students, and deepening the divide between how rich and poor kids are educated. What's happening: In districts

Mike Klonsky's Blog: Big changes needed if we are to control the global pandemic and open schools here.

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Big changes needed if we are to control the global pandemic and open schools here As we head into the new year, I'm thinking like everyone else, good riddance to Trump and 2020. I've had the words to the old Merle Haggard song, If We Make It Through December , buzzing through my brain. But by yesterday afternoon, I've had reset my expectations to... if we make it through the '20s... NBC reports

Saturday, December 26, 2020 THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. + TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it . A 360 DEGREE VIEW by TC Weber / 1d “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. T

TEACHER TOM THIS WEEK IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Teacher Tom Reflections on This First Day of 2021 93 23h An Education That Emerges From Those Things That Most Affect Us 200+ 1d They Say There are No Stupid Questions. I Beg to Differ. 1K 3d I Know the Secret to Making Your Dreams Come True 100+ 4d Life Itself 2K 5d This Cursed and Blessed Year 81 9d Teacher Tom

SSPI TONY THURMOND: STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

by Mike Simpson / 36min

California Department of Education SSPI TONY THURMOND STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION USDA Foods List and Material Price Report 2021–22 8d The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published the USDA Foods Available List and the USDA Foods Processor Material Prices for School Year (SY) 2021–22. COVID-19 Guidance Web Page: Updates to FAQs 10d California Departm

THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER

by Mike Simpson / 36min

NewBlackMan (in Exile) THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) Food Writer On The Future Of Black-Owned Restaurants In The Bay Area by Mark Anthony Neal / 9h 'NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Justin Phillips , a food writer for the San Francisco Chronicle , about the potential demise of many Black-owned restaurants in the Bay Area.' Viola Davis: The 60 Minutes Interview by Mark Anthony Neal / 9h ' Vio

THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Education Research Report Computer simulation to the identification of symptoms in children with ADHD by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d The introduction of computer simulation to the identification of symptoms in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has potential to provide an additional objective tool to gauge the presence and severity of behavioral problems, Ohio State Unive

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

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 I Created My Own News Aggregator With AllTop – You Can Use Mine Or Create Your Own by Larry Ferlazzo / 9h AllTop has been around awhile. It’s a “news aggregator” – it identifies a number of topics and then creates pages on them with updated stories from different sites specializing in those topics. Th

KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all #REDFORED #tbats #COVIDVACCINE #newyear #BestOf2020

by Mike Simpson / 36min

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all Peter Greene: Democrats Need a Major Restart for Education by dianeravitch / 50min You know the old line, “Failure is not an option.” Well, we have federal education policy built on the idea that failure doesn’t matter. Failure is not only an opt

YESTERDAY

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

by Mike Simpson / 19h

Big Education Ape 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 -

Big Education Ape

From IQ tests and sperm banks to "The Queen’s Gambit": a history of gifted children | Salon.com

From IQ tests and sperm banks to "The Queen’s Gambit": a history of gifted children

While identifying gifted children has helped some receive needed attention, it has sent us down a dangerous path

In Netflix hit "The Queen's Gambit," we see young orphan Beth Harmon discover her talent for competitive chess. During a game played in the orphanage basement, Harmon's chess tutor, the janitor, tells the nine-year-old: "To tell you the truth of it, child, you're astounding" — contrasting her youth and naivety to her seemingly inherent gift.

The series ends with Harmon as a young woman, competing in chess competitions at the highest level. The executive producer of the series, William Horberg, has said that they're unlikely to make a second series. "Maybe we can just let the audience imagine what comes next," he told Town and Country magazine.

My research looks into the question of "what next?" for so-called child geniuses like Beth Harmon, and how the "gifted" label affects their lives.

Growing up gifted

Interest in measuring the intelligence of children grew during the 20th century. The first IQ tests were developed in the early 1900s, looking to identify children in need of educational support. Later evaluations used IQ testing but also hormonal levels, patterns of sleep, metabolism, blood markers or genetics to try to understand and quantify "intelligence". CONTINUE READING: From IQ tests and sperm banks to "The Queen’s Gambit": a history of gifted children | Salon.com

Steve Hinnefeld: Indiana Legislators Preparing to Expand Failed Voucher Program | Diane Ravitch's blog

Indiana Legislators Preparing to Expand Failed Voucher Program

Steve Hinnefeld warns that Republican legislators in Indiana are laying the groundwork to expand the state’s failed voucher program. The research on vouchers in many states has been consistent: Students who use vouchers fall behind their peers in public schools. Those who continue to push vouchers are either ideologues, religious zealots, or paid to do so. We know that they don’t help students. Increasingly the students who take vouchers already attend religious schools or planned to, and they are getting public money to pay private tuition.

Indiana legislators like to fund failure.

Don’t be surprised if lawmakers try to expand Indiana’s already generous private school voucher program in 2021. They’re signaling their intention with the issues surveys they send to constituents.

At least eight House Republicans include this question in their surveys, which are posted on their internet sites: “Do you support increasing the income eligibility for Indiana’s CONTINUE READING: Steve Hinnefeld: Indiana Legislators Preparing to Expand Failed Voucher Program | Diane Ravitch's blog

The week in coveducation: Oklahoma schools to see $650 million in COVID relief

The week in coveducation: Oklahoma schools to see $650 million in COVID relief

Happy New Year, readers!

There’s a lot to look out for as we begin 2021, including school board elections for numerous districts and how schools in the state will continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we try to forget 2020 and prepare for the onslaught of 2021, make sure you’re caught up on the news affecting Oklahoma schools with a few recent education headlines from reporters around the state.

Governor’s staff discussed a plan to reopen schools based on mask mandate

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has called for all schools to reopen for in-person learning for the spring semester. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister wants a mask mandate in all school facilities.

The Frontier’s Ben Felder reported that, earlier this month, staff for each worked on a CONTINUE READING: The week in coveducation: Oklahoma schools to see $650 million in COVID relief

Teachers Can Apply PPE Costs to Their $250 Educator Tax Deduction. Is That Enough? | Ap | fredericknewspost.com

Teachers Can Apply PPE Costs to Their $250 Educator Tax Deduction. Is That Enough?

Dec. 29—Teachers who have been working in school buildings this year have often had to dip into their own wallets to purchase personal protective equipment to keep themselves and their students safe from the coronavirus.

They will now be able to apply the cost of the PPE or other supplies used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their classrooms toward the existing educator expense deduction of $250 on their federal taxes, thanks to the newly signed coronavirus economic relief package. The deduction is retroactive to March 12, 2020.

But some teachers say while they're glad they can now deduct the cost of their PPE, they were hoping the $250 tax break would be increased for this school year, given other unexpected expenses they have had to contend with during the pandemic. Many teachers have had to purchase new technology for remote instruction, or more school supplies than normal to limit students sharing.

"PPE has become an essential classroom supply," said Ann Pifer, the executive director of AdoptAClassroom.org, a crowdfunding site for teachers. But "that deductible limit is so small, and they still need all the other classroom supplies. Is it going to help that much?"

The educator expense deduction traditionally covers books, supplies, computer hardware and software, professional development costs, and other supplementary materials that teachers purchased for their CONTINUE READING: Teachers Can Apply PPE Costs to Their $250 Educator Tax Deduction. Is That Enough? | Ap | fredericknewspost.com

Nevada: Charter Schools Cashed in on PPP Money | Diane Ravitch's blog

Nevada: Charter Schools Cashed in on PPP Money

Last spring, you may recall, the CARES Act included $13.2 billion for public and charter schools. In addition, $660 billion was allocated to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses and nonprofits that were struggling to survive due to the pandemic. Public schools were not allowed to apply for PPP. However, many charter schools learned through their lobbyists that they could apply for PPP. In other words, they double-dipped. They took the $134,500 or so that was available in the initial allotment for each public school. Then they went to the PPP and took another bite, which was far bigger than the funding allowed to public schools.

Which raises the interesting question: Are charter schools “public schools” or are they small businesses or private nonprofits? After all, public schools were not allowed to ask for PPP money, but over a thousand charter schools struck gold.

Nevada has a reputation for some of the worst charter CONTINUE READING: Nevada: Charter Schools Cashed in on PPP Money | Diane Ravitch's blog

NYC Educator: Today in PTA (Pass Them All)

Today in PTA (Pass Them All)

Yesterday, I got a prescient comment from SC Math Teacher, and I'll repost it here. The first part is a quote from me, but he comes to an inescapable conclusion directly afterward:

“The last I heard, the DOE was holding individual teachers responsible this year for NX students. That means that next semester we could be burdened with not only our regular caseload, but also following up on students who didn't pass.”
This sounds like an incentive — an awful one, but an incentive nonetheless— for teachers to just pass everyone so the DOE can boast about fantastic graduation rates.

It's true. There are two possible interpretations here, and that's one of them. The other is that de Blasio and Carranza have decided to cut down on expenses, via not paying people to examine their "NX" grades. After all, why pay people to work when you can get them to do it for free? This is exactly the sort of thing we'd have expected from Bloomberg.

Currently, in my building, there are all sorts of per session gigs looking after previous NX grades. So teachers looking for extra hours can sift through work these kids may or may not do, make calls to which they may or may not respond, and try to get as many kids as possible pass these courses. I'm happy for the teachers who make CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: Today in PTA (Pass Them All)

El Paso Teacher, 35, Dies of COVID-19 | Diane Ravitch's blog

El Paso Teacher, 35, Dies of COVID-19

Zelene Blancas, who taught in the public schools of El Paso, died of COVID-19. She was 35.

She taught first grade, and she emphasized kindness. Her 2018 video of her children saying goodbye with a hug at the end of each day was viewed more than 22 million times.

Blancas tested positive for coronavirus October 20 and days later, she was hospitalized, her brother, Mario Blancas, told CNN. After weeks of showing signs of recovery and taking steps on her own, her oxygen levels dropped, and she was intubated November 22.

The otherwise healthy 35-year-old never came off the ventilator, her brother said. She spent two months in the hospital before dying of complications from Covid-19, her family said.

El Paso Teacher, 35, Dies of COVID-19 | Diane Ravitch's blog

States: Ask Biden Administration to Waive Spring 2021 Testing | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

States: Ask Biden Administration to Waive Spring 2021 Testing

This is a school year fraught with quarantine disruption, turnstile attendance, distancing and sanitizing burdens, and spotty internet capabilities.

The very idea that most schools and districts could somehow pull off federally-mandated standardized testing in the spring of 2021 and that the testing outcome would evidence anything other than the schisms of this cubist painting of a year is nothing more than bureaucratic lunacy.

What would be the point, other than to give tests for testing’s sake?

Oh, but we need to know who is *falling behind.*

In this footrace in which all participants’ shoelaces have been tied together to some degree, assume everyone is falling behind. We don’t need tests to tell us as much.

Call it pandemic-induced common sense.

Spring 2021 testing is an unwelcome burden. As such, I expect states to seek waivers from those federally-mandated tests from the incoming Biden administration. Indeed, on New CONTINUE READING: States: Ask Biden Administration to Waive Spring 2021 Testing | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

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Saturday, January 2, 2021