Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

voiceofsandiego.org: Education

voiceofsandiego.org: Education
4Jan
Fact Check: More Teacher Voices on the School Board?

Image: ratingStatement: "Want to help San Diego schools? Get more accountability on the board? Get more teacher voices on the school board? Sign here," Jeff Smith, a professional signature collector, told potential voters about a proposal to expand the San Diego Unified board to include appointees, according to Union-Tribune article on Dec. 29.

Determination: Misleading

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4Jan
Should Kids Be Free to Speak at School Board Meetings?

If you want to press a point at a school board meeting, it seems like there's no one better than a kid to do it. You've probably seen it. I sure have: A cherubic child steps up to the microphone, straining to reach it, and talks about how counselors or going to a magnet school has helped them.

But is it OK for kids to speak up at a public meeting if their parents haven't OK'd it? That is the question that the San Diego Unified school board is now asking. And it's a thorny question, one that the school district attorney says ties into the First Amendment and meeting laws allowing the public to speak up. Right now kids can sign up to speak like anyone else, with or without parent permission.

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4Jan
The Education Idea That Made a Splash

The people are hungry for algebra help!

Last week I got literally dozens of emails from readers who zeroed in on one of the seven most fascinating education ideas I ran across in San Diego schools: How Einstein Academy and its sister middle school changed the way they taught math tobetter prepare kids for algebra. And the emails are still flowing in.

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The Answer Sheet - A satirical look at Rhee's 'Students First' (or how students fell to a tie for third)

The Answer Sheet - A satirical look at Rhee's 'Students First' (or how students fell to a tie for third)

A satirical look at Rhee's 'Students First' (or how students fell to a tie for third)

Below is the lead “story” from a satirical Onion-esque publication designed for those of us who religiously follow education policy. The publication is called Education Tweak (EdTweak.com), and it’s anonymously authored and published. The new issue is actually #14; the other 13 issues were published back in 2009, and this full issue and all the back issues are available at edtweak.com. By Education Tweak Just weeks after launching her Students First campaign, former Washington D.C. Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee announced that Students have now fallen into a tie for third. “Students have to earn first,” Rhee explained. “Life is a competition, and Students seem to think I’ll let them remain in First even if they don’t show results.”

This Week In Education: Reform: The New War Against Teacher Strikes

This Week In Education: Reform: The New War Against Teacher Strikes

Reform: The New War Against Teacher Strikes

Nsgeu_right_to_strikeLawmakers on both sides of the aisle have all of a sudden decided that strikes (or even the threat of strikes) are so fearsome and objectionable that they should be banned from ever happening again. There's a Democratic led effort to ban teacher strikes in Illinois (WSJ) that was recently endorsed by outgoing mayor Richard Daley and a Republican-led one in Ohio (NYT) supported by new Governor John Kasich. That's on top of the 37 states where the practice is already banned according to the Chicago Tribune editorial page (could someone confirm this, please?) One more state and it's an official trend. Where did this concern come from, and why now? Read below for my take on where this issue is coming from -- and why it's an understandable but probably a bad move on the part of lawmakers and

The Best Books of the Past Decade According to Ed Next Readers : Education Next

The Best Books of the Past Decade According to Ed Next Readers : Education Next

The Best Books of the Past Decade According to Ed Next Readers



By Paul E. Peterson 01/05/2011

In August 2010, Education Next invited readers to pick the three best education policy books of the past decade from a list of 41 books. The poll ran until the end of December, which gave authors a good chance to mobilize their following. A total of 4,343 votes were cast.
Generally speaking, opinion on this topic was even more divided than on most education policy questions, as only one book garnered the enthusiasm of more than 10 percent of the votes cast. That book was Diane Ravitch’s The Death and Life of the Great American School System (2010), which won the poll by a wide margin, pulling in 22 % of the total. The other top books, in order of reader enthusiasm, were as follows:

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools 1-5-11 Get Involved- Read Education News

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools
Get Involved- Read Education News



This Week In Education: Thompson: "Teachers Unions, Spawn of Satan"

This Week In Education: Thompson: "Teachers Unions, Spawn of Satan"

Thompson: "Teachers Unions, Spawn of Satan"


image from benblogged.com"Davis Gugenheim has earned an Emmy for the movie screenplay, based on the book “Teacher Unions: Spawn of Satan," reports the online journal Education Tweak (PDF). "It tells the story of five children as they try to

Thank a Teacher! | The Transformation Times

Thank a Teacher! | The Transformation Times

Thank a Teacher!

No matter your age, you remember some of the great teachers you had growing up. Those teachers made you who you are today – whether it was by encouraging you, challenging you, or a little of both. Teachers work hard, they don’t make as money as they should, and they know that ultimately they are the most important factor in whether their students will succeed or not. So, as you watch this wonderful short video, think of the teacher that most made you who you are – and say thanks!

This Week In Education: Video: Geoff Canada Returns To The Colbert Show

This Week In Education: Video: Geoff Canada Returns To The Colbert Show

Video: Geoff Canada Returns To The Colbert Show

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Geoffrey Canada
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical Humor & Satire BlogMarch to Keep Fear Alive

"Who's to blame" for public education, asks Colbert. "Is it the teachers union... or the teachers union?" Canada's response? Both of them... Canada complains that money for HCZ expansion has been cut from $200M to $10M in the CR -- & *claims* a 100 pct graduation rate... "Why isn't education fixed yet?" asks an impatient Stephen Colbert.