Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily

Is This The Best “School Reformers” Can Come Up With?

larryferlazzo.edublogs.org - Jan 09 2011 Larry Ferlazzo The Fordham Institute released a report this week written by one of their staff and a senior advisor to the Gates Foundation. It’s called Stretching The School Dollar. In...

Larryferlazzo

The Answer Sheet - How to be taken seriously as a reformer (don't be an educator)

voices.washingtonpost.com - This was written by Gregory Michie, who teaches in the Department of Foundations, Social, Policy and Research at Concordia University Chicago. He is the author of "Holler If You Hear Me: The Educat...

valeriestrauss

Honoring the Dead « Student Activism

studentactivism.net - Who died yesterday in Tucson? A trial-level federal judge, John Roll, on the bench for twenty years. A lawyer who gave up the much higher salaries of the private sector for the rewards of sitting b...

studentactivism

A Butcher, A Baker, A Content Maker « My Island View

tomwhitby.wordpress.com - January 9, 2011 by tomwhitby Although I talk about the use of technology in education all of the time, in truth I am far from being a “Techie”. If I have a need to use technology for a specific pur...

tomwhitby

Public Education and Fact vs. Fiction - Bridging Differences

blogs.edweek.org - Dear Diane,There was one invaluable course I took at the University of Chicago that still sticks with me. The professor, historian Louis R. Gottschalk, gave everyone some historical facts to which ...

tonne

Schools Matter: Arizona's Chief Anti-Culturalist, Tom Horne, Declares Ethic Studies Unlawful

Schools Matter: Arizona's Chief Anti-Culturalist, Tom Horne, Declares Ethic Studies Unlawful

Arizona's Chief Anti-Culturalist, Tom Horne, Declares Ethic Studies Unlawful

by Jim Horn

Tom Horne has been trying to root out the evils of solidarity among minorities for a long time, and his special target has been the ethnic studies program in the Tucson schools. Never mind that the program remains in place as part of a federal civil rights settlement from 2007. And never mind, too, that Horne, former state Schools Superintendent, is now the Attorney General, thkat person who is supposed to be responsible for enforcing the laws of the land.

The laws that Horne is really interested in upholding are the ones that support the continuation of white rule in Arizona, which is now ground zero for what is likely to happen across the U. S. as populations become browner. We will see between now and 2050 if our "democratic" republic can survive the transition of whiteness to minority status, or if the Koch Brothers and the other John Birchers will be able to whip scared whites into a fascist

NJDOE to announce approved charter schools from record setting applications - Newark Elementary Education | Examiner.com

NJDOE to announce approved charter schools from record setting applications - Newark Elementary Education | Examiner.com

NJDOE to announce approved charter schools from record setting applications

The New Jersey Department of Education is expected to announce on January 15 how many of the 51 recent charter school applications will be approved. This current round of competition for new charter schools set a state record for the highest number of charter school applications submitted.

Currently, there are a total of 73 approved charter schools. For the 2010-2011 school year, charter schools are serving more than 26,000 students.

Often times low income parents in urban communities don't feel they have a choice of where they send their children

Continue reading on Examiner.com: NJDOE to announce approved charter schools from record setting applications - Newark Elementary Education | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/elementary-education-in-newark/nj-parents-can-t-get-enough-of-charter-schools#ixzz1AdhVK1Nd

K-12 Schools Lack Computer Science Classes - Computerworld

K-12 Schools Lack Computer Science Classes - Computerworld

Study finds decline in K-12 computer science education

Computerworld - Computer technology may drive the U.S. economy, butcomputer science education is absent in most American K-12 classrooms, according to a report by the Association for Computing Machinery and the Computer Science Teachers Association.

"Some states and some schools are offering some really excellent courses. But overall, the picture is pretty bleak," said report co-author Mark Stehlik, assistant dean at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, last month.

The number of secondary schools offering introductory computer science courses dropped 17% from 2005 to 2009, and the number offering Advanced Placement computer science courses dropped 35% in that time period, the study found.

Federal initiatives such as No Child Left Behind and programs designed to

A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO END ENDEMIC CORRUPTION IN LAUSD AND ALL EQUALLY INCOMPETENT MINORITY FILLED BIG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO FAIL (Un CAMPAÑA NACIONAL PARA PONER FIN A la corrupción endémica en el LAUSD... - Perdaily.com

A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO END ENDEMIC CORRUPTION IN LAUSD AND ALL EQUALLY INCOMPETENT MINORITY FILLED BIG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO FAIL (Un CAMPAÑA NACIONAL PARA PONER FIN A la corrupción endémica en el LAUSD... - Perdaily.com

A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO END ENDEMIC CORRUPTION IN LAUSD AND ALL EQUALLY INCOMPETENT MINORITY FILLED BIG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO FAIL (Un CAMPAÑA NACIONAL PARA PONER FIN A la corrupción endémica en el LAUSD...

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español) It is my New Year's resolution for 2011 to finally develop and publicize a clearly stated and specific platform for real and accountable public education reform by bringing together people from all over this country to share their collective and remarkably similar insights as to the real nature of purposefully failed and endemically corrupt public education system as well as a rather straight forward way it can be dealt with.

This is the first of many blogs from myself and an initial list of insightful educators, parents, students, writers, and others from

NYC Educator: Updating Mark Twain

NYC Educator: Updating Mark Twain

Updating Mark Twain

by NYC Educator

I'm fascinated by the discussion about cutting choice words fromHuckleberry Finn. I've never taught it, but I have taught Of Mice and Men, which uses racial epithets. I explained them the best I could, and placed them in context. However, I teach kids from other countries, and decided I did not wish to be the person who introduces them to such vocabulary. That may be irresponsible on my part, but I don't care. I find such language distasteful, and I don't much like explaining why it's used. I never taught it again, and don't plan to.

Actually, I don't much like this sort of language. Dickens, beautiful and

The Ultimate Reflective Question… | Connected Principals

The Ultimate Reflective Question… | Connected Principals

The Ultimate Reflective Question…

by Sean Grainger

Like many educators across the globe since the dawn of 2011, I’ve been reflecting on stuff. As one who views change as the process of perpetual improvement, I’m not sure I buy into the whole resolution thing, but nonetheless the start of a new year seems to nudge me into a reflective mood… not a bad thing. In a professional context, I’ve been thinking about my practice, my career, my school, what I’m reading, my PLN and

Parent-trigger regs delayed – for good reason | Thoughts on Public Education

Parent-trigger regs delayed – for good reason | Thoughts on Public Education

Parent-trigger regs delayed – for good reason - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

In order to come up to speed, the new members of the State School Board have put off acting on most items on this week’s agenda. The decision to delay final adoption of “parent trigger” regulations has set off critics, led by the law’s author, former Sen. Gloria Romero, and its biggest booster, ousted State [...]

Digital learning can deliver more for less – if allowed to - by Michael Horn

by Michael Horn

As Gov. Jerry Brown settles into office, he does so against the backdrop of severe budgetary pressures that require California to make do with less. When it comes to education, that realization is usually met with great fear and uncertainty. How can we deny our children funding if it will negatively impact who they become [...]

The Answer Sheet - Latino studies program in Tucson declared illegal

The Answer Sheet - Latino studies program in Tucson declared illegal

Latino studies program in Tucson declared illegal

An Arizona state official has declared that an ethnic studies program on Latino culture is illegal under a new law that went effect on Jan. 1. The official is Tom Horne, the newly elected state attorney general who wrote the law last year when he was Arizona’s education superintendent. District officials say they aren’t breaking the law, and a group of teachers has filed suit challenging the law, which prohibits any classes that:

Daily Kos: Krugman: Climate of Hate

Daily Kos: Krugman: Climate of Hate

Krugman: Climate of Hate

by teacherken

When you heard the terrible news from Arizona, were you completely surprised? Or were you, at some level, expecting something like this atrocity to happen?

Put me in the latter category. I’ve had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since the final stages of the 2008 campaign.

So begins Nobel Laureate Economist Paul Krugman in his op ed this morning, Climate of Hate

Why mention his award? Because as an economist he is used to examining the data and seeing the patterns. And on this the patterns are crystal clear.

Read his column. It is as well written as usual, which makes it hard to excerpt.

I will explore aspects of it, and offer thoughts of my own.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Ethnic studies illegal in Arizona

“There’s a fierce anti-Latino sentiment in this state. These courses are about justice and equity, and what is happening is that the Legislature is trying to narrow the reality of those things. Who are the true Americans here — those embracing our inalienable rights or those trying to diminish them?”-- Augustine F. Romero, New York Times

No room at the reform table for educators

"A big part of the problem is that the conversation has been hijacked by corporate leaders who

NJ Spotlight | Educator Evaluation Expected To Be Part of Christie's State of the State

NJ Spotlight | Educator Evaluation Expected To Be Part of Christie's State of the State

Educator Evaluation Expected To Be Part of Christie's State of the State

Full implementation of teacher evaluation system could be two years off

print | email | share

By John Mooney, January 10 in Education |

Whatever recommendation comes out of Gov. Chris Christie’s Educator Effectiveness Task Force in the coming months, don’t look for a new system for evaluating school teachers and principals to go statewide for at least a couple of years.

Related Links

The Clock Is Ticking for Teacher Effectiveness Task Force

NJ SMART

Christie is expected in his State of the State address tomorrow to press his proposals for more tightly coupling teacher and principal performance with student achievement, a plan that could change how educators are tenured, promoted and paid.

But away from the rhetoric and into the details, a number of factors and obstacles point to a painstaking process that even the strongest advocates say will take time to accomplish.

Pilot Tests

The leader of the governor’s task force, which is charged with recommending a statewide evaluation system by March, said this weekend that it would make sense to start with a few pilot districts to test

Chalk is STILL free speech! « Occupy UCI!

Chalk is STILL free speech! « Occupy UCI!

Chalk is STILL free speech!

by Mr. F

Monday January 10 • 11:30am • UCI Flagpoles

Last quarter, police detained 9 students for chalking political messages on campus and immediately washed it away. While the issue of chalking seems silly, it is representative of a larger free speech problem on campus. Last year, police were used to remove posters advertising rallies, and Reservations has routinely denied events sponsored by activist groups, while communicating closely with the Office of Student Conduct about reservation

Schools Matter: Imagine's Divorcee; Fined in Florida

Schools Matter: Imagine's Divorcee; Fined in Florida

Imagine's Divorcee; Fined in Florida

by Kenneth Libby

Things are looking up for a charter school that divorced themselves from Imagine less than a year ago. From theAtlanta Journal-Constitution:

“We were spending lots of money on management fees that should have been spent on children,” said [Principal Kay] Frey of the split.

The school eventually restructured and kept its county charter.

“We had to get to what our charter values were

A Conversation with Howard Zinn | Dailycensored.com

A Conversation with Howard Zinn | Dailycensored.com

A Conversation with Howard Zinn

Written by Solomon ComissiongDaily Journal (Opinion), Education, Media, War and PeaceJan 9, 2011

0digg

Share

A classic interview with Dr. Howard Zinn from the archives of Your World News Media: