A new idea: shared poetry | Taking Note

A new idea: shared poetry | Taking Note:

A new idea: shared poetry

by JOHN MERROW on 29. NOV, 2011 in EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, EDUCATION PHILOSOPHIES, EDUCATIONAL LANGUAGE,FRED ROGERS, TALKING THE TALK, THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS, INNOVATION, MEDIA, PARENTING, TEACHING

If you live in or around NYC, John will be appearing in conversation with Randi Weingarten — the topic is “Unions and the Future Of Our Schools” — on Wednesday, December 14. Click here for tickets and info.

Stop reading right now If you are a strong ‘back to basics,’ no-frills education person, because this column is about as far away as humanly possible from your notions of what should be happening in schools.

However, if you teach in high school or middle school — or if you are worried about the narrowing of the curriculum — please stay with me.

In a given month, between 30,000 and 40,000 people read this blog; I am hoping that at least a few of you are HS or MS teachers who are committed to the arts. Or perhaps non-teachers who share that

Interview with Diane Ravitch: California's Rejection of NCLB Waivers Sends a Message - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Interview with Diane Ravitch: California's Rejection of NCLB Waivers Sends a Message - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Interview with Diane Ravitch: California's Rejection of NCLB Waivers Sends a Message

by Anthony Cody

California, with more public school students than any other state, has surprised many by declining to apply for waivers to No Child Left Behind. The implications of this decision are far-reaching, and so in the coming weeks I am going to be asking a variety of educational leaders for their thoughts. Today, I am sharing the thoughts of education historian Diane Ravitch.

What do you think of the decision by elected leaders in California to forgo the opportunity to apply for waivers to NCLB?

I was very pleased when California decided to turn down the waivers for California. I think it took a lot of courage by Governor Brown and Superintendent Torlakson.

What do you think the down side of applying for these waivers would have been?

One of the many problems with NCLB is that it came packaged with unrealistic, expensive and heavy-handed federal mandates. It

The Closer goes to work. Ten CPS schools targeted. « Fred Klonsky

The Closer goes to work. Ten CPS schools targeted. « Fred Klonsky:

The Closer goes to work. Ten CPS schools targeted.

by Fred Klonsky

I reported on the new position at CPS: The Closer.

Oliver Sicat, officially known at the Chief Portfolio Officer, met the press with his boss J.C. Brizard to announce ten schools target for immediate turnaround.

Not closing officially. But that’s only because they claim there is no good school to send the students to if they closed the school.

Some of the targeted schools have not even completed the million dollar reform efforts previously imposed on

Gingrich on school and work: More than a bad idea - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Gingrich on school and work: More than a bad idea - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Gingrich on school and work: More than a bad idea

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 7 minutes ago

This was *written by Mike Rose, who is on the faculty of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and is the author of “The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker,” and “Why School?: Reclaiming Education for All of Us.” * By Mike Rose During a Q&A after a recent speech at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, former speaker of the House and current Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich offered “a very simple model” to address income inequality that he said he has held “for years.” The first step is to do away with child lab...more »

The value of a veteran teacher

The Answer Sheet - 7 minutes ago

The students mobbed Sandra Geddes when she showed up for the November meeting of the Aqua Eagles Ecology Club at Westbrook Elementary School in Bethesda. It wasn’t because she brought them sugar cookies in the shape of crabs. These kids know and value great teaching. Their appreciation of this veteran educator could offer a lesson for some of today’s school reformers. Read full article >>

Common Core standards pose dilemmas for early childhood

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 8 hours ago

This was *written by Samuel J. Meisels, president of Erikson Institute, a graduate school in child development located in Chicago.* * By Samuel J. Meisels After a decade of concerns and criticisms about the lack of rigorous national standards in the No Child Left Behind Act, we now have a set of ambitious standards for use nationwide — the Common Core State Standards. Since their formulation two years ago, these standards have been adopted by 45 states, were made a precondition for funding in the Race to the Top competition, and have begun to influence the development of new c... more »

Kansas Gov. Brownback’s apology to tweeting student

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 16 hours ago

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback today admitted that his staff overreacted in getting a student in trouble with her principal after she tweeted something negative about him — and he apologized. Here’s the full apology, posted on his Facebook page: *“My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms.* Read full article >>

Should tweeting teen apologize to Kansas governor?

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago

Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. Here’s the story, as reported by the Kansas City Star: A senior from Shawnee Mission East High School went with some students to Topeka to learn about the political process. They listened to a speech by Gov. Sam Brownback and during the event, Emma Sullivan, 18, tweeted this from the back of the crowd: “Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person...” Read full article >>

Boys joining girls’ swim teams in high school

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago

A growing number of boys are joining girls’ high school swim teams in Massachusetts and authorities that regulate athletics aren’t quite sure what to make of it. *The Boston Globe* reports that the issue became more problematic recently when a boy broke a meet record for girls’ 50-yard freestyle. With more boys on girls’ swim teams this fall than ever, the state’s Interscholastic Athletic Association is expected in January to try to figure out how to handle the new record and the overall policy. Read full article >>

Library group denounces book destruction at Occupy Wall Street

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago

The American Library Association has denounced the destruction of books at a library set up by Occupy Wall Street when New York police raided a park where protesters were staying earlier this month. The ALA, the oldest and largest library association in the world, issued a release that said some of its members who had visited the site before the Nov. 15 raid in Zuccotti Park had praised the People’s Library for having a balanced, catalogued collection of materials that included works of different views. Read full article >>

NASA sets high bar for wannabe astronauts

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago

NASA, which today sent its new rover Curiosity to Mars to explore whether the planet could have ever sustained life, is now accepting applications for a new corps of astronauts — and the qualifications are tough. Not all undergraduate college degrees are accepted, program quality matters, masters and doctorates are beneficial, and post-college experience is required. Those who have trouble with math and science need not apply. Read full article >>

The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago

Challenging Reformers’ Conventional Wisdom about Structures and Classroom Practice | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Challenging Reformers’ Conventional Wisdom about Structures and Classroom Practice | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Challenging Reformers’ Conventional Wisdom about Structures and Classroom Practice

by larrycuban

Restructure school governance by creating site councils where teachers and principal decide about curriculum, organization, and instruction. Restructure the comprehensive high school into small high schools with longer school days, teachers as advisers, and a college prep curriculum. Restructure teaching and learning by equipping students with laptops (or tablets) and have students taking online courses a few hours a day. Restructure teacher staff development by establishing professional learning communities.

Policymakers love creating new and different structures because they believe such arrangements will alter how teachers teach and then lead to more and better student learning. But that chain of assumptions has a few kinks in it.

Researchers have discovered (and rediscovered), however, that once new structures are put into place—school

NYC Public School Parents: video: Leonie Haimson, Aaron Pallas and Danielle Lee on mayoral control

NYC Public School Parents: video: Leonie Haimson, Aaron Pallas and Danielle Lee on mayoral control:

video: Leonie Haimson, Aaron Pallas and Danielle Lee on mayoral control

by Leonie Haimson

On Nov. 17, I appeared on the BronxNet TV show Perspectives, which asked the question, "Are We Experiencing an Education Crisis?" The show was hosted by Darren Jaime, and the other panelists included Aaron Pallas of Columbia University; Sophia James, consultant, and Dr. Danielle Lee, head of the Harlem Education Activities Fund (HEAF).

The entire show is well worth watching. Here is an excerpt focused on who is ultimately responsible for the failure of NYC public schools:

UC Davis Administration Promises End to Police Infiltration | THOSE WHO USE IT

UC Davis Administration Promises End to Police Infiltration | THOSE WHO USE IT:

UC Davis Administration Promises End to Police Infiltration

Posted on April 12, 2011 | 1 Comment

If you recall, a FOIA public records request by a UC Davis student recently revealed that the administration had created a special undercover police unit designed to covertly infiltrate the student movement. We have now learned that orders may have come from Yudof himself, and similar units may exist on other (if not all) UC campuses. We have already heard about similar infiltration attempts at Berkeley and Santa Cruz. The national ACLU is now involved; we’ll continue to post updates as they come in.

UC Davis students held a press conference this morning on precisely this

Using Fitness Literacy Lessons Focused on the Whole Child « Whole Child Education

The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:

Using Fitness Literacy Lessons Focused on the Whole Child

November 28th, 2011 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

Post submitted by Michael F. Opitz, a former elementary school teacher and reading specialist, current professor of reading at the University of Northern Colorado, and featured guest on the Whole Child Podcast. He is well known to teachers, instructional leaders, and researchers as the author of numerous professional and curricular resources and through extensive professional development work in schools nationwide. Connect with Opitz by liking his page onFacebook and by e-mailing him at Michael.Opitz@unco.edu.

Nine years ago, I was talking with an elementary school principal about scheduling my university tutoring class in his school. Among my concerns was making sure that the children to be tutored did not have to miss recess. His question, “What recess?” was startling and

Unified to grapple with anti-poverty funds | SignOnSanDiego.com

Unified to grapple with anti-poverty funds | SignOnSanDiego.com:

Unified to grapple with anti-poverty funds

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego school board is set to decide how to distribute federal anti-poverty funds on Tuesday, continuing a heated debate that has divided teachers, parents and their elected representatives.

The board appears poised to reverse a decision made last year to raise the school poverty threshold for distributing federal Title I funds. Trustees all but decided to rescind that vote on Nov. 8.

Under a proposal from trustee John Lee Evans, the San Diego Unified School District would continue to distribute the funds on a sliding scale to schools where at least 40 percent of students qualify for free lunch. Schools with the highest rates of poverty would get the most money, as

Maureen Magee

7:21 p.m., Nov. 28, 2011

Also see »

• Unified to grapple with anti-poverty funds

• Tangle of school funding may hamper restoration of cuts

• Price charities donate $50 million to USC

Modern School: Let Them Eat Tomato Paste!

Modern School: Let Them Eat Tomato Paste!:

Let Them Eat Tomato Paste!

by Michael Dunn

25 years ago Reagan declared that ketchup was a vegetable in an attempt to red wash the greasy, salty, processed foods served in school cafeterias. Today, in spite of Michelle Obama’s duplicitous attempt to nip the obesity epidemic in the bud (see here and here), we are seeing the same game replayed, with Congress approving agriculture appropriations language allowing the tomato paste on pizza to be considered a serving of vegetables under the USDA’s new school lunch guidelines.

If we really cared about our children’s health, we would do away completely with processed foods manufactured thousands of miles away and trucked across the country in a plume of carbon dioxide and particulate air pollution. We would retrain and promote the low wage

God's Approval Rating Is Down

by Michael Dunn

According to the Harper's Index, only 52% of Americans approve of God's job performance.

The question I have is how 48% of Americans suddenly got the chutzpah to judge God in the first place. Has the OWS movement helped them to finally see that he is a member of the 1%? Have they given up their belief that he is omnipotent and infallible? Are they ready to occupy Heaven until he does a better job?