Blue Jersey:: Q. Are We Not Teachers? The Devolution of Education

Blue Jersey:: Q. Are We Not Teachers? The Devolution of Education:

Q. Are We Not Teachers? The Devolution of Education

by A New Jersey Farmer

promoted by Rosi
Cross-posted at A New Jersey FarmerWe seem to have come to a critical point in the education deform movement. No, that's not a typo: I don't mean reform, I mean deform, because the people who want to use unreliable and faulty data to evaluate teachers and deny educators their negotiated due process rights are not reformers and never have been. They are out to twist education from a public responsibility to a privatized option whose purpose is to serve the needs of their wealthy supporters at the expense of unions and educators who know best how the system works and how it can best serve children.
It's high time that policy makers, including Governors, Commissioners of Education (including ACTING Commissioners) and government officials respect the fact that educators know what works in the classroom and that they need to be intimately involved in the decision-making process. If you don't include the stakeholders, any efforts at improving education will ultimately fail. We need to be loud and clear about what's at stake, and to call for real reform that benefits parents, students and teachers. Please join me in expressing your concern 

Yong Zhao » Blog Archive » Pass the book, but which one?

Yong Zhao » Blog Archive » Pass the book, but which one?:

Pass the book, but which one?

by YongZhao

Pass the book, but which one?

To be globally competitive, we should all begin to use chopsticks because chopsticks produce better education outcomes as measured by the international gold standard of education the OECD’s PISA, which tests 15 year olds in math, reading, and sciences, and TIMSS, which assess 9-10 and 13-14 year olds math and science abilities. The top five performers in the 2009 PISA math (Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan) all use chopsticks, so do the top five in TIMSS math in 2007 (Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong), in 2003, and 1999. And PISA and TIMSS scores are what drive nations’ economic growth and back their global competitiveness.

Such is the logic of the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and OCED’s PISA group, exemplified by Friedman’s March 11^th, 2012 column Pass the Book, Hold the Oil. Citing a correlational analysis between PISA math scores and the total earnings on natural resources as a percentage of GDP, Friedman attempts 

The Frustrated Teacher: @Jillsmo: I Am A Feminist (TFT Is Too!)

The Frustrated Teacher: @Jillsmo: I Am A Feminist (TFT Is Too!):

@Jillsmo: I Am A Feminist (TFT Is Too!)

I am a feminist

I am a woman, but I am not a victim.

Society may think that I need its protection, but society is wrong.  I don't need your laws protecting my vanity; protecting my womanhood. I can protect myself. Your well crafted, media tested talking points do not speak for me; I can speak for myself.

I am responsible for the choices that I make and the things that I say and do. I will choose what I eat and drink and what medications I take. I am in charge of 

Free Webinar: Creating Communities of Support for Implementing the Common Core State Standards — Whole Child Education

Free Webinar: Creating Communities of Support for Implementing the Common Core State Standards — Whole Child Education:

Free Webinar: Creating Communities of Support for Implementing the Common Core State Standards

by Klea Scharberg

You don't have to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) alone! District, school, and classroom personnel can collaborate and create communities of support toward successful implementation. Join ASCD Author Judy Carr as she discusses how to create the communities and shares specific protocols and processes that attendees can use immediately.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 3:00 p.m. eastern time
Register now!

In this webinar, you will

• Explore questions and processes for gaining shared understanding of the standards.
• Become Critical Consumers.
• Learn how to use data and engage in Data Dialogues as a key element of collaboration.
• Learn how to support learners to successfully attain the CCSS.

Carr is co-director of the Center of Curriculum Renewal and has expertise in K–12 curriculum, instruction, and assessment; standards-based education reform; design of professional development materials and processes; systems change implementation with leadership teams in school districts and state agencies; and middle grades education. She has been a teacher, curriculum director, and most recently, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of South Florida at Sarasota/Manatee. Connect with Carr by e-mail at ccrlearn@aol.com.
Explore forthcoming and archived ASCD webinars.

A Dinner « Bill Ayers

A Dinner « Bill Ayers:

A Dinner

by billayers

 In December, 2011 a tiny but wondrous Chicago program of the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) launched an on-line auction to raise needed cash for its public programming. The Public Square was celebrating its Tenth Anniversary, and Bernardine and I had been on its Advisory Board from the start. We kicked in what money we could, and we donated two items to the auction: choice seats at a Cubs game and an afternoon at beautiful Wrigley Field with Bernardine—an ardent and unruly fan—and dinner for six, cooked by team Ayers/Dohrn. We’ve done the dinner thing two dozen times over the years— for a local baseball camp, a law students’ public interest group, alternative spring break, immigrant rights organizing, and a lot of other worthy work—and we’ve typically raised a few hundred dollars. There were many more attractive items on that year’s list: Alex Kotlowitz was available to edit twenty pages of a non-fiction manuscript, Gordon Quinn to discuss documentary film projects over dinner, and Kevin Coval to write and spit an original poem for the highest bidder.
We paid little attention as the online auction launched and then inched onward—a hundred dollars, two hundred, 

Democurmudgeon: Just as Republicans are expanding charter schools nationwide, charters are cutting costs just to survive.

Democurmudgeon: Just as Republicans are expanding charter schools nationwide, charters are cutting costs just to survive.:

Just as Republicans are expanding charter schools nationwide, charters are cutting costs just to survive.

by Democurmudgeon

Cuts to education not only affect public schools, but charterand voucher schools. With tighter state budgets, and continued ideologicalslashing of education budgets, schools will have no choice but seek out thecheapest route to survive as a business, no matter how it fails our children.

If this sounds absolutely outrageous, and not what youthought would happen to your kid’s education, then you haven’t been paying attentionto all the “naysayers,” who have been vilified by the far right.

Liberty and choice sound wonderful, until you figure out ithas nothing to do with reality. Check out the cutting and slashing taking placein charter schools now. Oh, remember when we had public schools…?

Hybrid charter schools—those that blend online andface-to-face instruction—has been growing 

Teachers’ lounge: Chicago techs get their jobs back and back pay. « Fred Klonsky

Teachers’ lounge: Chicago techs get their jobs back and back pay. « Fred Klonsky:

Teachers’ lounge: Chicago techs get their jobs back and back pay.

by Fred Klonsky

(Pictured above from left) CTU PRSP Field Specialist Anthony Lopez, Technicians Shelia Lott, Technician Darnitia Ciscero, CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey, Technician Tangela Burton, Technician Gloria Prince, Technician Robert Faulkner, Technician Edna Johnson, PRSP Field Specialist Anita Burks, CTU President Karen GJ Lewis, CTU Financial Secretary Kristine Mayle, Technician Cheryl Jolly-Hansford, CTU PRSP Field Staff Coordinator June Davis, Technician Percy Suggs, and CTU Recording Secretary Michael Brunson.
Did you hear about the eight techs that were fired a year ago?
The union got their jobs back. With back pay.
Here’s the story.
The eight paraprofessionals test kids for hearing and vision loss. All eight are African American and worked in schools with high needs kids.
The CTU explains it. More than three-fourths of CPS students come from families who are eligible for free lunch. The relationship between poverty and academics is well documented. About 15,000 CPS students are 

ASTD 2012 International Conference & Exposition, May 6 - 9, 2012

2012 International Conference & Exposition:

The Premier Global Event for Workplace Learning & Development Professionals Advanced Rates Expire April 2, 2012. Register today and save 300!* Looking for the answers to your burning learning questions? At the ASTD 2012 International Conference & Exposition, May 6 - 9, 2012, in Denver, Colorado, we’re bringing together the smartest people in the industry including world-renowned thought leaders and the top learning and development suppliers. Combine that with networking opportunities with 8,000 of your colleagues and more than 300 education sessions designed to answer your toughest questions. Now you’ve got an event you can’t afford to miss. Top reasons to register for ASTD 2012 today! Largest conference in the workplace learning development field providing the most choices for your development 300 top rated educational sessions World-renowned speakers Networking with more than 8,000 like-minded peers from around the globe World-class expo World-Renowned Speakers Keynotes: Jim Collins Author and Management Educator It’s one thing to rise to greatness.  It’s another to do so in a time of upheaval, disruption, and economic turmoil. How do some companies do it? Jim Collins identifies seven companies that beat their industry index by 10 times during unstable periods. Find out how some companies don’t merely react; they create. How they don’t merely survive; they prevail. John Kao Chairman, Institute for Large Scale Innovation Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Innovation Dubbed “Mr. Creativity” by The Economist, John calls himself an innovation activist.  He is chairman of the Institute for Large Scale Innovation, whose i20 group is an association of 30 national ‘Chief Innovation Officers.’  John coined the term “large scale innovation” to refer to innovation as a societal agenda.  He has advised numerous nations and regions on innovation strategy and execution, including Finland, Singapore, the City of San Francisco, Abu Dhabi and elements of the US government as well as the European Union innovation policy team. Heidi Grant Halvorson Associate Director, Motivation Science Center Columbia University Business School We all have goals we fail to reach, but as Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson has found, most of us have no idea why we fail to reach them. In her keynote, she shows us how we can finally win by revealing how goals really work – and by showing us how to avoid what typically goes wrong when we try to achieve them. Going beyond such obvious (and not very helpful) advice as “stay positive!” she offers insights – many surprising – that you can use immediately. *$300 savings is for individual registration only, not applicable to team, delegation or student rates. 1640 King Street | Box 1443 | Alexandria | VA | 22313 You have received this message as a subscriber to WorkplaceXpert. If you no longer wish to receive messages of this type, please click here

FREE On-Demand Webcast As a special offer to WorkplaceXpert subscribers, please enjoy access to one of our member only webcasts presented by ASTD 2012 speaker Beverly Kaye.   Career Development: A Key Engagement Driver  Recorded:  September 20, 2011 Presenter: Beverly Kaye, Co-author ofLove 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay and editor of the new bestseller Learn Like a Leader Today employees across the board need to be fast, flexible and fluid in managing their development. More than ever, as organizations move toward recovery, they must maximize the contribution of all employees; one of the best ways to do this is by providing them with skills, pathways for growth and learning, and the resources to increase their opportunities within the organization. Never before has career development been so critical. Click here to watch the webcast.  Year-Round Professional Development PLUS Big Savings.ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) members save hundreds of dollars on ASTD 2012 conference registration, plus get 24/7 access to T+Dmagazine, Watch & Learn webcasts, ASTD research, and more. Click here to learn more about membership or join ASTD when registering for the conference to save big.

Why I Hate Teach for America:

Why I Hate Teach for America

By Anna on 8.23.2008

Like many English majors who have reached their senior year of college and are unsure of what kind of job they can get with that specialized B.A. in interwar period lesbian literature, five years ago I applied to both Teach for America (TFA) and the New York City Teaching Fellows (NYCTF). I was promptly rejected by both, but applied to NYCTF again the following year, this time checking the “yes, I would be interested in teaching education” and “yes, I would be interested in teaching mathematics even though I did not major in it” boxes.

Like magic, I was accepted into NYCTF’s “math immersion program,” which provided me with a whole two weeks of extra training in math before the seven weeks of “pre-service training” that all Teaching Fellows go through 

Teacher Evaluation: Principals, Principles And Power | Edwize

Teacher Evaluation: Principals, Principles And Power | Edwize:

Teacher Evaluation: Principals, Principles And Power

by Leo Casey

On the Schoolbook blog of the New York Times, Philip Weinberg takes issue with my two Edwize posts (Part 1and Part 2) on New York’s new teacher evaluation law. Weinberg is a principal of a New York City public high school and a supporter of the widely circulated Long Island principals’ letter criticizing the New York teacher evaluation law, and he writes that my posts are a response to that letter. On this point, he is simply wrong: even a cursory reading of the posts makes it clear that I did not discuss the letter, but rather set out to provide a comprehensive explanation of the more important and complex features of the new teacher evaluation framework. But Weinberg’s reading of the issues involving teacher evaluation is nonetheless worth addressing, as it brings much needed clarity to the underlying agenda of the principals’ letter. And since the UFT’s stance toward the Long Island principals’ letter is a frequent matter of speculation, it provides an opportunity to explain where we stand.
In his post, Weinberg writes:

My concern about the agreement is that a large portion of a teacher’s evaluation is to be taken out 

Gov.Jindal has a death wish agenda for K-12 education in Louisiana « Parents Across America

Gov.Jindal has a death wish agenda for K-12 education in Louisiana « Parents Across America:

Gov.Jindal has a death wish agenda for K-12 education in Louisiana

by leoniehaimson

Things are bad everywhere but nowhere is it worse than in Louisiana, where Gov. Bobby Jindal and State Superintendent John White threaten to annihilate the state’s public schools with budget cuts, vouchers, the expansion of virtual charters, the erosion of teacher rights, and other forms of noxious corporate reform.  The following is by  Don Whittinghill , a consultant to the Louisiana School Boards Association (LSBA),  a non-profit service organization representing local school board members in 69 local systems.

Gov. Bobby Jindal has an agenda for K-12 education in Louisiana.

He says it is about change.  Several elements of his legislative initiatives contribute to a 

Shanker Blog » Dispatches From The Nexus Of Bad Research And Bad Journalism

Shanker Blog » Dispatches From The Nexus Of Bad Research And Bad Journalism:

Dispatches From The Nexus Of Bad Research And Bad Journalism

by Matthew Di Carlo

In a recent story, the New York Daily News uses the recently-released teacher data reports (TDRs) to “prove” that the city’s charter school teachers are better than their counterparts in regular public schools. The headline announces boldly: New York City charter schools have a higher percentage of better teachers than public schools (it has since been changed to: “Charters outshine public schools”).
Taking things even further, within the article itself, the reporters note, “The newly released records indicate charters have higher performing teachers than regular public schools.”
So, not only are they equating words like “better” with value-added scores, but they’re obviously comfortable drawing conclusions about these traits based on the TDR data.
The article is a pretty remarkable display of both poor journalism and poor research. The reporters not only 

Digital | Virginia bill would let districts veto enrollment in online programs

Digital | Virginia bill would let districts veto enrollment in online programs:

Virginia bill would let districts veto enrollment in online programs

by Michael Horn

Entering 2012, the state of Virginia was coping with the effects of a faulty funding formula, which did not provide equity for all students statewide, that the existence of full-time virtual schools had exposed.
Senate Bill 598 was introduced in January to fix the problem by insuring fair funding for public school students who wanted access to full-time, statewide virtual schools that had been approved by during a rigorous review process by the Virginia Department of Education. The fixes—themselves worked through in a lengthy and rigorous process—insured fair funding not only for the students, but also in a way that could work for the districts.
In the last week of February, however, changes were introduced to the bill that struck out all of the well-balanced 

Schools Matter: Krash Course 3

Schools Matter: Krash Course 3:

Krash Course 3

by P. L. Thomas

Ever wonder how you can become an educator, education expert, or education reformer?

Well, since 60 Minutes has bought into the most recent con-de-jure, the Khan Academy, let's consider how people become educators.

How about Secretary of Education Arne Duncan?

Peter Smagorinsky puts it best:

"Let’s trace his path to the presidential Cabinet. One of Duncan’s childhood friends, John Rogers, appointed Duncan director of the Ariel Education Initiative in Chicago. Duncan’s directorship led to Ariel’s reincarnation as a charter school, following which Duncan was advanced in the Chicago Public School system from deputy chief of staff to chief executive officer. Note that he worked exclusively at the executive level, never stooping to teach classes or learn about schools except from an operational perspective."

Or how about Bill Gates? This one is easy, to become an education expert or education reformer, amass billions 

Schools Matter: The Stomach of Austerity

Schools Matter: The Stomach of Austerity:

The Stomach of Austerity

by Jim Horn

Idiot!

 A very good article here from the pressofAtlanticCity:

By DIANE D’AMICOEducation Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com 

Southern New Jersey towns with the highest unemployment and poverty in the state will also be among the hardest hit by school-funding reforms proposed by the state Department of Education and Gov. Chris Christie.

The four southernmost counties, Cape May, Atlantic, Salem and Cumberland rank at the bottom of the state in child welfare measures, according to the 2011 Kids Count report by Advocates for Children of New Jersey. Those four counties also have the highest unemployment rates in the state, with Cape May at 14 percent in December and Atlantic County at 12.4 percent compared 

An organizer’s New Business Item. « Fred Klonsky

An organizer’s New Business Item. « Fred Klonsky:

An organizer’s New Business Item.

by Fred Klonsky

At this coming weekend’s Representative Assembly I plan to introduce a New Business Item that directs the IEA Board to create an opt-in, password protected data base where members can go to contact directly other IEA members who live in their legislative districts.
This is an organizer’s NBI. It would decentralize our organizing at the grass roots level and make it less bureaucratic to mobilize members.
I have received some expressions of concern about cost and complexity.
My tech expert advisers tell me that the IFT already has a database of members sorted by legislative districts.
He says that this NBI represents a level of technology that office secretaries in the 1990s

TEMECULA: Financial problems, mismanagement doomed charter school | Breaking News | PE.com - Press-Enterprise

TEMECULA: Financial problems, mismanagement doomed charter school | Breaking News | PE.com - Press-Enterprise:

TEMECULA: Financial problems, mismanagement doomed charter school

1 of 3

BY MICHELLE L. KLAMPE

STAFF WRITER

mklampe@pe.com

Published: 11 March 2012 09:08 PM

A Text Size  

Temecula’s Context Middle School was billed as a small learning environment where teachers would emphasize how lessons related to the real world.

When it opened in August, the charter school set out to focus on technology and the arts, with dozens of laptops for students and music lessons during and after school.

Less than six months and more than $800,000 in taxpayer dollars later, Context was gone.

It joins a list of 26 other Inland charter schools that have closed or 

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee, Governor Branstad and Masking Tapegate | Blog for Iowa

Michelle Rhee, Governor Branstad and Masking Tapegate | Blog for Iowa:

Michelle Rhee, Governor Branstad and Masking Tapegate

March 12, 2012 | Author Trish Nelson

On Monday, Governor Branstad will meet with the former Chancellor of DC public schools, Michelle Rhee. As a former teacher, Rhee once put masking tape over her students’ mouths to keep them quiet on the way to lunch.

This is no joke, although you can watch the video of her joking about it right here.

As you watch and listen to this very strange video, keep in mind:  This  is Governor Branstad’s idea of who should be telling Iowa how to educate Iowa’s kids.

Rhee is currently under federal investigation for a major role in the “Erasergate” standardized tests cheating scandal in the DC public schools.  According to the NYTimes:

“Ms. Rhee’s reputation as a national leader of the education reform movement has rested on those test scores, which soared while she was chancellor. Then, last March, USA Today  published the results of a yearlong investigation of the Washington schools that found a high rate of erasures on tests as well as suspiciously large gains at 41 schools — one-third of the elementary and middle schools in the district. “  When Standardized Test Scores Soared in D.C., Were the Gains Real?

 

 ASK THE GOVERNOR

Why are you inviting Rhee, a failed teacher, fired administrator