Diane Ravitch: the promise and perils of online teaching | Educating Ourselves

Diane Ravitch: the promise and perils of online teaching | Educating Ourselves:

Diane Ravitch: the promise and perils of online teaching

By Mary McConnell, Monday, March 19, 2012 at 6:02 pm MST

Diane Ravitch used to be my favorite educational historian (her 2000 book Left Back is still probably the best single account of a century of school reform run amok.) In recent years she’s undergone a conversion to the status quo, which disappoints me. If you want to know why, here’s a link to my review of her later book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, which was published in the journal  First Things.

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/05/apostasy-sells

Last week Ms. Ravitch gave the keynote address at a conference of Computer-Using  

RheeFirst! » Once again, Michelle Rhee-form fails in DC– Her Middle School Muddle

RheeFirst! » Once again, Michelle Rhee-form fails in DC– Her Middle School Muddle:
Once again, Michelle Rhee-form fails in DC– Her Middle School Muddle

by admin

Written by Ken Arche for Greater Greater Washington. Read the entire article here.
“Former Chancellor Michelle Rhee created many of the PS-8 schools in 2008-2009 in response to parental opposition to school closings. By adding middle school grades to existing elementary schools, the new PS-8 schools were intended to reduce the impact of school closings on Ward 5 parents… What lessons should be learned from Kelly Miller, or from the failing Ward 5 middle schools that were closed or merged by Chancellor Rhee? How can those lessons be applied when building new middle schools in Ward 5? Unfortunately, DCPS would provide no answer to these questions…
Filardo explains that research indicates no difference in educational outcomes between middle schools and PS-8 schools. Ward 5 parents’ support for the move, says Filardo, is what will make the difference.“

U.S. Education Reform and National Security - Council on Foreign Relations

U.S. Education Reform and National Security - Council on Foreign Relations

U.S. Education Reform and National Security

Chairs: Joel I. Klein, News Corporation and Condoleezza Rice, Stanford University
Director: Julia Levy, Culture Craver

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Overview

The United States' failure to educate its students leaves them unprepared to compete and threatens the country's ability to thrive in a global economy and maintain its leadership role, finds a new Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)–sponsored Independent Task Force report on U.S. Education Reform and National Security.
"Educational failure puts the United States' future economic prosperity, global position, and physical safety at risk," warns the Task Force, chaired by Joel I. Klein, former head of New York City public schools, and Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. secretary of state. The country "will not be able to keep pace—much less lead—globally unless it moves to fix the problems i

Itchy Triggers

Itchy Triggers:
Itchy Triggers

by Sam

Should parents who are unhappy with their local school have the power to replace the entire staff, turn it into a charter school, or shut it down completely – even if just 51% of the school’s families agree?
It’s an enticing, polarizing proposal – the so-called “parent trigger.” It’s also now a law in four states, and the subject of debate in scores of others. But is it a good idea? In the end, will parent-trigger laws help parents more effectively ensure a high-quality public education for their children, or will they result in a reckless short-circuiting of the democratic process itself?
The answer, of course, is “it depends,” and what it depends on is the way parents and communities go about evaluating the quality of their neighborhood schools – and, when necessary, deciding on the most constructive path forward.
Here’s what we know: having more parents more directly engaged in the education of their children is a highly desirable goal. If teachers are the incremental x-factor to a student’s success in school, parents are the 

Geaux Teacher!: HOUSE DEBATE SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY!

Geaux Teacher!: HOUSE DEBATE SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY!:

HOUSE DEBATE SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY!

by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT)

This post came from Mike Deshotel's blog - the link is on this page and his posts will provide more information about the RED CARD INITIATIVE. I am working on a page that will allow you to watch the live cast of the proceedings and to comment for our legislators at the same time. Stay Tuned for Follow The Bill Louisiana.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Jindal Bills on House Floor Thursday 

LAE lobbyist Shane Riddle informed me this morning that HB 974 and HB 976 are scheduled for consideration on the House Floor starting at 9:00 a. m. Thursday, March 22. The debate could be extensive.

The following are my suggestions for reaching your Representative in the next 3 days. You may telephone your Representative at the capitol at 225-342-6945. They are expected to be in committee meetings during most of the day Tuesday and Wednesday, so try leaving a message asking your Rep. to return your call. Both of those days, the House floor will be in session starting at 4:00 p. m. Your best chance of reaching them would be from 

This Week In Education: Quotes: TFA Founder Under Fire For Value-Added Views

This Week In Education: Quotes: TFA Founder Under Fire For Value-Added Views:
Quotes: TFA Founder Under Fire For Value-Added Views

by Alexander Russo

Either her message has gotten lost or she seems to have lost some urgency over ensuring we’re making sure every year for every kid counts (because we know the consequences of the alternative for too many are dire). 
 - Unnamed TFA alumni responding to Wendy Kopp oped last week  plus Kopp response via Whitney Tilson (see below)
FROM TILSON
After reading [Kopp's oped piece last week], one of my readers (and a former TFA corps and staff member) wrote the following:
Maybe I missed it, but I haven’t seen you or anyone else in your email group comment on Wendy’s WSJ op-ed about the publishing of the NYC value-added data, which had me a little confused…either her message has 

PWCS 2012 School Division Budget Update « PWC Education Reform Blog

PWCS 2012 School Division Budget Update « PWC Education Reform Blog:

PWCS 2012 School Division Budget Update

by pwceducationreform

PWCS 2012 School Division Budget Update

March 20, 2012 — pwceducationreform

2012 School Division Budget Update
Amid all the hyperbole and hysteria, it seem the PWC school board will be voting on a final budget on the 21st of March.  The budget has been updated and now includes a 2% across the board salary increase for all employees.  That increase comes at the cost of a .5% across the board spending cut, including reduced school budgets, and increased class sizes.  Our MS and HS class sizes will now be the state maximum.
Several things are still in limbo – namely the cost of competing adjustment (COCA) and whether school division employees will be expected to contribute towards their pensions.  Our state legislators have told the school division that they expect the 

Milwaukee Teachers’ Union Leadership Proposes Bold Move for Kids with “MPS Children’s Week” Campaign « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Milwaukee Teachers’ Union Leadership Proposes Bold Move for Kids with “MPS Children’s Week” Campaign « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Milwaukee Teachers’ Union Leadership Proposes Bold Move for Kids with “MPS Children’s Week” Campaign

by millerlf

My Pledge:
Larry Miller
Scott Walker is like the feudal magistrate who destroys the dam, floods the valley and then criticizes the villagers for not stockpiling enough sandbags.
Dealing with the aftermath of Walker’s horrific cuts has been devastating to our public schools and to the community. And teachers have been at the forefront of the struggle to stand up and reclaim our state.
But right now we have to do something to stop the flooding. Cuts in staffing have meant growing classroom sizes in MPS – and that’s putting our students’ success in jeopardy. MPS Children’s Week, as proposed by the

Milwaukee Parents Support Milwaukee Teachers

by millerlf

From: I Love My Public Schools

For Immediate Release – Friday, March 15
Contact: Angela McManaman, 414‐793‐4815
MILWAUKEE – Parents in Milwaukee Public Schools today are praising a bold initiative undertaken by the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) to invest more resources in district classrooms and help Milwaukee’s children. “Good things are happening in MPS,” adds Tanya Ingvolstad‐Otero, an MPS alumna and mother of four bilingual MPS students. “MPS has excellent teachers who succeed against all odds. I stand with the teachers today just as they stand every day with my children and all of Milwaukee’s children.”
“I know how hard our teachers work every day to meet the needs of our children,” says Jasmine Alinder, an MPS

MPS Public Hearing for Student Bill of Rights To Be Held This Thursday at 5:30

by millerlf

Following is a Student Bill of Rights written by student members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), a youth organization associated with Voces de la Frontera. Over one thousand students, mostly in Milwaukee and Racine, have reviewed the document and given input to its content. YES has also received input from a number of youth organizations and education activists.
The resolution supporting the Student Bill of Rights will be discussed at  a board committee meeting and public hearing this Thursday at 5:30 at central office. Please try to attend and support YES.
Student Bill of Rights
Written by the students of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES)
Student Power and Voice
I. Students have the right to organize and have a voice in their school.
II. Student representatives should be included in any decision-making that significantly affects

Louisiana Educator: Jindal Bills on House Floor Thursday

Louisiana Educator: Jindal Bills on House Floor Thursday:

Jindal Bills on House Floor Thursday

by Michael Deshotels

LAE lobbyist Shane Riddle informed me this morning that HB 974 and HB 976 are scheduled for consideration on the House Floor starting at 9:00 a. m. Thursday, March 22. The debate could be extensive.

The following are my suggestions for reaching your Representative in the next 3 days. You may telephone your Representative at the capitol at 225-342-6945. They are expected to be in committee meetings during most of the day Tuesday and Wednesday, so try leaving a message asking your Rep. to return your call. Both of those days, the House floor will be in session starting at 4:00 p. m. Your best chance of reaching them would be from 4:00 p. m. on. If you have your Rep's cell number this is the best way to reach him/her. On Thursday, while they are debating, you can call them at the above number any time during the day. If you can't get through, ask the clerk to take your message to the Representative.

Let me tell you what to expect in a conversation with your Rep. if he/she is looking for an excuse to vote with the 

Occupy professional development with Edcamp | Philadelphia Public School Notebook #ows

Occupy professional development with Edcamp | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:
Occupy professional development with Edcamp

by Guest blogger

This guest blog post comes from Kristen Swanson, an edcamp organizer. The next Edcamp Philly will take place May 19.

---

We’ve all been there: A mind-numbing, passive, professional development session that aims to “fill up” your mind with knowledge and expertise. Quite often, these types of experiences leave you drowsy and uninspired.
Well, there’s a new form of professional development sweeping the nation that aims to change all that. Edcamps are unconferences for educators where learners share their experiences and their professional expertise in a collaborative, interactive learning environment.

Image: 

Image Caption: 

Participants at Edcamp Philly 2011.

Photo Credits: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/5744215737/in/photostream/

read more

Hostile takeover: Parents seek control of failing school in education reform - Yahoo! News

Hostile takeover: Parents seek control of failing school in education reform - Yahoo! News:

Hostile takeover: Parents seek control of failing school in education reform

By Stephanie Simon | Reuters – 7 hrs ago

   

• Enlarge Photo
  
  Adelanto Mayor Cari Thomas (R) speaks during a Adelanto …


• Enlarge Photo
  
  Chrissy Guzman (L) speaks in frustration during a Adelanto …

(Reuters) - Desert Trails Elementary School in the impoverished town of Adelanto, California, has been failing local kids for years. More than half the students can't pass state math or reading tests.

On Tuesday, the school board will discuss a radical fix: a parent takeover of the school.

For the moms and dads, it's a local, and intensely personal, debate. But their little school at the edge of the Mojave Desert has also become a flash point in a high-stakes national struggle over the future of public education, one that pits powerful teachers unions against some of world's wealthiest philanthropies.

Desert Trails, with children in kindergarten through 6th grades or roughly aged 5-12, could be the first school in the country to invoke the concept known as "parent trigger."

A 2010 California law permits parents at the state's worst public 

A letter to the Seattle School Board from Dr. Barbara Torre Veltri regarding Teach for America, Inc. | Seattle Education

A letter to the Seattle School Board from Dr. Barbara Torre Veltri regarding Teach for America, Inc. | Seattle Education:

A letter to the Seattle School Board from Dr. Barbara Torre Veltri regarding Teach for America, Inc.

by seattleducation2011

March  16,  2012
Seattle  Board  of  Directors
Seattle,  Washington  98124-­‐1165
Dear  Mr.  DeBell,  Ms.  Smith-­‐Blum,  Ms.  Patu,  and  Executive  Committee Members,
Thank  you  for  your  interest  in  children  and  your  advocacy  for  education  in  Seattle.  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  preparing  teachers  at  Northern  Arizona  University  who  are  Seattle  natives  and  are  teaching  in  your  schools.  I  have  also  been  privileged  to  work  with  Seattle  Public  School  teachers  and  administrators  in  the  capacity  of professional  development  presenter  over  the  last  two  decades.
While  in  your  city,  I  felt  the  commitment  of  your  teachers  and  administrators,  who not  only  participated  in  faculty  development  sessions  (Thematic  Teaching  with  Sports…Baseball),  but  also  were 

Illinois Celebrates Whole Child Month! — Whole Child Education

Illinois Celebrates Whole Child Month! — Whole Child Education:

Illinois Celebrates Whole Child Month!

by Melissa Mellor

Illinois lawmakers have officially recognized the value of a whole child approach to education that ensures each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. As a result of Illinois ASCD's persistent efforts, the state legislature passed whole child resolutions (HR 0781 and SR 0545) that designate March as Illinois Whole Child Month and call on parents, educators, and communities to work together to support the whole child. The House resolution also encourages every school in the state to celebrate Illinois Whole Child Month by adopting at least one of the five whole child tenets to promote and encourage throughout the month.

To help schools get started, ASCD has compiled a handy one-page tip sheet (PDF) with ideas for celebrating Whole Child Month, including

• Accessing our new Whole Child Examples Map to learn what Illinois schools and communities (and other schools and communities across the country and the world) are already doing to promote a whole child 

Shanker Blog » The Uses (And Abuses?) Of Student Data

Shanker Blog » The Uses (And Abuses?) Of Student Data:

The Uses (And Abuses?) Of Student Data

by Esther Quintero

Knewton, a technology firm founded in 2008, has developed an “adaptive learning platform” that receivedsignificant media attention (also here, here, here and here), as well as funding and recognition early last fall and, again, in February this year (here and here). Although the firm is not alone in the adaptive learning game – e.g.,Dreambox, Carnegie Learning – Knewton’s partnership with Pearson puts the company in a whole different league.
Adaptive learning takes advantage of student-generated information; thus, important questions about data use and ownership need to be brought to the forefront of the technology debate.
The software adjusts the presentation of educational content to students’ needs, based on students’ prior responses to such content. In the world of research, such ‘prior responses’ would count and be treated as data. To the extent that adaptive learning is a mechanism for collecting information about learners, questions about 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Improved Oversight

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Improved Oversight:
Improved Oversight

by Charlie Mas

On the Board schedule for this week is a work session specifically for management oversight of the Human Resources department.

As folks will recall, the June 2009 state audit revealed that the previous board completely abdicated their duty to oversee the management of the District. While I want to believe that they took this criticism seriously, the fact is that it was nearly two years before they took any action to address the failure. They didn't get around to their first management oversight work until the Spring of 2011. The first department they reviewed was Human Resources. Soon after, the "Chief Talent Officer" hired by Dr. Goodloe-Johnson out of Arne Duncan's camp, was fired. I guess that's what comes from oversight.

Since then, the Board has codified their (intended) practice into the new Policy 1010, Board Oversight of Management adopted this past summer. There is supposed to be a calendar of these management oversight work sessions. They were supposed to occur quarterly and, in the course of each year, the Board was supposed to perform reviews of every department that should get an annual review and half of the departments that are 

Dissents from the status quo Council on Foreign Relations report « Parents Across America

Dissents from the status quo Council on Foreign Relations report « Parents Across America:

Dissents from the status quo Council on Foreign Relations report

by leoniehaimson

The report released yesterday was written by a task force of the Council on Foreign Relations,  co-chaired by Joel Klein, former head of the NYC Department of Education and now working for Murdoch’s News Corp, and directed by Julia Levy, former PR flack for DOE.  The task force was stacked with privateers, including Wendy Kopp of TFA, her husband Richard Barth, CEO of KIPP, Jonah Edelman, head of Stand for Children, and Benno Schmidt, formerly CEO of the failed Edison chain of charter schools and now board chair of Chris Whittle’s for-profit private school Avenues.

In the introduction, Levy thanks “several people who met with and briefed the Task Force group, including “U.S. secretary of education Arne Duncan, Mary Cullinane formerly of Microsoft, Sir Michael Barber of Pearson, and David Coleman of Student Achievement Partners.”  A really well-rounded bunch of education experts these.

As Jack Jennings, former director of Center on Education Policy pointed out, everything 

“We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook « My Island View

“We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook « My Island View:

“We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook

by tomwhitby

In order for educators to teach kids, they need something to teach. Exactly what it is that educators should teach has often been discussed and continues to be the focus of ongoing discussions for over many generations. The delivery of that content, in regard to what to teach, has never been of great concern, because the bulk of it came in the form of text, delivered in a book called the textbook. In the 50’s the education pioneers introduced film strips, 16mm films, and recordings to supplement the textbooks. The 60’s brought the video tape and the overhead projector. With the turn of the century came the disc technology, as well as a wider use of the internet. Today of course we use interactive white boards and document cameras. All of the new methods of content delivery however are, for the most part, just add-ons to the backbone of any curriculum, the textbook. Of course the publishing of textbooks became a multi-million, or billion dollar industry. The importance of Textbooks was reflected in school districts with their strictly adhered to textbook adoption policies. Textbooks are a big deal. It is a common experience of all educators and all parents. The textbook, along with the apple on the teacher’s desk, is an iconic symbol of education in America.
A decade into the new century we have a new way to deliver content. The internet not only delivers text, but 

Schools Matter: The Big Lie

Schools Matter: The Big Lie:

The Big Lie

by Judy Rabin

Here we go again.

A new report, part of the shock and awe campaign being waged against public education, teacher unions and anyone who can still think critically and ask questions, is being brought to us by Condoleezza Rice and Joel Klein. The nation's security is at risk if the nation's public schools don't improve. Excuse me while I throw up.

With education budgets being slashed to the bone across the country: more money being spent on a failed policy of testing and filling in the bubbles, a dysfunctional Congress and Republican party that is more interested in preventing women from getting birth control and outlawing pornography; two wars that have bankrupted the country while sending service men and women to do three and four tours of duty; Wall Street crimes that has brought down the standard of living and left cities and towns broke; a crumbling infrastructure and a widening gap between rich and poor; one in five children now living in poverty; this time the lie is so big that anyone with the 

Doubts About High-Stakes Tests and Their Effect on Teachers – SchoolBook

Doubts About High-Stakes Tests and Their Effect on Teachers – SchoolBook:

Doubts About High-Stakes Tests and Their Effect on Teachers

by Anna M. Phillips

The chief academic officer of New York City’s public schools said on Monday night that principals were not alone in being concerned about the state’s new teacher evaluation system: He also has qualms.
At a panel discussion on high-stakes testing held at the Brooklyn Secondary School for Collaborative Studies, Shael Polakow-Suransky, the chief academic officer for the city’s Education Department, told a packed auditorium that the new law contained “real risks,” for teachers and principals alike.
Quietly passed into law by the State Legislature last week, the evaluation system calls for 60 percent of a teacher’s annual review to be based on subjective measures, like classroom observations and feedback from students. The remaining 40 percent is drawn from student achievement — 20 percent from growth on the state math and English exams, and 20 percent from assessments that districts can select and design.
Teachers who score below 65 points out of 100 will be rated ineffective, creating the potential for a principal to 

The specter of the orange shirt. « Fred Klonsky

The specter of the orange shirt. « Fred Klonsky:

The specter of the orange shirt.

by Fred Klonsky

Back in 2010 I was standing at the microphone at the IEA RA waiting for Executive Director Audrey Soglin to finish her report on PERA, the law that ties teacher evaluations to student growth scores on tests never designed for teacher evaluation.
The IEA was instrumental in writing the PERA law, which later became the basis for Senate Bill 7.
You know the story: I stood at the mic while then-President Ken Swanson called on everyone else but me. He later claimed he didn’t see me.
So that night I stopped at Target and bought the ugliest orange sweater I could find and wore it to the RA the