Missouri Education Watchdog: Should Police Departments Offer Iris Scans for Children?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Should Police Departments Offer Iris Scans for Children?:

Should Police Departments Offer Iris Scans for Children?

by stlgretchen

Mexico launches national ID cards for children

From Granby police offer iris scans under child identification program sponsored by Hampshire County Sheriff's department:

Over the next couple of months, parents will be able to have their children's irises scanned under a child identification program sponsored by the Hampshire County Sheriff's Department.

Police Chief Alan P. Wishart Jr. said consent forms to participate in the program are being 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Google and the Death of Privacy

by dianerav

There is good reason to be worried about the effort by the federal Department of Education to create a massive database. Doing so is part of Race to the Top.
There is reason to be concerned about inBloom, the project funded by Gates and managed by Rupert Murdoch.

Sharp Increase in Homeless Kids in NYC

by dianerav

Yoav Gonen and Frank Rosario in the New York Post report a spike in the number of homeless students in the New York City public schools.
They write:
“More than 53,000 city public-school students lack a permanent home — a fivefold increase over 2008, figures 

“Mrs. Ratliff” Lives

by dianerav

I received a letter from a veteran teacher who recognized herself as my teacher Mrs. Ratliff, whom I wrote about in chapter 9 of my recent book The Death and Life of the Great American School System. When I read about all the schemes to measure the worth of students by the test scores of their students, I thought about Mrs. Ratliff, who was both my homeroom teacher and my literature teacher. She had high standards, she was no-nonsense, she demanded the best of her students, and students lined up to get into her classes. I wondered if there would be more Mrs. Ratliffs, in light of the new demand that everything and everyone be measured by standardized tests. Mrs. Ratliff didn’t give any standardized tests. I wondered what she would think of the autocratic, mindless 

Wisconsin: Vouchers Will Go Statewide

by dianerav

Governor Scott Walker is a hard-right conservative who wants a market-based school system–or no system at all, just a free market where consumers go to any provider theyy want. Despite the failure of vouchers in Milwaukee, Walker is pushing for statewide vouchers. He is getting his way, step by step. I wonder if he knows that Wisconsin public schools–which he deplores–have the HIGHEST
graduation rate in the nation?

Professors at San Jose State: No Thanks to Online Courses

by dianerav

Faculty at San Jose State University have signed a letter opposing the administration’s decision to use online courses developed by faculty at Harvard, MIT, and other eastern universities. The San Jose professors see the adoption of online courses as a deliberate strategy to replace them and downsize their departments. The professors of the humanities are especially incensed.
Their letter was addressed to Harvard professor Michael Sandel, whose course on social justice was offered 

A Gift for You This Sunday

by dianerav

I love this poem, and I want to share it with you. It was written by W. H. Auden. It is like a song to me.

In Memory of W. B. Yeats
by W. H. Auden
I He disappeared in the dead of winter: The brooks were frozen, the airports almost deserted, And snow disfigured the public statues; The mercury sank in the mouth of the dying day. What instruments we have agree The day of his death was a dark cold day. Far from his illness The wolves ran on through the evergreen forests, The peasant river was untempted by the fashionable quays; By mourning tongues The death of the poet was kept from his poems. But for him it was his last afternoon as himself, An afternoon of nurses and rumours; The provinces of his body revolted, The squares of his mind were empty, Silence invaded the suburbs, The current of his feeling failed; he became his admirers. Now he is scattered among a hundred cities And wholly given over to unfamiliar affections, To find his happiness in another kind of wood And be punished under a foreign code of conscience. The words of a dead man Are modified in the guts of the living. But in the importance and noise of to-morrow When the brokers are roaring like beasts on the floor of the Bourse, And the poor have the sufferings to which they are fairly accustomed, And each in the cell of himself is almost convinced of his freedom, A few thousand will think of this day As one thinks of a day when one did something slightly unusual. What instruments we have agree The day of his death was a dark cold day. II You were silly like us; your gift survived it all: The parish of rich women, physical decay, Yourself. Mad Ireland hurt you into poetry. Now Ireland has her madness and her weather still, For poetry makes nothing happen: it survives In the valley of its making where executives Would never want to tamper, flows on south From ranches of isolation and the busy griefs, Raw towns that we believe and die in; it survives, A way of happening, a mouth. III Earth, receive an honoured guest: William Yeats is laid to rest. Let the Irish vessel lie Emptied of its poetry. In the nightmare of the dark All the dogs of Europe bark, And the living nations wait, Each sequestered in its hate; Intellectual disgrace Stares from every human face, And the seas of pity lie Locked and frozen in each eye. Follow, poet, follow right To the bottom of the night, With your unconstraining voice Still persuade us to rejoice; With the farming of a verse Make a vineyard of the curse, Sing of human unsuccess In a rapture of distress; In the deserts of the heart Let the healing fountain start, In the prison of his days Teach the free man how to praise.

Diane in the Evening 6-1-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Other Nations Fear Race to the Top by dianerav A reader writes about his experience at an international conference: *Last May I had the privilege to be invited to the Van Leer Education conference in Jerusalem with outstanding educational leaders from across the globe. Award winning Teachers, Principals, University Professors and Director Generals/Heads of State were there to discuss the topic “Regulation and Trust”.* As the receipient of the “New York State Outstanding Educator Award” from the School Admin... more »

Ed Notes Online: Mr. Merrow, how about reconsidering your adulation of RSD in New Orleans?

Ed Notes Online: Mr. Merrow, how about reconsidering your adulation of RSD in New Orleans?:

Mr. Merrow, how about reconsidering your adulation of RSD in New Orleans?

by ed notes online

It is a sham, just as Rhee is a sham.....  deutsch29

John Merrow has done a mea culpa on Michelle Rhee and took particular aim at the Washington Post's coddling of that Cheatn' Rhee.

Does Washington have an ‘Atlanta-style’ situation? In some respects, yes. There are four striking similarities: Irregularities at a majority of schools in both cities; a secret report buried by the school administration in both cities; pseudo-investigations in both cities; and widespread support from ‘the establishment’ in both cities. There’s one key difference between Atlanta and Washington: the role played by the local newspapers.

Merrow was/has been a fan of the phony Paul Vallas post-Catrina destruction and de-unionization of the New Orleans school system. (Arne Duncan: the best thing to happen to New Orleans was Catrina). Deutsch29 left this comment on our post John Merrow's Growing Relentlessness on Rhee Cheat...":

Mr. Merrow, how about reconsidering your adulation of RSD in New Orleans? It is a sham, just as Rhee is a sham.

6-2-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

More on Parent Revolution triggerman Ben Austin’s gunning down of a well regarded LAUSD principal

by rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels

“The ‘parent trigger’ by definition is a hostile act. It creates division and conflict. It sets parents against parents. It sets parents against teachers. It sets parents against administrators. It is a “trigger” and triggers kill.” — Professor Diane Ravitch Parent Revolution, the well funded neoliberal operatives in charge of achieving reactionary Andy Smarick’s dream […]

NY Columnist Worries About Global Warming from School Air Conditioners as State Prepares to Punish Teachers in Hot Classrooms

by Jim Horn

Opinionator Sara Mosle learned both teaching and politics from Teach for America, and now she is a favorite at the NYTimes to express the positivized neoliberal edu-position without having to think about it. Sara wonders in her latest column if children in air conditioned classrooms have an advantage over children who must swelter in school […]

Asking a Better CCSS Support Question

by plthomasedd

As a follow up to my earlier post on “a majority supports” arguments for CCSS, now reposted at The Answer Sheet, let’s see if any of the CCSS advocates will try a new question: Since adopting, implementing, and testing CCSS will cost a tremendous amount of time and money, would you prefer adopting CCSS or […]

Gates, Murdoch and data mining

by Activism in paradise - Voices from down under

Gates and Murdoch like to say their interest in education is because their big hearts mean they really must help the poor wee kiddies learn better. Funny how they weren’t so interested until profit could be made, but hey, I’m just a bit cynical these days. And it’s no wonder I am when you learn […]

Moving Beyond “A Great Majority Support…”

by plthomasedd

If you have a moment, take some time to glance through your middle school (or if you’re old like me, junior high) or high school yearbook. Play close attention to the powerful consistency of fashion and the related recognition that you and your peers look ridiculous. You didn’t look ridiculous to yourself or each other […]

6-1-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: New Research Cuts Oxygen to School Vouchers by Jim Horn The corporate reform schoolers continue to push their wheezing antiquarian agendas, and school vouchers, once on life support, have been revived with cash from ALEC and the Oligarchs (that’s not a rock band). Even though Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-people crusade has put him in a deep political hole, he, nonetheless, keeps digging, with renews efforts […] Right-wing groups stand behind Parent Revolution and Ben Austin—The FreedomWorks Teabaggers by rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels Right-wing g... more »

Louisiana Educator: Help Stop Vouchers and Course Choice

Louisiana Educator: Help Stop Vouchers and Course Choice:

Help Stop Vouchers and Course Choice

by Michael Deshotels

Now that the legislature is winding down, most of the remaining decisions will be in establishing budget priorities. Governor Jindal has been successful so far in expanding the funding for a very poorly designed and executed voucher system. The final budget will be negotiated in the next few days to find a compormise between the House and Senate versions of the budget.

The Senate approved budget includes funding for an expanded voucher program even though there is not one shred of evidence that it improves the education of any students. At the same time the Senate approved a $1,000 one time bribe to public school teachers to try to keep them happy while the destruction of public education continues. I don't think that many true professional educators will swallow this hook!

Even though our DOE is doing its best to suppress data related to student performance in the voucher schools, indications are that most voucher students are receiving a substandard education. Take a look at the results of the voucher school described here. None of the schools supplying students to this poor excuse for a 

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: How connected is your school? Take this quiz to find out.

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: How connected is your school? Take this quiz to find out.:

How connected is your school? Take this quiz to find out.

by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen)

In our Web 2.0 world, schools can communicate, connect, interact and engage like never before.  As we leave 2013 behind and move into the 2014 school year it is time to think about how we will replace the one-way communication of the backpack note home with a truly interactive and connected experience for the school community.   This quiz will help you take a look at where you are so you can think about where you want to go. Digital interaction helps us break down barriers, bring communities together, and develop and improve the critical relationships we want to cultivate within our school communities.  

	3 points	2 points	1 point	0	Total
1) Website, blog, or wiki Your school has an online space where the school community can come to get information.	We have an online space that is frequently updated, contains links to other social media sites, provides contact information for staff, and most staff have contributed updated information.	We have an online space that is updated periodically, indicates how staff can be contacted and some staff have contributed information.	We have an online space but it is not updated frequently, does not provide contact information for staff and few staff members have contributed updated information.	We do not have an online space.
2) Linkedin School staff model career readiness and success with a professional LinkedIn profiles that students and families can view and use to get to know their teachers better.	Administration and most school staff have updated Linkedin profiles that are linked to from the school website.	Many staff members have Linkedin profiles. Most are updated. They are not linked to from the school website.	A few staff members have Linkedin profiles. Not all are updated. They are not linked to from the school website.	We are not aware of who has Linkedin profiles
3) Facebook, Edmodo, SchoologyYour school has a page or group where you can celebrate success, update the school community, share and coordinate events, and mobilize in times of need.	We have a page or group that is interactive, updated regularly, and used by much of the school community.	We have a page or group that is updated periodically and use by a small percentage of the school community.	We have a page or group but it is not updated frequently or used often.	We do not have a page or group
4) Twitter A Twitter account can provide the school community with a live news feed of what is taking place in the school.	We have a Twitter account that is updated regularly, used in email signatures or letterhead and parents can access it from our school website or via fast follow texting on their cell phones.	We have a moderately active Twitter account that parents can access in places other than Twitter i.e. website, phone.	We have a Twitter account but it is not updated often or very active. It is not connected to our website or Twitter fast follow.	We do not have a Twitter account.
5) EduClipper or Pinterest Sites like Pinterest and EduClipper enable you to provide a beautiful visual display of that which is important to your school community.	We have a site like EduClipper or Pinterest that is updated regularly and accessed and interacted with by the school community.	We have a moderately active account.	We have a site like Educlipper or Pinterest but is not updated often or very active.	We do not have a site like EduClipper or Pinterest.
6) Livestreaming or video When the school community can’t be at the school physically, they can watch what is going on live via streaming video or later via video..	We have a livestream or video presence that is updated frequently, visible on our website and the school community engages with it.	We have a livestream or video presence that is updated moderately with at least some engagement from the school community.	We have an account but it is not updated very often and there is little to no community engagement	We do not have a livestream or video account.

How’d you do?

Students Last: Baby-faced Blackmailers

Students Last: Baby-faced Blackmailers:

Baby-faced Blackmailers

by Students Last

NYC's youngest criminals major in reading, writing and extortion

New York - Sometime on Thursday several elementary school students, who thought they were going on a field trip, were instead ushered into a police van and then taken to the local precinct. Their crime? The gang of eight-year-olds allegedly tried to shakedown their teachers.

At a press conference held by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. Friday morning, prosecutors shared some information about the suspects in the plot to extort favors from two of their teachers.

D.A. Vance said that four third graders from P.S. 6, had been charged with attempted larceny. Further, it was revealed that over the course of several weeks, math teacher Sharon Norbury and physical education teacher Mi Yagi were repeatedly threatened with poor evaluations by the students if they failed to cooperate with student demands.

Name That Legislature to Win a Grand Prize | Reclaim Reform

Name That Legislature to Win a Grand Prize | Reclaim Reform:

Name That Legislature to Win a Grand Prize

by kenpreviti

Below is a direct quotation.
Name the legislature being referred to for a Grand Prize!
“Whatever direction you look, you only see private interest, corruption, bribery. It’s really depressing. Most of the opera companies are struggling, severely struggling, and in the short term I do not foresee a positive future for any of them – or for music and art in general. The political class built there in this decade, the first thing that all of these gentlemen cut, when it’s time to cut, are not their privileges – which are many – but culture. Culture is the first cut of the knife, because in their minds, of course, culture is something totally useless.”
- F. Furlanetto in the May 2013 issue of Opera News

Ferruccio Furlanetto, operatic primo basso, in Massenet’s Don Quichotte
The quotation refers to:
A) Illinois
B) New York
C) Florida
D) America

Jersey Jazzman: EXCLUSIVE! First Look at NY Student Surveys for Teacher Evaluation!

Jersey Jazzman: EXCLUSIVE! First Look at NY Student Surveys for Teacher Evaluation!:

EXCLUSIVE! First Look at NY Student Surveys for Teacher Evaluation!

by Duke

Today, details of New York State's new teacher evaluation system were released:

The state also said New York City students in third through 12th grades should have a say in their teachers' ratings. Starting in the 2014-15 school year, student surveys will count for 5% of a teachers' grade in New York City, the state said. Only one other school district in New York state, Syracuse, is currently using student surveys. The UFT opposes them. [emphasis mine]

Sources at NYSED have leaked the trial runs of the new student surveys for New York City's third gradeteachers (click to see the full image):

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education »

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: H.R.2155 American Dream Accounts Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To award grants in order to establish longitudinal personal college readiness and savings online platforms for low-income students.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2108 Foster Youth Higher Education Opportunities Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide information to foster youth on their potential eligibility for Federal student aid.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2089 Defending State Authority Over Education Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to prohibit Federal mandates, direction, or control, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: S.1010 Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to establish the Commission on Effective Regulation and Assessment Systems for Public Schools.

Bill Introduced: S.1003 A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reset interest rates for new student loans.

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reset interest rates for new student loans.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2020 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require certain institutions of higher education to provide notice of tuition levels for students.

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require certain institutions of higher education to provide notice of tuition levels for students.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2040 Student Financial Aid Simplification Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To simplify the process for determining the need and eligibility of students for financial assistance under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: H.R.1991 To require the Secretary of Education to verify that individuals have made a commitment to serve in the Armed Forces or in public service, or otherwise are a borrower on an eligible loan which has been submitted to a guaranty agency for default aversion or is already in default, before such individuals obtain a consolidation loan for purposes specified under section 455(o) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To require the Secretary of Education to verify that individuals have made a commitment to serve in the Armed Forces or in public service, or otherwise are a borrower on an eligible loan which has been submitted to a guaranty agency for default aversion or is already in default, before such individuals obtain a consolidation loan for purposes specified under section 455(o) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Bill Introduced: H.R.1928 Proprietary Institution of Higher Education Accountability Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To clarify the calculation of cohort default rates for proprietary institutions of higher education under the Higher Education Act of 1965.