Nite Cap 9-11-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

TODAY

Gates Money and Common Core– Part III | deutsch29

Gates Money and Common Core– Part III | deutsch29: Gates Money and Common Core– Part IIISeptember 11, 2013My first post on Gates and his Common Core State Standards (CCSS) spending includes information on his paying millions to the four key organizations involved in composing CCSS as well as to key education organizations and think tanks for their endorsement. My second post of this series examine

by mike simpson / 17min 

Supporting College and Career Readiness — Whole Child Education

Supporting College and Career Readiness — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGSupporting College and Career ReadinessSeptember 11, 2013 by Steven WeberAs we begin a new school year, it is an exciting time for educators. We understand that our influence will have a positive or negative impact on students. The main goal of education is student achievement. However, some educators place such a

by mike simpson / 20min 

Questions DOE educators are afraid to ask? Saving Students From A Shattered System

Saving Students From A Shattered System: Questions DOE educators are afraid to ask?Those who have opinions on education are divided into several groups:          1.  Those who intentionally want to maintain the same students in the subclass          2.  Those who need to maintain the same students in the subclass in order to have someone to save          3.  Those who don't have the courage to sta

by mike simpson / 1h 

Are you OWNING IT? | InterACT

Are you OWNING IT? | InterACT: Are you OWNING IT?SEPTEMBER 11, 2013tags: Alex Kajitaniby ACT Guest Blog PostsAlex Kajitani (photo courtesy of Tom Torlakson’s office)Today’s InterACT guest blog post comes from Alex Kajitani, California Teacher of the Year (2009) and ACT member. Alex is known to many as The Rappin’ Mathematician, and he has also written books for teachers. His first book was theThe

by mike simpson / 1h 

Diane in the Evening 9-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Breaking News: EduShyster Unmasks Herself!EduShyster is one of the most brilliant, clever, and downright funny bloggers in the pedagogic blogosphere. She is one of the very few bloggers who is consistently able to make me laugh out loud. For reasons she will explain here, she has decided to reveal her name. When I met her a year ag

by mike simpson / 1h 

State Senate Approves AB 484 - Year 2013

State Senate Approves AB 484 - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Senate Approves Statewide Testing Overhaul LegislationSchools and Teachers to Focus on Higher Standards, Deeper LearningSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson applauded Senate approval Tuesday of Assembly Bill 484 that would let most students "test drive" new computer-based assessments thi

by mike simpson / 1h 

NYT: Ravitch is anti-free-market? Nonsense. | Reclaim Reform

NYT: Ravitch is anti-free-market? Nonsense. | Reclaim Reform: NYT: Ravitch is anti-free-market? Nonsense.Posted on September 11, 2013by Ken PrevitiDiane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error, has even the New York Times alluding to her crusade against the corporate education reform powers as “anti-free-market-based.” The writer, Motoko Rich, is superb in her guilt-by-association and repetition-of-cor

by mike simpson / 1h 

Choosing Democracy: California must change its history books before adopting Common Core.

Choosing Democracy: California must change its history books before adopting Common Core.: California must change its history books before adopting Common Core.    California  is  at an important tipping point.  I and my graduate students  participated in the 2009  efforts to revise the History/Social Science  curriculum frameworks and frankly the issue of Mexican American history was marginalized

by mike simpson / 1h 

“Groundbreaking” Work in Kentucky Student Voice

Student Voice: “Groundbreaking” Work in Kentucky Rachel Belin represents the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, a non-profit organization that has played a key-role in the improvement of education in Kentucky. —–The Student Voice Team is fast becoming the institutionalized pride of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, an independent nonprofit that mobilizes citizens to push f

by mike simpson / 1h 

Gubernatorial Candidates on Education | PWC Education Reform Blog

Gubernatorial Candidates on Education | PWC Education Reform Blog: Gubernatorial Candidates on EducationSeptember 11, 2013 — pwceducationreform The biggest issue facing education in the United States right now is the Common Core State Standards initiative.  Public schools in participating states must agree to implement the common core standards, evaluate students with one of the two common core a

by mike simpson / 1h 

NYC Educator: First Week Is Stressful

NYC Educator: First Week Is Stressful: First Week Is StressfulIt is for me, at least. My classroom is kind of a mysterious place for me right now. I haven't quite gotten to know all the kids' names yet, and even when I do, I don't know who they are. I'm seeing flutterings of kids opening up. I'm noticing smiles here and there, and I really like seeing that some of my students are starting to feel

by mike simpson / 1h 

Van Roekel Talks Class Size, Teacher Voice, and Putting Students First | NEA Today

Van Roekel Talks Class Size, Teacher Voice, and Putting Students First | NEA Today: Van Roekel Talks Class Size, Teacher Voice, and Putting Students FirstSeptember 11, 2013 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Cindy LongA new school year offers the promise of a fresh start, but in Portland, Oregon — the first stop on NEA President Dennis Van Roekel’s 2013 Back to Sch

by mike simpson / 4h 

Strong core curriculum – not test scores – top priority for parents SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:  Strong core curriculum – not test scores – top priority for parentsOMG Wait 'til they Read Diane's New Book!Will 2014 Be The Year Of "Full On Revolt" Against Standardized Testing? Strong core curriculum – not test scores – top priority for parentsA new study on the schooling preferences of K-12 parents has concluded that many families appear far les

by mike simpson / 4h 

10 Back-To-School Tips From State Schools Chief - Back to School - Roseville, CA Patch

10 Back-To-School Tips From State Schools Chief - Back to School - Roseville, CA Patch: 10 Back-To-School Tips From State Schools ChiefTen timely back-to-school tips for the start of the traditional school year from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.Posted by Lauren Gibbs (Editor) , September 11, 2013 at 09:55 AM  Comment   Recommend  State Superintendent of Public Instructi

by mike simpson / 4h 

EduShyster Unmasked | EduShyster

EduShyster Unmasked | EduShyster: EduShyster UnmaskedWhy I’ve decided to come clean…Reader: I have a problem. As you may recall, I have long nursed shy hopes of attending the education reform event of the year, theEdReformies. But I’ve been vexed by a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. I can’t figure out how to purchase a ticket without using my real name. So I’ve decided to come clean. One gala t

by mike simpson / 4h 

solidaridad: LA Schools Matter: Group to protest Deasy's corporate reform regime

solidaridad: LA Schools Matter: Group to protest Deasy's corporate reform regime: LA Schools Matter: Group to protest Deasy's corporate reform regimeAn anonymous group has announced a protest and press conference at LAUSD Headquarters on September 11, 2013. The rally is planned for Noon and the press conference is slated for 5:00 PM.Among their list of complaints is the iPad boondoggle and the sin

by mike simpson / 5h 

A Commitment to Educating the Whole Child: Inservice Roundup — Whole Child Education

A Commitment to Educating the Whole Child: Inservice Roundup — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGA Commitment to Educating the Whole Child: Inservice RoundupSeptember 11, 2013 by Tina BylandHere at ASCD, the Whole Child Initiative drives our daily work—regardless of what our job descriptions entail. As a former teacher, I am particularly devoted to supporting the whole child and ensuring

by mike simpson / 6h 

Tucker’s Lens: Education Markets Are a Myth, Not a Solution

NCEE » Tucker’s Lens: Education Markets Are a Myth, Not a Solution: Tucker’s Lens: Education Markets Are a Myth, Not a SolutionSeptember 06, 2013by CIEBAustralia, charter schools, parental involvement, school choice, Tucker's LensBy: Marc TuckerBen Jensen, education director of the Grattan Institute in Australia, recently produced the best analysis of the way markets do or don’t work to produce im

by mike simpson / 6h 

Parents, teachers push for new Pa. schools funding formula | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Parents, teachers push for new Pa. schools funding formula | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Parents, teachers push for new Pa. schools funding formulaby thenotebook on Sep 11 2013 Posted in Latest news="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on emailCOMMENTS (1)PRINTby Holly Otterbein for NewsWorksMark Gleason, executive director of the Phila

by mike simpson / 6h 

Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, September 11, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: State Senate approves student testing plan over federal objectionsEducation HeadlinesWednesday, September 11, 2013Freedburg: Arne Duncan unsuccessful in 11th-hour effort to block state legislationVeteran education watchers in California could not recall a presidential cabinet officer ever attempting to block state legislation and certainly no

1 by mike simpson / 6h 

Sequester hits special education like 'a ton of bricks'

Sequester hits special education like 'a ton of bricks': Sequester hits special education like 'a ton of bricks'Adrienne Lu, Pew/Stateline Staff WriterSince the first day of class for most schools in Michigan last week, Marcie Lipsitt's phone has been ringing nonstop with parents distraught about cuts to their children's special education services.A new round of special education cuts were taking

by mike simpson / 7h 

Morning Wink 9-11-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYUnlike ‘Superman,’ Guggenheim’s new film champions teachers | HechingerEd BlogUnlike ‘Superman,’ Guggenheim’s new film champions teachers | HechingerEd Blog: Unlike ‘Superman,’ Guggenheim’s new film champions teachersIn Davis Guggenheim’s “Waiting for Superman,” teachers and their unions were the antagonists. They looked out for their own interests, r

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

Unlike ‘Superman,’ Guggenheim’s new film champions teachers | HechingerEd Blog

Unlike ‘Superman,’ Guggenheim’s new film champions teachers | HechingerEd Blog: Unlike ‘Superman,’ Guggenheim’s new film champions teachersIn Davis Guggenheim’s “Waiting for Superman,” teachers and their unions were the antagonists. They looked out for their own interests, regardless of the impact on children, and were to blame for the U.S. educational problems. In his new film, “Teach,” Guggenhei

by mike simpson / 8h 

9-11-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Reign of Error. Diane Ravtich’s documentation of bad education policy.A group of us went to hear Dr. Diane Ravitch last night. She gave a lecture to a filled Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel at Elmhurst College. Her lecture, like her latest book Reign of Error, is a dagger in the heart of current corpora

by mike simpson / 8h 

Letter to a Liberal Hawk | Bill Ayers

Letter to a Liberal Hawk | Bill Ayers: Letter to a Liberal HawkThe good news is that the choice is not between dithering and unleashing US military power. There are ALWAYS alternatives.If you support US military action, what exactly are you for? Taking out gas supplies? It’s super-dangerous and not even on the table. Degrading Assad’s air force? It will matter little. Arming Al Qaeda or the other

by mike simpson / 8h 

Invest in Early Education Now to Save on Incarceration Later |

Invest in Early Education Now to Save on Incarceration Later |: Invest in Early Education Now to Save on Incarceration LaterSeptember 11, 2013 by Alyssa HaywoodePhoto: Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca. Courtesy of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.“I’m the Guy You Pay Later,” is the name of a new reportthat urges America to cut future crime rates – and costs — by investing in high-quality early edu

by mike simpson / 8h 

9-11-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Education Reform Industry goes down to a stunning defeat in Bridgeport, ConnecticutThe tide continues to turn in Bridgeport’s Board of Education challenge slate wins big The Connecticut Post made the story clear as they began their primary coverage with the news that, “The Democratic machine lost its grip on the city school board Tuesday with the stunning victory of all three challenge

by mike simpson / 8h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Good riddance Bloomberg

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Good riddance Bloomberg (and Carlos Danger): Good riddance Bloomberg (and Carlos Danger)Bill de Blasio wins NY primary.There's a couple of reasons why I woke up on the right (left?) side of the bed this morning.One: We are not lobbing missiles into Syria, much to joy of 90% of Americans, 100% of families and children living in Damascus, and the chagrin of war mongers

by mike simpson / 8h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Good riddance Bloomberg

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Good riddance Bloomberg (and Carlos Danger): Good riddance Bloomberg (and Carlos Danger)Bill de Blasio wins NY primary.There's a couple of reasons why I woke up on the right (left?) side of the bed this morning.One: We are not lobbing missiles into Syria, much to joy of 90% of Americans, 100% of families and children living in Damascus, and the chagrin of war mongers

by mike simpson / 8h 

9-11-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: 9/11: Essays and Film | the becoming radical9/11: Essays and Film | the becoming radical.by plthomasedd / 6min 9-10-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk FaceSCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Ilana Horn: Recipe for InequalityRecipe for inequality* 1. Find a metric that correlates to poverty. 2. Use it to measure quality. 3. Find that high poverty schools are bad. 4. Make sc

by mike simpson / 9h 

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson investigated for conflict of interest in big-box store vote by FPPC | news10.net

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson investigated for conflict of interest in big-box store vote by FPPC | news10.net: Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson investigated for conflict of interest in big-box store vote by FPPC

by mike simpson / 10h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Parents: How to Advocate for Your ChildNancy Carlsson-Paige, professor emerita of early childhood education at Lesley University in Csmbridge, Massachusetts, prepared this short guide for parents about child-rearing. It was written in collaboration with United Opt Out.4 by dianerav / 18min mark as read  //  saveWhy Corporate Reform

by mike simpson / 10h 

Teacher Professional Development and the Common Core | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Teacher Professional Development and the Common Core | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Teacher Professional Development and the Common CoreBy National School Boards Association on September 11, 2013By Allison Gulamhussein, doctoral student at George Washington University, former high school English teacher and spring 2013 policy intern for the National School Boards Associatio

by mike simpson / 10h 

9-11-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Study: Young People Respond Better To The Positive Than They Do To ThreatsIn a previous post, Emphasizing Pride, Not Shame, In Classroom Management, I talked about a study that showed determined having people think about the pride that they will feel in themselves after resisting temptation was a very successful self-contro

by mike simpson / 10h 

Arne Duncan unsuccessful in 11th-hour effort to block state legislation | EdSource Today

Arne Duncan unsuccessful in 11th-hour effort to block state legislation | EdSource Today:  Arne Duncan unsuccessful in 11th-hour effort to block state legislation - by Louis FreedbergVeteran education watchers in California could not recall a presidential cabinet officer ever attempting to block state legislation and certainly not in the heavy handed way U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan att

by mike simpson / 10h 

9-11-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: De Blasio at 40.02% With 95% Precincts ReportingI have an entire post ready to go talking about a Big Bill, Little Bill runoff. Thompson is about 26%, just a point or two off my prediction earlier in the day. I am surprised deB has held up at around 40%. I was expecting some blow-back to drive him down to about 36%.What a difference a few votes will make. My Sal Albanese vote may

by mike simpson / 10h 

9-11-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: 98% Counted - De Blasio 40.2%, Thompson 26%Still 2% to be counted, plus the absentee ballots.From the time I signed off last night to now, Thompson lost 0.02%, de Blasio's percentage stayed the same.As of 7:15 AM, de Blasio has 90,518 more votes than Thompson.There are still votes to be counted, but if the trajectory of the race stays essentially the same, will Thompson chal

by mike simpson / 10h 

Jerry Brown pushes school testing delay despite federal threats - Capitol and California - The Sacramento Bee

Jerry Brown pushes school testing delay despite federal threats - Capitol and California - The Sacramento Bee: Jerry Brown pushes school testing delay despite federal threatsBy Melody Gutierrezmgutierrez@sacbee.comPublished: Wednesday, Sep. 11, 2013 - 12:00 amLast Modified: Wednesday, Sep. 11, 2013 - 12:23 amState officials are pushing forward with a plan to suspend mandatory school testing for a

3 by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

Our Children Are Activists, Too [BK Nation] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

Our Children Are Activists, Too [BK Nation] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Our Children Are Activists, Too [BK Nation]by JOSE VILSON on SEPTEMBER 10, 2013in JOSEAsean JohnsonI had the pleasure of writing for activist Kevin Powell’s BK Nation. I dedicated my first piece to children and adults’ rapid dismissal of them as a false comparison to generations past. Observe:We’re so quick to judge o

by mike simpson / 19h 

Common Core: Cranking out sausage

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Common Core: Cranking out sausage: Common Core: Cranking out sausage The creation of Common Core standards were not just “new” in the sense of having new standards as a final product, but new in how they were written, edited, etc. You can see from the critique from folks who have participated in the writing of past education standards like Sandra Stokoksy,

by mike simpson / 19h 

Loud Voice Fighting Tide of New Trend in Education - NYTimes.com

Loud Voice Fighting Tide of New Trend in Education - NYTimes.com:

2 by mike simpson / 19h 

LA Unified's plan to implement Common Core standards put on hold | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

LA Unified's plan to implement Common Core standards put on hold | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: LA Unified's plan to implement Common Core standards put on holdAnnie Gilbertson | September 10th, 2013, 5:22pmsmithereen11/FlickrThe Los Angeles Unified School District's Board of Education on Tuesday delayed approval of the district's proposed $113 million budget to implement standards for Common Core – C

by mike simpson / 21h 

Nite Cap 9-10-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYSupport for Assessment Overhaul Legislation - Year 2013Support for Assessment Overhaul Legislation - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): California Education Leaders Voice Support for Assessment Overhaul LegislationSACRAMENTO—California's education lead

1 by mike simpson / 23h 

2nd Banana 9-7-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 8-31-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Nite Cap 9-10-13 

Nite Cap 9-9-13

Nite Cap 9-8-13 

Nite Cap 9-7-13 

Nite Cap 9-6-13 

Nite Cap 9-5-13 

Nite Cap 9-4-13 

Nite Cap 9-3-13

Nite Cap 9-2-13 

Nite Cap 9-1-13 

Nite Cap 8-31-13  

Nite Cap 8-30-13

Gates Money and Common Core– Part III | deutsch29

Gates Money and Common Core– Part III | deutsch29:

Gates Money and Common Core– Part III

September 11, 2013

My first post on Gates and his Common Core State Standards (CCSS) spending includes information on his paying millions to the four key organizations involved in composing CCSS as well as to key education organizations and think tanks for their endorsement. My second post of this series examines Gates money paid to organizations influencing state departments and local school districts for the purpose of advancing CCSS.

In this third post, I discuss the state departments and local school districts that have accepted Gates money in order to promote CCSS.

CCSS is apparently important enough to Gates for him to force feed to the public via funneling though its departments of education. And since he is wildly rich, he must know what is good and true for American public education. We can blindly trust him, for he has a large wallet.

Not.

As to that wallet: Here are the state and local boards (and a single independent school)* that have accepted Gates payouts specifically for CCSS as noted on theGates grants search engine:

Colorado Legacy Foundation (CO Dept. of Ed.):  $11,455,547

Delaware Department of Education:  $400,000

Georgia Department of Education:  $1,980,892

      Atlanta Public Schools  $500,000

      Forsyth County Schools  $151,200

Kentucky 

Supporting College and Career Readiness — Whole Child Education

Supporting College and Career Readiness — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Supporting College and Career Readiness

September 11, 2013 by Steven Weber

As we begin a new school year, it is an exciting time for educators. We understand that our influence will have a positive or negative impact on students. The main goal of education is student achievement. However, some educators place such a heavy emphasis on student achievement that they end up forgetting their purpose. In today's K–12 setting, the purpose of K–12 schools has been defined as preparing each student to graduate college and career ready.

Recently, policymakers, educators, and national education organizations have called for a shift from increasing high school graduation rates to a new goal of college and career readiness for all students graduating from high school (Achieve and The Education Trust, 2008; ACT, 2008; Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009; Career Readiness Partner Council, 2010; Common Core State Standards, 2010; National Governors Association, 2010; Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010; The White House, 2010; United States Department of Education, 2010; ConnectEd, 2012; Council of Chief State School Officers, 2012; North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, 2013). According to the National Governors Association (2012), "There is a national consensus that schools should focus on students' college and career readiness."

How can educators inspire all students, accelerate the gifted students, remediate and accelerate the struggling learners, focus on student understanding, and teach life skills? A narrow focus on skills or test prep will no longer support the goals of teaching and learning. The following recommendations will promote lifelong learning, while teaching the standards. Educators want to make a difference. Here are five ways they can in 2013–14!

Focus on the Whole Child

According to ASCD's Whole Child Initiative, schools should develop goals around the following tenets: Healthy, Safe, Engaged, Supported, and Challenged. What does your school do well? Are all students challenged? Do you have school policies in place which promote healthful living? Do students in your school feel supported? Some schools claim to have high expectations. The only problem with this declaration is that 

Questions DOE educators are afraid to ask? Saving Students From A Shattered System

Saving Students From A Shattered System:

Questions DOE educators are afraid to ask?

Those who have opinions on education are divided into several groups:

          1.  Those who intentionally want to maintain the same students in the subclass

          2.  Those who need to maintain the same students in the subclass in order to have someone to save
          3.  Those who don't have the courage to stand for needed changes

          $.  The small minority that care about kids and are ready for action

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

See how many at the DOE can answer these questions without lying.

PLEASE ADD QUESTIONS TO THIS LIST IN YOUR COMMENTS BELOW

What is the fundamental purpose of education?

          Is it primarily for the purpose of screening kids for college?
          Is it primarily for the purpose of preparing kids for their future?
Do letter grades tell what a child has learned?
          If someone passes with a D-, have they achieved sufficient knowledge?
          If students get straight “A’s” have they been challenged?
If a child is on the 6^th grade level in reading, 4^th grade level in math, what grade should she/he be in?
          Are grade levels mute?
Do all kids blossom at the same time?
          Are kids made to feel stupid and pushed out of school if they blossom slower?

Are you OWNING IT? | InterACT

Are you OWNING IT? | InterACT:

Are you OWNING IT?

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

tags: Alex Kajitani

by ACT Guest Blog Posts

Alex Kajitani (photo courtesy of Tom Torlakson’s office)

Today’s InterACT guest blog post comes from Alex Kajitani, California Teacher of the Year (2009) and ACT member. Alex is known to many as The Rappin’ Mathematician, and he has also written books for teachers. His first book was theThe Teacher of the Year Handbook – which has some good tips not only for Teachers of the Year, but also for any teachers who would find themselves in similar situations of public engagement and advocacy. Alex’s new book is Owning It, which expands the audience of his prior book and asserts that teachers must take charge of the profession through excellence in classrooms, schools, and the public sphere.

*     *     *

There’s this myth in teaching.  This myth that says you will struggle in your first few years but that, by your fourth or fifth year, you’ll be experienced, things will be easy and you’ll have your act together.

The truth is that while some years are better than others, teaching is hard every year.  And every year, as teachers, we are asked to do more and more.

We live in a time of what some theorists call “accelerating change” — with technological, cultural, social and environmental change occurring exponentially faster than in any other period in 

Diane in the Evening 9-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Our Hero Charter Teacher Responds to Your Letters

I honored Chris Weaver, a charter school teacher in North Carolina who spoke out against the governor and legislature’s wanton attacks on public schools. He even rejected his local paper’s effort to honor him. Here he responds to those who wrote letters about his actions. Dear Diane & Readers, Terry Kalb, my NY friend who sent my newspaper letter to Diane, sent me the link, and it’s the first

1 by dianerav / 22min 

Breaking News: EduShyster Unmasks Herself!

EduShyster is one of the most brilliant, clever, and downright funny bloggers in the pedagogic blogosphere. She is one of the very few bloggers who is consistently able to make me laugh out loud. For reasons she will explain here, she has decided to reveal her name. When I met her a year ago, she reminded me that we had first met in 2010, when I came to Boston to talk about my last book. She tol

by dianerav / 14min 

Was Tony Bennett Exonerated?

Rick Hess believes that a report on the Tony Bennett grade-fixing scandal exonerated him. But Indiana parents and friends of public schools don’t agree. Here they explain that no one understood the school grading system and that Bennett was voted out of office because of his policies, not his style. Somehow I suspect we haven’t heard the end of this matter. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

11 by dianerav / 1h mark as read  //  save

Was Tony Bennett Exonerated?

Rick Hess believes that a report on the Tony Bennett grade-fixing scandal exonerated him. But Indiana parents and friends of public schools don’t agree. Here they explain that no one understood the school grading system and that Bennett was voted out of office because of his policies, not his style. Somehow I suspect we haven’t heard the end of this matter. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

by dianerav / 1h 

Eduardo Andere: What Is Happening in Mexico

Eduardo Andere is an education researcher and lawyer in Mexico who has published widely about international trends in education. After reading articles about teachers demonstrating in the streets, I asked Andere if he would explain what is happening in Mexico. He sent the following post:   What is real and what is rhetoric in the Mexico’s 2013 Education Reform? Eduardo Andere For you to get a cl

4 by dianerav / 2h

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Parents: How to Advocate for Your ChildNancy Carlsson-Paige, professor emerita of early childhood education at Lesley University in Csmbridge, Massachusetts, prepared this short guide for parents about child-rearing. It was written in collaboration with United Opt Out.4 by dianerav / 18min mark as read  //  saveWhy Corporate Reform

by mike simpson / 2h 

State Senate Approves AB 484 - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

State Senate Approves AB 484 - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Senate Approves Statewide Testing Overhaul Legislation

Schools and Teachers to Focus on Higher Standards, Deeper Learning

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson applauded Senate approval Tuesday of Assembly Bill 484 that would let most students "test drive" new computer-based assessments this year and suspend usage of most of the state's outdated multiple-choice exams.

"This vote brings us a step closer to trading our outdated fill-in-the-bubble paper tests for new, computerized assessments that model the skills today's students need," Torlakson said. "If we want our education system to inspire students to learn to think critically and solve problems, we need tests to match those lofty goals."

The legislation now heads to the Assembly for a final vote before heading to Governor Brown for his signature.

Sponsored by Torlakson and authored by Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, Assembly Bill 484 now calls for nearly all of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program to be suspended during field tests of new assessments known as the Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP). The bill calls for the new program to permanently replace STAR tests in the 2014-15 school year.

As originally written, the bill would have continued all federally required STAR tests for one more year during the transition. The revised legislation, coauthored by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, calls for a full suspension of STAR tests in mathematics and English-language arts, while leaving science tests in place. The legislation also leaves in place voluntary primary language assessments, specialized assessments for students with severe disabilities, and the Early Assessment Program for grade eleven.

The State Board of Education voted unanimously last week to seek a waiver consistent with state law from the U.S Department of Education to suspend all standardized testing, including federally required tests.

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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

NYT: Ravitch is anti-free-market? Nonsense. | Reclaim Reform

NYT: Ravitch is anti-free-market? Nonsense. | Reclaim Reform:

NYT: Ravitch is anti-free-market? Nonsense.

Posted on September 11, 2013by Ken Previti

Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error, has even the New York Times alluding to her crusade against the corporate education reform powers as “anti-free-market-based.” The writer, Motoko Rich, is superb in her guilt-by-association and repetition-of-corporate-press-releases as a form of balanced journalism. The simple and well performed propaganda techniques she uses slant the readers’ perceptions – unless we possess the critical reading/thinking skills that corporate education reform eschews in favor of lower level skills and high stakes testing that is easily collected as data – data to be spun later to forward corporate agendas.

“About two or three years ago people were feeling, ‘Oh, my God, these people are taking over and there’s nothing we can do,’” said Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, referring to those who advocate for free-market-based overhaul of schools. “Diane has continued to push that envelope and give people such hope.”

Let’s examine the slant/propaganda:
Karen Lewis, union thug. “Bo-o-o-o-o!”
Corporate education reformers use free-market-based cure for schools. “Hooray!”
Karen Lewis, Diane Ravitch, and all those who oppose innovation. “Bo-o-o-o-o!”

Nonsense. Smoke and mirrors. Blather. Why? All corporate media is subject to corporate 

Choosing Democracy: California must change its history books before adopting Common Core.

Choosing Democracy: California must change its history books before adopting Common Core.:

California must change its history books before adopting Common Core.

    California  is  at an important tipping point.  I and my graduate students  participated in the 2009  efforts to revise the History/Social Science  curriculum frameworks and frankly the issue of Mexican American history was marginalized.  It will require  some effort to change this.  It is important to intervene soon.  Once the national common core standards begin adopting History/ Social Science, the new standards  will  most likely integrate the existing state  standards- which ignore Mexican American/Latino history.  The inadequate 1986 History/ Social Science Framework  will become the national standards and will continue for another decade.  New York is currently revising their civic standards to prepare for inclusion in the common core. To this date we have been unable to interest legislators in responding to this problem.  See more here https://sites.google.com/site/chicanodigital/home/why-california-students-do-not-know-chicano-history

    Students need to see themselves in the curriculum in order to believe they have a stake in the society. Textbooks for  California schools are selected by the State Board of Education based upon recommendations of their Curriculum Committees and the state frameworks and standards.   The current Framework reflects the historiography of the 1950’s. It was written in 1986 by senior scholars, they in turn were educated in the early 1970’s or before. It is substantially out of date. 

    Standards and frameworks are products of the people who make the decisions. Frameworks like  standards pick winners and losers;  the choices which committees make favor one group over another group.  These choices are based upon the political power of those represented on the committees.  The Framework is  supposed to be revised each 7 years but it has not been revised.  The current Framework reflects the historiography  of the 1970’s  and the political balance of power of the 1980’s.

   During the winter and spring of 2009, a committee of teachers and other educators appointed by the State Board of 

“Groundbreaking” Work in Kentucky Student Voice

Student Voice:

“Groundbreaking” Work in Kentucky

Rachel Belin represents the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, a non-profit organization that has played a key-role in the improvement of education in Kentucky. 

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The Student Voice Team is fast becoming the institutionalized pride of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, an independent nonprofit that mobilizes citizens to push for improved Kentucky public schools, and students have everything to do with it. Since the beginning of the last school year, a team of 13 Central Kentucky students built the case for why, after 30 years of successful advocacy, the Prichard Committee needed to consider integrating students into its education advocacy efforts.

As part of this organic initiative, the Student Voice Team has reached out to policymakers, attended hearings on measuring teacher effectiveness, facilitated roundtable discussions with other students about Kentucky’s rankings on national student achievement assessments and published an op-ed in local and national media outlets exploring the potential of incorporating student perspectives into teacher evaluations. Their first year of work culminated in a 45-minute presentation to the hundred plus members of the Prichard Committee at its spring meeting, a statewide gathering of Kentucky’s most active education civic and business leaders, at which the Student Voice Team elicited a standing ovation and a solemn promise from the board to formally

- See more at: http://stuvoice.org/blog/2013/09/11/4334/?utm_source=feedly#sthash.vVMb3W0g.dpuf