NEA Poll: Majority of Educators Support the Common Core State Standards | NEA Today

NEA Poll: Majority of Educators Support the Common Core State Standards | NEA Today:

NEA Poll: Majority of Educators Support the Common Core State Standards

By Tim Walker According to a new poll by the National Education Association, the Common Core State Standards are strongly supported by its members. Roughly two-thirds of educators are either wholeheartedly in favor of the standards (26 percent) or support them with “some reservations” (50 percent). Only 11 percent of those surveyed expressed opposition. Thirteen percent didn’t know enough about th

by twalker / 1min 

6 Questions To Ask Before Doing BYOD

Bring Your Own Device can be a great way of ensuring your classroom has useable technology whether your district or school is providing it. While there is a lot of grey area in terms of how BYOD can work, many schools and teachers are employing it as their means of getting more technology in their classrooms. So what are some of the advantages and drawbacks? Source: Edudemic Related posts: Explori

by twalker / 1min 

Teaching the Syrian Crisis in the Classroom

How should the United States respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria? Should it use military force or put its faith in diplomacy?  This Learning Network post offers great ideas for classroom discussion around this volatile foreign policy issue. Source: The New York Times Learning Network Related posts: Teaching About Disaster in Japan Teaching About the 2012 Presidential Election Celebrate

by twalker / 1min 

4LAKids - L.A. SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES NEW PARENT TRIGGER RULES

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: L.A. SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES NEW PARENT TRIGGER RULES:

L.A. SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES NEW PARENT TRIGGER RULES

BY TERESA WATANABE, L.A. TIMES | HTTP://LAT.MS/1ATLEKU

September 10, 2013, 9:59 p.m.  ::  Pioneering guidelines to help Los Angeles Unified school staff and parents navigate the complex and controversial process to overhaul failing schools under the state parent trigger law were approved Tuesday by the school board.
The 2010 state law gives parents at low-performing schools the right to force out school staff, close their campus or reopen as an independent, publicly financed charter.
The district guidelines, approved on a 5-2 vote, marked the first effort in the state to tackle concerns that parents may not always receive accurate or objective information about the status of their schools or the parent trigger process.
The new guidelines require the district to hold public meetings to present information about any school targeted by a parent petition campaign but bar any advocacy either way. The information presented will include five years of the school's student test scores and other data, a summary of improvement attempts and an analysis of the success or failure of those attempts.
In a new initiative, the district will offer training for staff on how to build trust and work with parents to identify campus needs and boost performance. 

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's plan for education reform takes the wrong path (opinion from Richard Franklin and Vi Parramore) | al.com

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's plan for education reform takes the wrong path (opinion from Richard Franklin and Vi Parramore) | al.com:

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's plan for education reform takes the wrong path (opinion from Richard Franklin and Vi Parramore)

By Richard Franklin and Vi Parramore

Nothing is more important for the future of our children and, frankly, our democracy, than getting public education right.

Since the 1983 release of the National Commission on Excellence in Education’s “A Nation at Risk” report, there has been a sense of urgency to improve our public schools and reduce the achievement gap.

Urgency is good if it leads us down the path to great public schools for all children. But sadly, the urgency has been used to fixate on testing, starve public schools with austerity budgets and privatize public schools through vouchers and charters.

None of these so-called reforms has moved the needle in a positive direction. It’s outrageous that outside lobbyists peddle this long-expired brand of education to communities with the message that it will be the elixir for what ails their public schools. We want what works for Alabama students, not what works for the lobbyists and the corporations promoting these “reforms.”

We need to reclaim the promise of public education, which is under attack by those who think the answer revolves around more testing and less teaching; ideology over evidence; privatizing, not fixing, public schools; and sanctions based on test scores, 

Grab A Share Of Education's $6 Trillion Marketplace - Forbes

Grab A Share Of Education's $6 Trillion Marketplace - Forbes:

Grab A Share Of Education's $6 Trillion Marketplace

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Jim Shelton is the acting deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. “Education, worldwide, is a $5-6 trillion marketplace,” he said, explaining that there are many countries that won’t be able to make the switch to connected learning by themselves. “Some country will need to lead on this; hopefully it will be us.”

Other than Shelton’s comment, the focus was mostly domestic at Connected Learning In The Digital Age: Improving American Education Through Technology. The event, organized by The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands,The LEAD Commission, Common Sense Media, and the New School Venture Fund was a change of pace for me. Ordinarily, I meet with developers, educators, researchers, and tech entrepreneurs; they focus on envisioning the future. At this conference–star-studded with moderators like Chelsea Clinton–the focus was more policy oriented.  The objective was to “move the needle forward,” to work toward 100% adoption of connected and blended learning. In the words of Steve Case, who spoke early in the day, “this is about how our kids learn and how our country moves forward.”

We Need More EdTech, But Less Technology In The ClassroomJordan ShapiroContributor

I woke up early to take Amtrak from my home in Philadelphia to Washington D.C. I sat in the audience, surrounded by business leaders, 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-12-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

George Schmidt: How to Manufacture a Budget Crisis and Impose Harsh Remedies

George Schmidt, who taught for many years in the Chicago Public Schools but was fired by Paul Vallas for releasing test questions, edits Substance News. Here is his analysis of Chicago’s perennial budget crisis: Sorry this is very long, but I have a hunch that many people will want to know how the “austerity” lies that feed all those “necessary school closings” and teacher layoffs are created in t

by dianerav / 17min 

What the New York Times Article Left Out

Yesterday, the New York Times published an article about my forthcoming book that turned out to be a profile of me. The reporter, Motoko Rich, did a good job of describing me, my dog Mitzi, and the basic facts of my unusual philosophical and political journey over the past few decades. The headline was wrong, however, and I know that reporters don’t write headlines. Whoever wrote it is out of touc

9 by dianerav / 38min 

Can “Reform” Produce Illiterate Literacy?

In this letter, the executive director of the Tennessee Council of Teachers of English reflects on what literacy means in the age of “reform.” Is literacy the goal? Is literacy possible? Can we ignore “reform” and just talk about Frost and Whitman and literature? Or does “reform” require something else? The unspoken here, if I may interpret, is that the future of literacy is at stake; that “reform

by dianerav / 19min 

Corporate Reform Has New Setbacks

A great article in Politico.com by Stephanie Simon acknowledges that the primary election in New York City was a rejection of Bloomberg’s education policies of the past decade. Similarly, the election of the insurgent slate in Bridgeport, Connecticut, showed that the public was reclaiming public education from the corporate reform crew running the state. Jeffrey Henig of Teachers College, Columbia

by dianerav / 1min

How Many Teachers Leave the Profession and Why?

A regular reader has posted several comments that seem to imply that not enough teachers are being fired. Or that a system with a small number of teachers fired was not up to par, assuming that there are many “bad” teachers who have not been found out yet. This seems to be the assumption behind Race to the Top and the Gates’ approach to evaluation: stack ranking, from top to bottom. Fire the botto

by dianerav / 2min mark as read  //  save

Arthur Camins: What Matters Most?

Arthur Camins is director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. When Camins read Paul Thomas’s latest commentary about the lack of evidence behind reform strategies, he wrote the following: “Over the past several years I have read countless articles and books all saying basically the same thing: The foundati

by dianerav / 2min 

Barbara Miner: The Voucher Boondoggle in Milwaukee

Barbara Miner is a veteran journalist and photographer who has been writing about education and Milwaukee for many years. Her most recent book tells the history of public education in Milwaukee: Lessons from the Heartland: A Turbulent Half-Century of Public Education in an Iconic American City. In this blog, she explains the history of vouchers in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is the poster district for vo

by dianerav / 7min mark as read  //  save

Is There a STEM Shortage?

We hear repeatedly about the shortage of qualified engineers and the need for more science, technology, and mathematics majors. I am all for that. I would also like to see more majors in the arts, philosophy, history, government, literature, and world languages. This reader–who signs as “Democracy”–offers thoughts about “the STEM crisis”–and examines the role of Lockheed Martin’s Norman Augustine,

6 by dianerav / 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 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New York election victory points the way in Chicago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New York election victory points the way in Chicago:

New York election victory points the way in Chicago

 

De Blasio's overwhelming win in yesterday's NY primary gives hope and new confidence to teachers and others who would like to see a similar outcome in the next Chicago mayoral election. De Blasio's stand on school issues seems closest to that  of some members of the City Council's Progressive Caucus.and other potential anti-Rahm candidates.

De Blasio is a strong advocate for public education; opposes charter school expansion and Bloomberg'a (read Emanuel's) corporate-style reform; wants to increase taxes on the wealthiest to solve the budget crisis; and says that inequality is the central issue of our times.” His strong stand against Bloomberg's racist stop-and-frisk policies resonated with many black and Latino voters. Sounds like a strong platform for a 2015 anti-Rahm candidate.

With his own poll ratings sinking like a stone, I'm sure that Rahm kept a close eye on the New York election. What he saw must have shaken him and his corporate backers, many of whom 

9-12-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

September’s (2013) Best Tweets — Part Two

Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in this post. If you don’t use Twit

5 by Larry Ferlazzo / 18min 

Video: “Kid President’s Pep Talk to Teachers and Students!”

Thanks to Wendi Pillars for sharing this video on Twitter:

14 by Larry Ferlazzo / 38min mark as read  //  save

Voyager Has Left The Solar System — Here Are Some Useful Resources

Here are some new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About Voyager 1 & Its Departure From Our Solar System: The Atlantic shares what Voyager heard as it left our solar system. Voyager’s epic journey: How long would it take you? is a neat interactive from The BBC. Exiting the Solar System and Fulfilling a Dream is from The New York Times and includes a lot of multimedia features. Voyager

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 38min 

New Kindle Verision Of My Book, Self-Driven Learning, Now Available

The Kindle edition of my book, Self-Driven Learning, was pulled a couple of of months ago after Routledge bought its original publisher, Eye On Education. They made revisions to all the EOE books, and now, as of today, it’s back! You can get the Kindle version here on Amazon. They tell me that the new and improved Kindle version of Helping Students Motivate Themselves is not far behind. And look f

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 17min 

Two Important Quotes From Massive NY Times Articles On Tablets In Classroom

Today, The New York Times published a very lengthy piece on the use of tablets in the classroom, focusing on Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify system (which I’ve written about in the past). The Times piece is headlined No Child Left Untableted. I think it’s an impressively thoughtful piece covering the broader questions about technology use in the classroom Here’s one excerpt that particularly resonated w

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min 

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 

9-12-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Heading to Portelos Hearing (Sept 12) This Morning at 10

A modern day Frank Serpico, only this one, Portelos, banished in often solitary confinement to the rubber rooms that the master of disinformation UFT president Mulgrew said were closed three years ago. Yes, public, know a teller of disinformation (Mulgrew) by the company he keeps (candidate Thompson) -read here and here, here, here, here.  ..... New York City EyeI may do some tweeting from there e

by ed notes online / 1min mark as read  //  save

Can UFT Close Achievment Gap Betweem Thompson and di Blasio?

14% pts bigger gap than Weiner had in 05-dropped out for unity. Thompson should DOASWEINERDID.But the elites, including the UFT, fearing di Blasio won't let him do it. They want to squeeze very ounce out of this race.So if we don't see 40% watch them all jump on board for Thompson. Bloomberg (behind the scenes) etc plus the UFT.So tell me my friends, which side are they on?Here is a comment on my

1 by ed notes online / 1min 

Ravitch and New Book Today at Judson Church

I'll be there taping and interviewing and some MOREistas will be there to distribute the hot off the press new newsletter, MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox. If there is one thing to fault Diane on in her book (and I haven't finished all of it) is her allowing the unions off the hook for their complicity in ed deform. I do get there are long-time relationships she has. But there were also long-time relat

1 by ed notes online / 1min 

Everything you ever wanted to know about the 9/11 conspiracy theory in under 5 minutes

This is almost funny. Almost. Or very scary.Posted at http://www.corbettreport.com/911-a-conspiracy-theory/11 Sep 2011 9/11: A Conspiracy Theory Posted by Corbett Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadEverything you ever wanted to know about the 9/11 conspiracy theory in under 5 minutes.(Watch French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew or Portuguese translations of this video.)TRANSCRIPT: On the mor

1 by ed notes online / 7h 

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