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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Morning Wink 9-17-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS


TODAY

Core Stability: What I Didn't Know About Section 8C — Whole Child Education
Core Stability: What I Didn't Know About Section 8C — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGCore Stability: What I Didn’t Know About Section 8CSeptember 17, 2013 by Mary FowlerRead the first post in this series.I should tell you now that what happened in the end with Section 8C could be called a success story. That class turned out to be my most defining experience in education. Educators kne
9-17-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Applications for Advanced Learning due October 3Eligibility testing begins in October for accelerated learning programsSeattle Public Schools provides opportunities for academically advanced students in grades K-8 to qualify for accelerated learning programs. Additional information and application forms for eligibility testing can be found here. Applications are al
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: UNO charters, pension robbers
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: UNO charters, pension robbers: UNO charters, pension robbersMartin Cabrera Jr., (right) resigned from UNO's board amid growing scandal. | Sun-Times File PhotoThe Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund on Monday charged that the already scandalized United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) had failed to make contributions for more than 90 certified teachers in its charter school
9-17-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Reign of Error: What’s Wrong With Preaching to the Choir?This is my column for publication in The Wave this Friday. But since today is publication date of Diane Ravitch's new book I'm posting it to join with bloggers all over the nation who are part of the Ravitch support network. This is not a complete review. There are so many great bloggers out there who will do a better job th
9-17-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: The Relentless Bully Politics Continues in SCSuperintendent of Education Mick Zais can’t help himself. He is so enamored with his misinformation-as-talking-points that he is willing to visit and shame a high-poverty elementary school. This is the other side of the coin for Zais who has previously visited a so-called high-flying school in order to shame all the othe
A New School Year: Democracy & Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week
A New School Year: Democracy & Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week: A New School Year: Democracy & SchoolsBy Deborah Meier on September 17, 2013 9:06 AMDeborah Meier returns to Bridging Differences today following the blog's summer hiatus. Later this week, Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute will reply to herthoughts. The two will blog together for several weeks
Ball of confusion: How ‘edu-speak’ leaves too many parents behind | Hechinger Report
Ball of confusion: How ‘edu-speak’ leaves too many parents behind | Hechinger Report: Ball of confusion: How ‘edu-speak’ leaves too many parents behindBy Liz WillenLike many parents, Dahlia Lithwick felt absolutely dumbfounded after sitting through one too many back-to-school meetings at her children’s school. The Ivy League-educated lawyer and journalist expressed her frustration in a revealing p
9-17-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Update on the most important Connecticut school funding lawsuit in modern times…Starting this year and next, Connecticut public school teachers will be judged, in no small part, by factors beyond their control such as their student’s standardized test results.  Some will lose their jobs after two years under Governor Malloy’s “education reform” bill.  But as reported in yesterday’s CT
Newark charter school contract with K12 Inc. shows influence of for-profit companies in public schools | NJ.com
Newark charter school contract with K12 Inc. shows influence of for-profit companies in public schools | NJ.com: Newark charter school contract with K12 Inc. shows influence of for-profit companies in public schoolsNEWARK— Newark Prep Charter School opened last year with 150 students, a dozen teachers and big ambitions to become among the first schools in the state to offer classes taught online.I
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Today Is the Day: “Reign of Error” Is Available!Maybe you have not been anticipating this day as much as I have. But I can tell you as an author that waiting for “pub date” is excruciating. It seems like forever between the time you make the final edit and the actual appearance of the book. I finished about June 1. And now, three a
Louisiana Educator: The Most Important Book for Educators and Parents
Louisiana Educator: The Most Important Book for Educators and Parents: The Most Important Book for Educators and ParentsThe latest book by Diane Ravitch is now available for purchase from all major book sellers, and it is a must read for all who believe that a good public education system is critical to our country's future.The book is titled Reign of Error; The Hoax of the Privatization Movement
9-17-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Washington Post Republishes My Most Popular Blog Post Of The YearIn case you missed it when it originally appeared, Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post has republished my most popular blog post of the year (so far): Getting students to engage — not just comply3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 39min 9-16-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites
First Race to the Top (William Reese) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
First Race to the Top (William Reese) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: First Race to the Top (William Reese)William J. Reese is a professor of educational policy studies and history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the author of “Testing Wars in the Public Schools: A Forgotten History.” This op-ed in the New York Times appeared April 20, 2013.FOR the nearly 50 mil
9-17-13 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.: From Glen Brown on Constitution Day: The Constitution.Glen Brown posts at teacher/poet/musician. “Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties” –Abraham Lincoln “No State shall…pass any…ex post facto law or Law impairing the
The Curious Case of John McDonogh (part 1) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
The Curious Case of John McDonogh (part 1) | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsThe Curious Case of John McDonogh (part 1)Posted on September 16, 20131There is a very complex case of craziness surrounding John McDonogh High School. The more I look into this school, the more examples of financial mismanagement, exploitation, theft and cheating I manage to
9-17-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Lhota Campaign Launches First AdHere's the ad: And you can see the campaign pamphlet they've put out:Here's what's inside:In the mid-1970s, things were considerably rougher in the Big Apple—so much rougher that the Council for Public Safety (police, firefighters and other unions) had plenty of material to publish a scaremongering pamphlet called "Welcome to Fear City: A
Brown not backing away from decision to suspend state standardized tests | EdSource Today
Brown not backing away from decision to suspend state standardized tests | EdSource Today: Brown not backing away from decision to suspend state standardized testsSeptember 16th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John FensterwaldShare on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing ServicesIn remarks Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown defended the state’s decision to suspend state standardized t
Another blast in the reading wars
Another blast in the reading wars: The Constitution Day quiz: Test yourselfToday is the 226th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution — and that means it is also Constitution Day. What’s Constitution Day, you ask? It’s a congressionally mandated moment in which schools — from kindergarten through college — … Continue reading →    48 by Valerie Strauss / 1h mark as read  //  saveGetting
Reign of Error by Diane Ravitch: A Review | Seattle Education
Reign of Error by Diane Ravitch: A Review | Seattle Education: Reign of Error by Diane Ravitch: A ReviewReign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public SchoolsDr. Ravitch shatters one corporate reform myth after another with clarity providing excellent background information in the Notes and Appendix of this book.Because of her courageousness and direct ap
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Milwaukee targeted as next New Orleans-style "recovery zone"
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Milwaukee targeted as next New Orleans-style "recovery zone": Milwaukee targeted as next New Orleans-style "recovery zone"Milwaukee's public school system, already hit hard by devastating budget cuts and teacher firings, has become the next big urban school system to be targeted for privatization. MPS, the home of the nation's first crippling

YESTERDAY

Teachers For Social Justice: Milwaukee Schools Under Attack-Need Our Help!
Teachers For Social Justice: Milwaukee Schools Under Attack-Need Our Help!: Milwaukee Schools Under Attack-Need Our Help!SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 LEAVE A COMMENTCome to Milwaukee w/ TSJ for a March and Rally Saturday Sept 21-Public Education is a Civil Right!   Milwaukee public school educators, parents, and students need your help. The assault on public schools is increasing in Milwaukee.  We have call
Highlights from Terri’s Alabama Teacher Town Hall video – A MUST WATCH!
Highlights from Terri’s Alabama Teacher Town Hall video – A MUST WATCH! « inspirEDucation: Highlights from Terri’s Alabama Teacher Town Hall video – A MUST WATCH!A commentor by the name of “Jack” was kind enough to post details of Terri’s wonderful video, that captures Michelle Rhee’s Teacher Town Hall in Birmingham last Thursday in all its shameful glory. Here is the video once again and Jack’s
Jersey Jazzman: Chicago Mayor Emanuel Closes New School Before It Opens!
Jersey Jazzman: Chicago Mayor Emanuel Closes New School Before It Opens! [parody]: Chicago Mayor Emanuel Closes New School Before It Opens!CHICAGO -- Rahm Emanuel has become the first big city mayor to close a school before it has even been built. "When I announced I was building this new [expletive deleted] school yesterday, I thought you [expletive deleted] in the press would leave me alone
Let It Reign! | Gary Rubinstein's Blog
Let It Reign! | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: Let It Reign!The reformers can wait for Superman all they want.  We’ve got Wonder Woman.‘Reign Of Error:  the Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools,’ released today, is what Arne Duncan would call a ‘game changer.’  This will bring a new and wider audience to Dr. Diane Ravitch’s analysis of the current fads in educatio
Preserving Public Education | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
Preserving Public Education | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Preserving Public EducationPosted on September 16, 20131 Next stop, Atlanta!Looks like I’ve hit the big time (or at least the southern regional time) guys! I was invited to speak on a plenary panel, along with some pretty heavy hitters, at a Southern Regional Conference in Atlanta this coming weekend. I’ve been working on my intro speech and ral
States Tackle Chronic Absence in Schools | toteachornototeach
States Tackle Chronic Absence in Schools | toteachornototeach: States Tackle Chronic Absence in Schools By Adrienne LuSchool attendance is about more than figuring out who is playing hooky.Until recently, schools mostly looked at the student body’s overall attendance rate and the truancy–or unexcused absences–of individual students.Now a growing number of states and school districts are increasing
9-16-13 teacherken at Daily Kos
teacherken at Daily Kos: Awaiting the chance to offer some newsabout Leaves on the Current.  Wish I could say more, but we are on hold until she talks with her oncologist, probably tomorrow. Don't worry.  The discussion is because of how well she is doing. But it could represent some major changes in the short term. In the meantime, given my new teaching position and ensuring she gets the best car
9-16-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Even Forbes Mag Gets It: Charter School Gravy Train Runs Express To Fat CityCharter schools are frequently a way for politicians to reward their cronies.... Too bad the kids in charter schools don’t learn any better than those in plain-vanilla public schools... Unimpressive, especially when you consider charter schools can pick and choose their students....Nor does the evidence sh
PTA Meeting on 9/17/13 at PS 29 Queens Concerning Principal Jennifer Rogers.southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: PTA Meeting on 9/17/13 at PS 29 Queens Concerning Principal Jennifer RogersHi folks, remember PS 29 in College Point? I certainly do! How could I forget? Over 200 comments (And still counting), accusations of who, or is it whom? (Somebody please share), is boinking whom or who, pubic lice, mental illness, 4th cousins twice removed, several threats to me, and one pe
New Ravitch Book Exposes Bush-Obama School Reform as Reign of Error | janresseger
New Ravitch Book Exposes Bush-Obama School Reform as Reign of Error | janresseger: New Ravitch Book Exposes Bush-Obama School Reform as Reign of ErrorYou don’t need to be an expert on education policy to enjoy and learn from Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools, published tomorrow, September 17, by Alfred A. Kno
Last Stand for Children First: Ravitch's New Book Demonstrates She Still Hates Children
Last Stand for Children First: Ravitch's New Book Demonstrates She Still Hates Children: Ravitch's New Book Demonstrates She Still Hates ChildrenToday, Diane Ravitch's Reign of Error came out.  Her newest book claims to explore the hoax of privatization and the danger that America's public schools are facing.  Sadly, Diane's new book is just another misguided screed aimed at the hedge fund manager
California Father: Hannah Nyugen takes on Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee
California FatherI met Hannah after she took on Michelle Rhee at a recent town hall meeting in Los Angeles. Here I talk to her about charters, privatization and the youth movement against the corporate takeover of public schools.Rhee's Road Show Offers Nothing New - California Teachers AssociationRhee's Road Show Offers Nothing New - California Teachers Association: RHEE'S ROAD SHOW OFFERS NOTHING
Nite Cap 9-16-13 #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 CAPTODAYDistrict Budget Advisory Committee (DBAC) - Sacramento City Unified School District2013-2014 DAC Regular Meeting Agendas - Sacramento City Unified School District: September 16, 2013Three important meetings coming this week.One call for a DA
District Budget Advisory Committee (DBAC) - Sacramento City Unified School District
2013-2014 DAC Regular Meeting Agendas - Sacramento City Unified School District: September 16, 2013Three important meetings coming this week.One call for a DAC Bylaws discussionHello,First an apology. Some of you may have received an email from my company, Alpine Adventures, about skiing in Europe and Canada. I am using the same email sending company -Constant Contact- for both my Company email an
Chicago Teacher: Inhumane Working Conditions are Inhumane Learning Conditions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Chicago Teacher: Inhumane Working Conditions are Inhumane Learning Conditions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Chicago Teacher: Inhumane Working Conditions are Inhumane Learning ConditionsBy Anthony Cody on September 16, 2013 5:45 PMGuest post by Sarah Chambers.At my large elementary school on Chicago's southwest side, the mercury on the thermometer soars to a scorching 90 degrees. S
School leaders lobby Brown to kill teacher misconduct bill SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: School leaders lobby Brown to kill teacher misconduct billBy Kimberly BeltranMonday, September 16, 2013As the mid-point in the legislation session ended last week, advocates for school districts turned their attention to lobbying the governor to either support or veto pressing issues.Toward that end, the Association of California School Administrator
Mother Crusader: Hebrew Immersion Charter Cheerleader Doesn't Seem To Think Hatikvah Is a "Government" School
Mother Crusader: Hebrew Immersion Charter Cheerleader Doesn't Seem To Think Hatikvah Is a "Government" School: Hebrew Immersion Charter Cheerleader Doesn't Seem To Think Hatikvah Is a "Government" SchoolSilly ideologue, you think charters are public schools? I got a comment on a post I wrote about the impact the Hatikvah International Academy Charter School in East Brunswick ha
There Joel Klein goes again…
There Joel Klein goes again…: There Joel Klein goes again…By Valerie Strauss, Published: September 16 at 3:45 pmE-mail the writer0CommentsMoreJoel Klein (The Washington Post)A story in the latest edition of the New York Times Magazine titled “No Child Left Untableted,” by Carlo Rotella, is getting a lot of attention in part because of statements made in it by former New York City schools chancello
Diane in the Evening 9-16-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Are the 1% Getting Richer?As states cut the budget for public schools, lay off teachers, increase class sizes, fire librarians and social workers, guidance counselors and teacher aides, we hear the same refrain: Sorry, the money’s all gone. But is it? Read this article and you will find where the money went.by dianerav / 1min m
Built to Last Tour - Year 2013
Built to Last Tour - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces National Best Practices Tour of California Green Ribbon SchoolsSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the California Department of Education (CDE) will co-host the West Coast Tour Leg of the Education Built to Last best practices tour, the national U.
Philadelphia Graph of the Day | School Finance 101
Philadelphia Graph of the Day | School Finance 101: Philadelphia Graph of the DayPosted on September 16, 20130       Rate ThisI just can’t drop the Philly issue, because of the complete absurdity of the reformy rhetoric about Philly schools and persistent willful ignorance regarding the role of equitable and adequate funding for Philly schools and the Commonwealth’s failure to provide any reasonab
REVIEW: “Reign of Error,” Ravitch 3.0 | the becoming radical
REVIEW: “Reign of Error,” Ravitch 3.0 | the becoming radical: REVIEW: “Reign of Error,” Ravitch 3.0Posted on September 16, 2013 by plthomaseddWhen faced with the many competing narratives of the religions of the world, comparative myth/religion scholar Joseph Campbell explained to Bill Moyersthat Campbell did not reject religion, as some scholars have, but instead reached this conclusion:Every rel
Families try to cope with neighborhood school closings | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Families try to cope with neighborhood school closings | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Families try to cope with neighborhood school closingsIn North Philadelphia, families were confronted with a shrinking pool of school options.by Connie Langland and Mark McHugh="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on emailCOMMENTS (5
NYC Educator: Principals' Blooper Reel
NYC Educator: Principals' Blooper Reel: Principals' Blooper ReelImagine all the principals getting together and having a big party. They've bought pizza, big heroes, all sortof drinks, and they're wearing lampshades on their heads. They look completely out of control until they all focus on that big TV. And there we are. Oops. You're wearing one black and one brown shoe. Hilarity ensues. Everyone
Educational apartheid a disgrace | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
Educational apartheid a disgrace | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Educational apartheid a disgraceFiled under: Civil Rights Movement Today — millerlf @ 12:25 pm Continued budget cuts, growth in voucher schools demonstrate separate is not equalBy Peggy SchulzSept. 13, 2013 MJSOn Sept. 21, concerned Milwaukeeans will gather for the Public Education is a Civil Right March and Rally. Part
Parents Across America
Parents Across AmericaWhy we asked our Board of Education to stop our state’s new testsPOSTED ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 BY PAGRUNDYThis past Tuesday, a group of North Carolina parents and educators asked our local school board to stop giving a set of federally mandated tests known as Measures of Student Learning (MSLs). Essentially, we are calling on our board members to consider civil disobedience. I
9-16-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: A weekend of interesting news and commentary posts about Bridgeport – in case you missed them….Bridgeport Community Bank that Bridgeport’s BOE Chair Kenneth Moales Jr won’t pay back goes under (Saturday) In an article entitled, “State Has First Bank Failure In A Decade, the Hartford Courant reported last night that, “The Community’s Bank, with its headquarters and one branch in Bridgep
9-16-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum: This Week in Seattle Public Schools
Seattle Schools Community Forum: This Week in Seattle Public Schools: This Week in Seattle Public SchoolsTuesday, September 17Board Work Session on Growth Boundaries, 4:30-6:30pmNOTE: This will be the first look at the likely plan. Any changes from this plan will only come with great difficultly. No agenda available yet.Wednesday, September 18Regular Legislative Board Meeting, 4:15 - 8:00pmAgendaT
The Promise Of The Common Core
Shanker Blog » The Promise Of The Common Core: The Promise Of The Common CorePosted by Leo Casey on September 16, 2013In recent months, the Common Core has come under increasing criticism from a number of different quarters.An op-ed in the New York Times’ Week in Review is emblematic of the best of this disapproving sentiment. Yet even it mixes together fundamental misconceptions about the entire
Cali Education Headlines Monday, September 16, 2013
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Deputy Supt. Aquino departs L.A. Unified with warningEducation HeadlinesMonday, September 16, 2013Fewer Galt students starting school with recommended vaccinationsLess than 90 percent of Galt’s River Oaks Elementary School 76 students who entered kindergarten last year were up-to-date on their childhood vaccinations, putting them at higher ri
Study: Learning cursive in the first grade helps students | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
Study: Learning cursive in the first grade helps students | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Study: Learning cursive in the first grade helps students COMMENT(6) 0 1 2 5View Larger Cursive is disappearing from many American schools, but study out of Canada suggests that teaching cursive writing has benefits. (AJC Photo)Previous PostsA Georgia high school graduate: Common Core would have improved my edu
9-16-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Tone, Tone, Tone: Prelude to REIGN OF ERRORAs a prelude to Diane’s book and my review to be posted tomorrow, my tone series: http://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/tone-pt-1-does-tone-matter-in-the-education-reform-debate/ http://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/tone-pt-2-on-hostile-rhetoric-laziness-and-the-education-debate/ http://radicalsc
Morning Wink 9-16-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYDial Down Reactive Behavior—Theirs and Ours! — Whole Child EducationDial Down Reactive Behavior—Theirs and Ours! — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGDial Down Reactive Behavior—Theirs and Ours!September 16, 2013 by Mary FowlerYou might have heard the old joke about the guy who goes up to a doctor at a party. "Doc," he says as he pok






L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti backs John Deasy, seeks to end feud between LAUSD leaders, board

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti backs John Deasy, seeks to end feud between LAUSD leaders, board:

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti backs John Deasy, seeks to end feud between LAUSD leaders, board

In this Aug. 8, 2013 file photo, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAUSD Superintendent Dr. John Deasy talk prior to Deasy's annual Administrators' Meeting at Hollywood High School. (Andy Holzman/Los Angeles Daily News) 
Amid mounting tension between Los Angeles Unified’s top administrators and the school board, Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed support Monday for Superintendent John Deasy and said he plans to meet with both sides in order to ensure the district’s academic progress doesn’t falter.
Garcetti was responding to questions about the future of the district, and its leaders, following the resignation Friday of Deputy Superintendent Jaime Aquino. The instructional chief said the new school board majority has become ineffectual and overly intrusive, creating an unhealthy political climate in which he could no longer work.
“I’m a strong supporter of John Deasy, and I think he’s done a great job of moving this district forward … whether it’s bringing in new technology or whether it’s having more accountability for the progress we’ve made on our (test) scores and on reducing dropouts,” Garcetti said in an interview.
“I’m concerned that there will be a culture that will drown out innovation and that may ultimately leave the superintendent feeling like he can’t do 


Study focuses pros, cons of census funding for special ed SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Study focuses pros, cons of census funding for special ed 
By Tom Chorneau
Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Census-based funding of special education services offers a clear advantage by reducing incentives for districts to over-identify disabilities – but the system’s effectiveness is also limited by an assumption of uniformity in per-student costs that is inconsistent with the real world, according to new research.
Although federal law requires schools to provide a free and appropriate education for all students with disabilities, most of the funding to pay for the services comes from state and local sources. A variety of methods – none of which are without flaws – are used by states to support special education..
But scholars from the University of Toronto and Mathematica Policy Research suggest that census-based funding may be the best option even though their endorsement comes with significant qualification.
“Census funding offers a blunt approach to cost containment by forcing districts to pay the full marginal cost of services after exhausting state and federal aid,” said the study’s authors, Elizabeth Dhuey from the Center for Industrial Relations at the University of Toronto and Stephen Lipscomb of Mathematica.
As a result, the responsibility to deliver high quality programs is sometimes difficult for districts to meet, especially in the current economic setting. “For this reason, we recommend that policy makers consider ways to promote cost 


Do NOT underline important parts of Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error. | Reclaim Reform

Do NOT underline important parts of Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error. | Reclaim Reform:

Do NOT underline important parts of Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error.

WARNING: Do not attempt to underline the important parts of Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools.
Why? All that she has written in this book is important.
IMG_6131 
(Note: On page 163 I noticed one superfluous “the” and the usage of a questionable comma or two. Aside from that, the task of underling sections of a book I was about to review has proven futile.)
IMG_6134-p235 
(Note again: My wife highlighted her copy with the same intention. She was forced to stop on page 235 where, as you can see, her full set of highlighter markers ran dry. You do not want to be near my wife when her highlighter is depleted.)
Now, seriously, reviewing a book that is so superbly organized and intelligently presented is daunting. The book has plentiful scientific and academically supported research and data yet is introduced and illuminated in the straightforward manner of a great storyteller whose gift allows her to be easily understood by many people of various backgrounds. A 

Core Stability: What I Didn't Know About Section 8C — Whole Child Education

Core Stability: What I Didn't Know About Section 8C — Whole Child Education:

Mary Fowler

Core Stability: What I Didn’t Know About Section 8C

Read the first post in this series.
I should tell you now that what happened in the end with Section 8C could be called a success story. That class turned out to be my most defining experience in education. Educators knew so little back then about the brain or stress reactions. I flew by the seat of my pants, followed my gut, and remained determined to reach and teach this group of learners. To do that, I had to feel them, to sense them, and what might set them off.
In this class of 28 learners, most of these students had rich histories of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The child study team (CST) might easily have classified 10 as emotionally disturbed (ED). Mental health professionals might diagnose them with post traumatic stress reaction (PTSD) or some other mental disorder. Believe me, there were so many times I wanted the CST to take these kids, fix them, and send them back in a "teachable" condition. How I laugh at this reaction now!
For children with these biographies, it is essential to understand the stress reaction and how to dial it down—for their well-being and for the health of the entire school community. Stress reactive behavior—theirs or ours—especially in high risk environments significantly affects culture, climate, learning, and performance. Highly stressed learners operate with a volatile dynamic. They generally over-estimate the severity of threat and under-estimate their resources. Instead of developing as resilient learners, Section 8C students and the lik

9-17-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:




Applications for Advanced Learning due October 3
Eligibility testing begins in October for accelerated learning programsSeattle Public Schools provides opportunities for academically advanced students in grades K-8 to qualify for accelerated learning programs. Additional information and application forms for eligibility testing can be found here. Applications are also be available in school offices and in the lobby of the John Stanford Center,
Want More Horace Mann news?
Here's a link to a blog with more information on the activity around Horace Mann, including Twitter feeds you can follow and a Facebook page you can like.

9-16-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum: This Week in Seattle Public Schools
Seattle Schools Community Forum: This Week in Seattle Public Schools: This Week in Seattle Public SchoolsTuesday, September 17Board Work Session on Growth Boundaries, 4:30-6:30pmNOTE: This will be the first look at the likely plan. Any changes from this plan will only come with great difficultly. No agenda available yet.Wednesday, September 18Regular Legislative Board Meeting, 4:15 - 8:00pmAgendaT

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: UNO charters, pension robbers

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: UNO charters, pension robbers:

UNO charters, pension robbers

Martin Cabrera Jr., (right) resigned from UNO's board amid growing scandal. | Sun-Times File Photo
The Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund on Monday charged that the already scandalized United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) had failed to make contributions for more than 90 certified teachers in its charter schools.

Writes the Trib's Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah:
The teachers pension fund announced the results of an audit of the organization on the same day the network opened a new school, UNO Soccer Academy High School, whose construction was halted along with other new UNO campuses after Gov. Pat Quinn temporarily blocked a $98 million construction grant for the projects. Eventually, money was released after the Latino organization promised to put in place rules outlawing nepotism and conflicts of interest and added several new members to its boards. But two of those 

9-17-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:







Reign of Error: What’s Wrong With Preaching to the Choir?
This is my column for publication in The Wave this Friday. But since today is publication date of Diane Ravitch's new book I'm posting it to join with bloggers all over the nation who are part of the Ravitch support network. This is not a complete review. There are so many great bloggers out there who will do a better job than I can. (See Afterburn for links to some of the reviews out today.)The b

9-16-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Even Forbes Mag Gets It: Charter School Gravy Train Runs Express To Fat CityCharter schools are frequently a way for politicians to reward their cronies.... Too bad the kids in charter schools don’t learn any better than those in plain-vanilla public schools... Unimpressive, especially when you consider charter schools can pick and choose their students....Nor does the evidence sh

9-17-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

gears





Ron Paul Wants to Abolish Public Schools
While us progressives are busy reading (or not reading) Diane Ravitch’s Reign of Error,  Ron Paul’s anti-progressive, right wing Tea Party folks and followers are reading  The School Revolution. I came across a review of this book in The New Republic. What concerns me are the recent discussions and blog posts here and elsewhere about finding […]


My 8 year old cries foul on testing.
At last week’s school board meeting in my rural Western New York community an excellent discussion on testing occurred, focusing on the use of progress monitoring assessments.  Several families, including mine, have made the decision to boycott all assessment that is mandated by federal or state policy.   Our district uses a Pearson product called AIMSweb […]

Ravitch Seeks Broad Reforms to End Reign of Error
Reblogged from InterACT: Just in time for its official release tomorrow, I've finished reading an advance copy of Diane Ravitch's new book, Reign of Error:  The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools. For people who have been following education policy debates long enough and already know that they tend to […]

The Relentless Bully Politics Continues in SC
Superintendent of Education Mick Zais can’t help himself. He is so enamored with his misinformation-as-talking-points that he is willing to visit and shame a high-poverty elementary school. This is the other side of the coin for Zais who has previously visited a so-called high-flying school in order to shame all the other schools. In both cases, […]

9-16-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Tone, Tone, Tone: Prelude to REIGN OF ERRORAs a prelude to Diane’s book and my review to be posted tomorrow, my tone series: http://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/tone-pt-1-does-tone-matter-in-the-education-reform-debate/ http://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/tone-pt-2-on-hostile-rhetoric-laziness-and-the-education-debate/ http://radicalsc

A New School Year: Democracy & Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week

A New School Year: Democracy & Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

A New School Year: Democracy & Schools

Deborah Meier returns to Bridging Differences today following the blog's summer hiatus. Later this week, Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute will reply to her
thoughts. The two will blog together for several weeks this fall.

Dear Mike,
For 50 years September meant the beginning of a new school year for me and the chance to put into action new ideas and insights that had been quietly gathering force. I miss the excitement of starting "anew" as we tried to translate our ideas into miniature worlds for our children and ourselves. I still believe that if we don't take advantage of the intellectual insights that reside in those closest to the action we will never get this right. Right for what? For bringing the elusive but powerful concept—democracy—down to earth where we can play with its trade-offs, complexities, and values. Schools for a democracy need to be sites of learning of the highest order, "labs" for trying our ideas out.
Since I am no longer working in a specific school, and part of that school's lively debates, blogging has become my substitute! Maybe this blog can help us get a better handle on where we agree and where we part company by focusing at first on a discussion about the connection between democracy and schooling. Let's aim for an imperfect and interesting discourse, which may disappoint some of my best friends who love (like me) to argue polemically in a style we learned in one or another sect.
Polemics are useful sometimes—for example, Diane Ravitch and I spent time many years ago 

Ball of confusion: How ‘edu-speak’ leaves too many parents behind | Hechinger Report

Ball of confusion: How ‘edu-speak’ leaves too many parents behind | Hechinger Report:

Ball of confusion: How ‘edu-speak’ leaves too many parents behind

By
Like many parents, Dahlia Lithwick felt absolutely dumbfounded after sitting through one too many back-to-school meetings at her children’s school. The Ivy League-educated lawyer and journalist expressed her frustration in a revealing piece for Slate last week—one that highlighted the communication breakdown that hampers education reform.
The jargon-filled language has made its way into back-to-school nights, and it’s no wonder parents are confounded.
120921-logan-square-01.grid-6x2“Somewhere along the line, public education became so completely overmastered by its own jargon, broad templates, and unspecified testable outcomes,” Lithwick wrote.
She described sitting in one of those endless school meetings, the kind to which many of us rush breathlessly from work and other obligations because it seems important, and then—as our heads begin to spin—wonder why.
“I felt as if I were toggling between a business school seminar and the space program; acronyms alone—seemingly random sequences of letters like MAP and SOL and EAPE—were being deployed more frequently than actual words.”
The tendency toward acronym-laden programs has been true since long before the federal government came up with an astonishing list of them, including ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act), NCLB (No Child Left Behind), and President Barack Obama’s Race to the Topcompetition, also known as R2T, RTT or even RTTT.
At The Hechinger Report, where many of us have covered education for decades, we are still easily lost in the acronym jungle. Yet, it’s part of our mission to help explore, explain and analyze trends with terribly unwieldy names, like the Common Core State Standards (new, mostly nationwide 





9-17-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:



Malloy’s Education Commissioner prepares 2014 legislative agenda that increases his power and promotes charters
In a shocking display of his lack of appreciation for the importance of local governance and local control, an internal memo written by a top staff person at the Department of Education reveals that Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, is preparing a legislative agenda that includes proposals to “strengthen legislation impacting the Commissioner’s […]The post Malloy’s Educati

An expert speaks…Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error
Public education advocate Wendy Lecker reviews Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error An expert speaks…Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error The Nobel-Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr defined an expert as someone who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a narrow field.  Implicit in that definition is the assumption that, in […]The post An expert speaks…Diane Ravitch’s new book, Re

Update on the most important Connecticut school funding lawsuit in modern times…
Starting this year and next, Connecticut public school teachers will be judged, in no small part, by factors beyond their control such as their student’s standardized test results.  Some will lose their jobs after two years under Governor Malloy’s “education reform” bill.  But as reported in yesterday’s CT Mirror, “The state’s top attorneys Monday asked […]The post Update on the most important Con

9-16-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: A weekend of interesting news and commentary posts about Bridgeport – in case you missed them….Bridgeport Community Bank that Bridgeport’s BOE Chair Kenneth Moales Jr won’t pay back goes under (Saturday) In an article entitled, “State Has First Bank Failure In A Decade, the Hartford Courant reported last night that, “The Community’s Bank, with its headquarters and one branch in Bridgep

Newark charter school contract with K12 Inc. shows influence of for-profit companies in public schools | NJ.com

Newark charter school contract with K12 Inc. shows influence of for-profit companies in public schools | NJ.com:

Newark charter school contract with K12 Inc. shows influence of for-profit companies in public schools


NEWARK— Newark Prep Charter School opened last year with 150 students, a dozen teachers and big ambitions to become among the first schools in the state to offer classes taught online.
It hired K12 Inc., a for-profit online learning giant, to handle the start-up and offer many of the services the high school would provide.
A contract obtained by The Star-Ledger shows the publicly traded company — which operates charter schools for thousands of students in 27 states and made $30 million in the last school year — selected Newark Prep’s principal, drafted its budget and leased it furniture and equipment.
In return, Newark Prep paid the company nearly half a million dollars, or 17 percent of the $2.8 million it received last school year to educate students, according to financial data provided by the school’s board of trustees. This year, as the student body grows, the fees could take up to 40 percent of the school’s revenue, according to the contract.
New Jersey law allows for-profit companies to play a big role in public schools.
One thing they can’t do is run the place.
But charter school experts and one lawmaker said it’s sometime hard to tell if the rules are being followed, and K12’s involvement with Newark Prep is one of those instances.
"Technically, on the books, K12 is just a contractor hired by Newark Prep Charter