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

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

MY LATEST BOOK

"Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching"

 is an edited compilation from my Ed Week teacher advice column, along with new materials.

Even More Halloween Resources

Here are even more new additions to The Best Websites For Learning About Halloween: The British Council has some great Halloween resources here and here. Giant Pumpkins Compete in Weigh-Off is a Wall Street Journal slideshow. Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

4 by Larry Ferlazzo / 42min mark as read  //  save

October’s (2013) Best Tweets — Part Four

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

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 50min 

Wide Angle’s “Video Bank” Is An Excellent Social Studies Resource

Thanks to my talented colleague, Elisabeth Johnson, I’ve learned about “Wide Angle: Window Into Global History,” a project of Channel Thirteen in New York. It has a collection of multimedia social studies lessons and a “video bank,” which I think is particularly impressive. The videos are divided by themes (power, conflict, migrations, etc.) and each video has suggested guiding classroom question

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 5min

The Best Resources For Learning About The Fires In Australia

Some pretty terrible fires are happening in Australia right now, and, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be an uncommon occurrence. I’ve previously compiled “Best” lists on other fires there — earlier this year and in 2009. They also had flooding in 2011. On a more positive note, I’ve also posted The Best Sites To Learn About Australia. I’ll be adding this newest list to A Compilation Of “The Best

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 32min

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

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELLI’ve started a somewhat regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention: The Reading Teacher is from TEFL Geek and offers some helpful advice on teaching…reading. English Page is a new site to

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-23-13 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.:

The in box. Bev Johns on Medicare Advantage.

TESTIMONY TO COMMISSION ON GOVERNMENT FORECASTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY Beverley H. Johns October 23, 2013 Confusion, misinformation, and fear run rampant among my colleagues as a result of the proposed changes to the health insurance of those of us who chose to devote our careers to the education of children within this state. We worked many years for not the best wages and counted on our retirement

by Fred Klonsky / 14min 

Fair. Progressive. Graduated.

. We never stop saying what should be obvious. Illinois has a two-part revenue problem. Those who earn to little pay too much on taxes. Those who make a lot pay too little. And Illinois doesn’t raise enough in revenue to pay its bills. The pollsters say words like “progressive income tax” and “graduated income tax” don’t poll well. They say we should call it a “fair tax.” Okay. But my neighbors a

by Fred Klonsky / 47min 

Blogging without my laptop.

Halfway between Springfield and Chicago my cell rings. It is the security guy from the Abraham Lincoln Hotel. I had stayed there last night for the Illinois Retired Teachers Association meeting. I left my laptop back in my hotel room. Shit! Do I need to turn around to go back and get it? No. They will box it up and send it FedEx. I will get it later today or tomorrow. However my blogging will ne

1 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

10-22-13 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.: Congratulatory IRTA resolution to Glen Brown, me and other pension bloggers.The Illinois Retired Teachers Association meeting in Springfield yesterday and today, took special note of the role that  pension and education bloggers play in the fight for pension rights by issuing a congratulatory resoluti

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-23-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

12 Years a Slave - Under Bloomberg

A new movie tells the story of a formerly free school system with public input and oversight that is lured into a seamy arrangement by an ego-driven, manipulative billionaire who then enslaves over one million children, over a hundred thousand school employees and a disenfranchised public. His overseers, Merryl Tisch and Eva Moskowitz make the lives of the slaves miserable.After 12 years of servit

1 by ed notes online / 10min 

The Madness Continues: Another Co-Loco Hearing Oct. 23 - JOHN DEWY HS !!!!!!

I was looking forward to an evening at home Weds night. Guess not. Those good ole boys and girls at Tweedle Dee keep 'em comin' like the Top 40 hits. But hey, no worries. Big Bill will just reverse the PEP rubber stamp on Oct. 30 -- the day before Halloween -- and please join everyone at the PEP - wearing your costume.PLEASE POST AND DISTRIBUTE ! ACT NOWSTOP THE Co-locations IN DISTRICT 21 A PROPO

2 by ed notes online / 4h 

Change the Stakes: New York City Public School Parents Deserve to be Heard by Education Commissioner John King

NYC’s one million public school students account for a third of the state’s total public school enrollment. Yet not a single forum will be held in New York City.  Change the Stakes calls on state legislators who represent NYC students, their parents and their teachers to demand that the Board of Regents schedule a public forum in each of the five boroughs. .... CTS Another shot at King from our g

1 by ed notes online / 4h 

Parents Lead Massive Opt-Out of Kindergarten Tests in Washington Hts

“My feeling about testing kids as young as 4 is it’s inhumane,” said PTA co-chairwoman Dao Tran, mother of first-grader Quyen Lamphere, 5. “I can only see it causing stress.”... Rachel Monahan, Daily NewsThe revolt is growing and this story is HUGE, as Diane Ravitch points out below (and a good story from the ed press - though we would love to see a piece analyzing the growth of the opt out moveme

3 by ed notes online / 4h

10-22-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: PS 196k: Another SRO anti-colocation rally/hearing not being covered by nyc ed press... Which gush over charter school artificial rallies but ignore the massive outpouring at hearings all over the city by public school parents. Truly one of the most impressive organizing efforts, esp in a poor under resourced community. Hearing hasn't started yet and they're still pouring in. And

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-23-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Gaiman, Prisons, Literacy, and the Problems with Satire

Gaiman, Prisons, Literacy, and the Problems with Satire. via Gaiman, Prisons, Literacy, and the Problems with Satire.

by plthomasedd / 16min 

New Refusal Movement Blossoms in New Mexico

New Mexico has one of the masters of Chiefs for Change, Hanna Skandera, in the chief’s seat of their education department.  They are under her thumb and trapped under her policies, which she brought with her, straight outta Florida and straight from Jeb. This week, Albuquerque BOE member Kathy Korte organized and held a rally […]

4 by Kris Nielsen / 5h mark as read  //  save

YESTERDAY

How About Some Rhee-lated Information from Tax Documents?

I have been reading tax forms. 990s– the form of the nonprofit organization (no 1040s for them). It might sound boring, but I guess that all depends upon whose tax forms they are. Two 990s are the subject of this post. The first is the 2011 (August 2011 to July 2012) 990 for Michelle Rhee’s reform lobbying […]

by deutsch29 / 6h  

10-22-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: FedEd Celebrating Holidays with TFA DonationsFedEx has a thing for Teach for America: 2009 2008 And now for the holidays in 2013: Starting Nov. 1, FedEx will kick off the “FedEx One Rate, Countless Possibilities Through Education” promotion, giving customers across the United States a simple way to give the gift of education. Through Dec. 23, $1 from every FedEx […]4 by plthomase

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-23-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Governor Cuomo Backs John King, Echoes Commissioner By Saying "Change Is Hard"

Sheriff Andy has a lot on his plate these days, with the legislature in almost full rebellion over the Moreland Commission subpoenas, his casino proposal facing trouble, and both pro-and anti-fracking groups wondering just when Hamlet on the Hudson Jr. is going to make a decision on fracking - but that didn't stop him from publicly backing embattled NYSED Commissioner King:As to whether he thinks

by reality-based edu... / 1min 

Assemblyman Thomas Abinanti Renews Call For Commissioner King To Resign

Apparently the assemblyman is not assuaged by the vaunted new Common Core forums NYSED Commissioner King announced late last week after canceling four parent forums on the Common Core the week before, because he continues to call for King's resignation:Education Commissioner John King should resign immediately. His rigidity makes him unsuited for the position of Education Commissioner.For quite so

by reality-based edu... / 8min

Daily News, Post: Fire More Teachers!

Both the Daily News and the Post were very, very sad that the teacher evaluation ratings results showed 92% of teachers around the state were effective or highly effective while 7% were rated developing and 1% ineffective.The Newsies and Posties wanted the evaluation ratings to reflect the proficiency ratings students had on the state test results released earlier this year.In other words, they wa

by reality-based edu... / 13min 

Carol Burris: Teacher Evaluation Results Were Politically Motivated

From Newsday: Long Island school administrators cast doubt on the merit and usefulness of data released Tuesday by the state Department of Education on teacher and principal performance. Some veteran educators questioned the timing of the announcement about job evaluations, saying it was politically motivated. Districts had earlier received their own results. Carol Burris, principal of South Side

by reality-based edu... / 5min 

A Syracuse Mother Thanks Her Children's Teachers

This made the rounds on the Internet yesterday, but in case you haven't seen it, give it a listen.It should be required listening at SED and the Board of Regents, where they think their "objective" and "scientific" APPR teacher evaluation system measures the true worth and value of teachers.That evaluation system does no such thing.A video like this, from a mother reading a let

by reality-based edu... / 4h 

  

10-22-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Changing The Parent Forums To Almost All Q&A Doesn't Matter If You Have NO Intention To Change The PoliciesNewsday reports the NYSED and Regents are aware they have a big p.r. problem over their radical education reform agenda and they're looking for ways to "relieve" it:Top state education officials, stung by rising public anger over testing, declared Monday t

by mike simpson / 10h 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Testing companies hit the jackpot on Common Core

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Testing companies hit the jackpot on Common Core:

Testing companies hit the jackpot on Common Core

The market for testing products and services is booming and could continue to surge over the next few years, according to industry analysts and company officials, who say that growth is being fueled by the shift toward common-core tests.

Federal education policy since No Child Left Behind has fueled the testing boom which in turn has driven even more testing down to lower and lower grades. Many states and districts have approved policies tying teachers’ and administrators’ evaluations to students’ academic progress, as measured in part by state tests—policies supported by the Obama administration through its Race to the Top program.

In an article sponsored by the Gates Foundation, Edweek's Sean Sean Cavanagh writes:

Changes in testing policy with nationwide implications are invariably “good for any provider of testing materials,” said Scott Marion, the associate director of the National Center for the Improvement of 

How About Some Rhee-lated Information from Tax Documents? | deutsch29

How About Some Rhee-lated Information from Tax Documents? | deutsch29:

How About Some Rhee-lated Information from Tax Documents?

October 23, 2013

I have been reading tax forms. 990s– the form of the nonprofit organization (no 1040s for them).

It might sound boring, but I guess that all depends upon whose tax forms they are.

Two 990s are the subject of this post. The first is the 2011 (August 2011 to July 2012) 990 for Michelle Rhee’s reform lobbying organization, StudentsFirst (SF). The second is the 2011 990 from the lesser-known SF sister organization, StudentsFirst Institute (SFI).  Both forms were signed by Michelle Rhee on June 13, 2013 and filed with the IRS in Ogden UT on June 18, 2013.

The Best of Both Worlds: 501(c)3 and 501(c)4

Both SF and SFI are nonprofits. However, SF is a 501(c)4, and SFI, a 501(c)3. A 501(c)3 is limited in the percent of its budget that it can devote to lobbying. (Violation of this restriction is the reason that Common Cause filed its whistleblower complaint with the IRS against the American Legislative Exchange Council [ALEC] in April 2012.) However, a 501(c)4 does not have such a restriction. Therefore, SFI needs SF in order to unleash as much lobbying as it likes in statehouses around the country. Here is the 501(c)4 freedom that causes reformer faces to light up:

501(c)(4) organizations can engage in unlimited lobbying so long as it pertains to the organization’s mission. 501(c)(3) organizations are not permitted to engage in political activity, endorse or oppose political candidates, or donate money or time to political campaigns, but 501(c)(4) organizations can do all of the above.[Emphasis added.]

One might wonder why Rhee is operating both 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 organizations.