11-12-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Listen to @KarenLewisCTU. Studio Version @thechalkface!

Shaun and I are headed back to the MidWest Family Broadcasting this week to record new STUDIO episodes of @the chalkface.   We love the internet show but check out this studio version with Karen Lewis.  What do you call it when you close 50 public schools that serve mostly minority and low income children? […]

6 by Timothy D. Slekar / 11min 

“Fahrenheit 451″ 60 Years Later: “Why do we need the things in books?”

\”Fahrenheit 451\” 60 Years Later: \”Why do we need the things in books?\”. via “Fahrenheit 451″ 60 Years Later: “Why do we need the things in books?”.

4 by plthomasedd / 2h 

YESTERDAY

The Data Quality Campaign: Encouraging States to Ramp Up Data Collection

In April 2013, I wrote a post about the inBloom database and Louisiana Superintendent John White’s secret arrangement with inBloom. White’s inBloom arrangement is not the only student data sharing agreement into which White has entered.  It is one of many arrangements White has made and about which the public has been kept in the dark. So […]

7 by deutsch29 / 8h 

11-11-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Teacher Evaluations: Moving From a Flawed System to a Fair SystemAs a teacher in a low socio-economic status (SES) public middle school, I can agree that the greatest in-school factor in promoting student growth is teacher quality. That being said, the main concern I have centers on how education reformers are holding teachers accountable for their students’ test scores. More spe

by mike simpson / 7h 

11-12-13 With A Brooklyn Accent

With A Brooklyn Accent:

On Today's Protest Against NY Ed Commissioner King at Ward Melville HS

WOO HOO!!!!Woke up this morning in a GREAT MOOD, ready to join THOUSANDS of Long Island parents, teachers and students at 5:45 protesting another closed forum sponsored by NY Ed Commissioner John King at Ward Melville HS in East Setauket. Since Commissioner King seems constitutionally incapable of actually listening to parents, teachers and principals, I doubt if this demonstration will have any i

3 by Mark Naison / 5h  

With A Brooklyn Accent: Why BATS is Militantly Pro-Union as Well As Against Common Core

With A Brooklyn Accent: Why BATS is Militantly Pro-Union as Well As Against Common Core: Why BATS is Militantly Pro-Union as Well As Against Common CoreUnions are the best protection for the living standards of workers and the best defenders of workers rights at the workplace. The powerful interests who have worked to undermine unions and drive union membership from 35 percent of the work force wh

by mike simpson / 8h 

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BAT!

Badass Teachers Association

This is for every teacher who refuses to be blamed for the failure of our society to erase poverty and inequality, and refuses to accept assessments, tests and evaluations imposed by those who have contempt for real teaching and learning.

Badass Teachers Association Website

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER@BADASSTEACHERSA

11-12-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Bloomberg Experiences A Major Post-Election Defeat

This will not make the Mayor of Money happy:A plan to dramatically re-zone East Midtown has fizzled, members of the City Council announced this evening. The plan–one of departing Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s most ambitious legacy projects–was aimed at transforming 73 blocks around the Empire State Building to allow the kind of modern, soaring skyscrapers that currently dot Lower Manhattan. But today,

by reality-based edu... / 3min 

Better When Bush Was President

"Frankly, the public education system was better off when George W. Bush was president because Democrats fought him." ~ Diane Ravitch— TCBGP (@TCBGP) November 12, 2013Indeed.They would have fought Bush on NSA spying and the drone bomb slaughter Obama has ordered in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere too.Alas, because a Democrat has ordered these things, many partisan Dems fall al

by reality-based edu... / 43min 

Cuomo Let Gas Company Write Safety Regulations

Sheriff Andy, the lobbyist for students, turns out to also be the lobbyist for the gas companies:ALBANY—A company that helped the Cuomo administration formulate new safety regulations for the liquefied natural gas industry stands to profit from the changes it recommended.Expansion Energy, which develops mobile storage facilities for liquefied natural gas, was hired by the state to study the possib

by reality-based edu... / 19min 

Cuomo Spends $21 Million To Use Headhunter Service For Patronage Positions

The fiscal genius in Albany showing more fiscal genius: ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo’s drive to hire the “best and brightest” for state government could end up costing taxpayers $20.6 million, the Daily News has learned. That’s the amount the Cuomo administration has quietly agreed to pay a Rochester-area company for “talent acquisition services” over the next five years. Cuomo administration officials def

by reality-based edu... / 6min 

Common Core Problems Just Like Obamacare Problems

From Politico:Democrats have a general idea of what it would take to put the Obamacare rollout back on track. Fix the damn website, they say, and most of the other problems will take care of themselves.Common Core proponents have a general idea of what a successful implementation of Common Core and the ancillary tests, curricula, and data collection will look like, but so far implementation has be

by reality-based edu... / 6min 

Today's Protest Against Tisch And King At Ward Melville High School

Mark Naison writes:Woke up this morning in a GREAT MOOD, ready to join THOUSANDS of Long Island parents, teachers and students at 5:45 protesting another closed forum sponsored by NY Ed Commissioner John King at Ward Melville HS in East Setauket. Since Commissioner King seems constitutionally incapable of actually listening to parents, teachers and principals, I doubt if this demonstration will ha

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

Contract Negotiations - Teachers Already Gave At The Office

Times article out on how union contract negotiations may go under de Blasio.All I know is, not only did teachers not get the 8% raises all the other unions got under the last pattern, we gave up concessions via the APPR teacher evaluation law that include a loss of tenure, yearly ratings tied to test scores, and a lot more work under the Danielson rubric.I blame my union leadership as much for tha

by reality-based edu... / 5h 

11-11-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Maybe Somebody Should Look Into Bloomberg's Bribe Money?Buzzfeed:One of Mike Bloomberg’s signal accomplishments in New York City was reversing the flow of corruption. In the old days, and in every other city in the world most days, favor-seekers bribe politicians — with cash in envelopes, with legal contributions, or with political support. In Mike Bloomerg’s New York, the m

by mike simpson / 8h 

11-12-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Teachers Can Be Bullied Too

Perhaps it is only a coincidence or maybe it is a sign from the Spirits, but this afternoon’s email contained a piece from Teaching Tolerance, an extraordinary project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.  The Southern Poverty Law Center is known for its courageous and historic efforts to end discrimination and segregation in our nation.  […]The post Teachers Can Be Bullied Too appeared first on Wa

7 by jonpelto / 20min 

A message to Capital Prep’s former and present parents, students and teachers:

Over the past few weeks, many present and former Capital Prep parents and teachers have come forward with stories about what is really going on at Capital Prep. It is becoming increasingly clear how Steve Perry and Capital Prep is failing many students, parents and teachers. If you were are or have been a Capital […]The post A message to Capital Prep’s former and present parents, students and teac

by jonpelto / 48min 

Chicago’s leading blog: “Bridgeport Tenure Shows Vallas May Be Failing Upward in Illinois”

In a blunt assessment of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn’s decision to select Paul Vallas as his running mate, Chicago’s leading political blog, “The Ward Room,” experts in Illinois are recognizing that Vallas is hardly the superstar he makes himself out to be. The Ward Room writes, “To hear education reformers nationwide tell it, Paul Vallas […]The post Chicago’s leading blog: “Bridgeport Tenure Show

2 by jonpelto / 46min mark as read  //  save

Can Steve Perry tell the truth about anything?

In response to a question about why there is a big turnover of teachers at Capital Prep, Steve Perry tweeted, “We have approximately 60 teachers, 2 got bigger jobs, 1 moved w husband. The other moved back to NY. High?” The FACT is Perry is unable to hold onto teachers.  As a result of his […]The post Can Steve Perry tell the truth about anything? appeared first on Wait What?.

5 by jonpelto / 46min 

11-11-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Mr Excessive Absences, Steve Perry, will be out again on Thursday.This time he is speaking at Rutgers on the topic of “Why Aren’t Students Ready? Barriers to College Access for America’s Youth” at 10:00 am–11:15 am. As fellow pro-public education blogger, Jersey Jazzman notes in his recent post, “nice to see Rutgers University – perhaps the most important center for teacher training in

by mike simpson / 8h

11-12-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

All that bad information about the new NAEP scores

The 2013 math and reading scores for the National Assessment of Educational Progress were recently released and there has been a lot of loud reaction — both triumphant and defeatist — about the results. If you listen to D.C. public schools officials, a bump up in scores proves the results show how brilliant their school […]    

1 by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

Maryland teacher petitions to cancel state standardized test

A Maryland teacher has started a petition to cancel this year’s administration of the Maryland School Assessment test because the results will have no validity and it is “an irresponsible waste of taxpayer money and instructional time to administer this test.” Tiferet Ani from Blake High School in Montgomery County wrote in this on the move.org […]    

5 by Valerie Strauss / 22min 

Fraternity pledge loses testicle in hazing stunt

The nauseating fraternity/sorority stories  – many of them involving hazing — just keep on coming. The latest is from Wilmington College in Ohio, where three pledges of Gamma Phi Gamma who were taken to the basement of the fraternity, called “Gobbler House,” and subjected to a series of miserable exercises, including being blindfolded, told to […]    

8 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

11-11-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Why colleges shouldn’t check online life of applicantsYes, Jacob and Sophia and Emma and Mason and all you other students planning to apply to college some year soon: Your online life can affect your chances of getting into the school of your dreams — or any school at all. Fair or not. According to a new survey, more college admissions officers than […]    by Valerie Strauss / 4m

by mike simpson / 8h 

Shanker Blog » I Am Malala: A Book Review

Shanker Blog » I Am Malala: A Book Review:

I Am Malala: A Book Review

Posted by Randall Garton on November 12, 2013

In October, 2012, the Pakistani Taliban attempted to assassinate Malala Yousafzai, a teenager known throughout Pakistan for her outspoken advocacy of woman’s rights, especially a woman’s right to education. Standing up for women’s rights can be a risky business in countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, where violent Islamist extremists have a strong foothold. But these religious disputes were thought to be mainly an adult affair. Innocents suffered, to be sure, but only as a regrettable consequence of grownups’ attacks on each other. Few expected that even the Taliban would target a precocious schoolgirl – until Malala.

The attack triggered an international uproar. Malala was shot in the head while sitting in a school bus (two of her friends also were hit in the spray of gunfire). It was a survivable injury, but the critical care facilities she needed do not exist in Pakistan. After initial fumbles, Pakistani government officials scrambled to respond. Malala was whisked away to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England. She recovered and, with her family, began a new life in exile, still under Taliban death threat. The teenager from Pakistan’s remote Swat Valley of is an international celebrity. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and received the 2013 Andrei Sakharov Award. She has been made an honorary citizen of Canada. She has spoken at the United Nations and, recently, she met Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

And now, with the help of a skilled ghostwriter, Ms. Yousafzai has written a book: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.

It is a wonderful book that succeeds at multiple levels. It is a warm tale of a talented girl and her family, set against the complex and shifting events of Pakistani politics and the native Pashtun culture; it is a riveting and intense 

11-12-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

the everyday motion of artifacts: The 451 App

the everyday motion of artifacts: The 451 App (22 August 2022).

by plthomasedd / 15min 

Middletown Voice | Guest Blog: From Spellings to Duncan: Using NAEP as Policy Propaganda by Paul Thomas

Middletown Voice | Guest Blog: From Spellings to Duncan: Using NAEP as Policy Propaganda by Paul Thomas

by P. L. Thomas / 39min 

“Fahrenheit 451″ 60 Years Later: “Why do we need the things in books?”

“Sometimes writers write about a world that does not yet exist,” Neil Gaiman begins his Introduction to the 60th Anniversary Edition of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451: This is a book of warning. It is a reminder that what we have is valuable, and that sometimes we take what we value for granted…. People think—wrongly—that speculative fiction is about predicting the future, but it isn’t; or if it is

30 by plthomasedd / 2h 

The Changing Dynamics of Public and Charter Schools in Philadelphia | Writing Workshop Fall 2013

The Changing Dynamics of Public and Charter Schools in Philadelphia | Writing Workshop Fall 2013

1 by P. L. Thomas / 3h  

11-11-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): The Poverty Trap: Slack, Not Grit, Creates Achievement | joaquin's dilemmasThe Poverty Trap: Slack, Not Grit, Creates Achievement | joaquin's dilemmas1 by P. L. Thomas / 1h mark as read  //  saveremnant 39: “Lou Reed was massively important to ‘Island of Misfit Toys’ kid

by mike simpson / 8h 

11-12-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

New Multimedia On Typhoon Tragedy

Here are the newest additions to The Best Resources For Learning About Typhoon Haiyan: Here are some resources from The New York Times: Mapping the Destruction of Typhoon Haiyan is an interactive. Pictures of Typhoon Haiyan’s Wrath Here’s another video:

10 by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h

  

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

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Quote Of The Day: “The Myth of Teachers Not Changing”The Myth of Teachers Not Changing is a new post by Larry Cuban. Here’s an excerpt:17 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h mark as read  //  saveTeaching English With Lucha LibreMy latest New York Times post for English Language Learners uses the Mexican wrestling phenomenon called Luch

by mike simpson / 8h