12-9-13 Daily Kos: Invisible Child

Daily Kos: Invisible Child:

Invisible Child

She wakes to the sound of breathing. The smaller children lie tangled beside her, their chests rising and falling under winter coats and wool blankets. A few feet away, their mother and father sleep near the mop bucket they use as a toilet. Two other children share a mattress by the rotting wall where the mice live, opposite the baby, whose crib is warmed by a hair dryer perched on a milk crate. T

by rss@dailykos.com ... / 2h 

12-8-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos: Light a room with potatoes - reallyperhaps even charge your cell phone that way. Don't believe me?  Take a look at A Potato Battery Can Light Up a Room For Over a Month from Smithsonian.com How it works -   What the potato does is simply help conduct electricity by acting as what’s called a salt-bridge between the the two metals, allowing the electron current to move freel

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-9-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Tish James: Let's Reform School System In First 100 Days

Via a Beth Fertig tweet:Tisch James calls on De Blasio to reform ed system in first 100 days... Says she is a friend but was elected to be "a thorn in his side"— Beth Fertig (@bethfertig) December 9, 2013Let's make sure whatever reform de Blasio and his DOE chancellor, it is REAL REFORM, not the corporate education reform stuff we've gotten from Barack Obama and Andrew Cuomo.

by reality-based edu... / 8min

Valerie Strauss Says Kaya Henderson Was Never Seriously Considered By De Blasio For Chancellor

Informative post from Valerie Strauss about de Blasio's chancellor search:Among the people who have been considered at one point or another in the decision-making process are, according to sources, Joshua Starr, Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent, who has good union relations and who became nationally known when he called for a three-year moratorium on standardized testing last year; 

by reality-based edu... / 38min 

NY Post Attacks Joshua Starr, Tries To Torpedo Him From DOE Job

Okay, this is telling.The NY Post attacked Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr today for allegedly failing to crack down on pedophile teachers.Turns out the Post attack on Starr's so-called failure to crack down on pedophile teachers is based on one case Seems odd to attack Starr for systemic failure to protect children from pedophiles based upon one case. Yet that's what they do

by reality-based edu... / 18min

Randi Weingarten and The Day of Misdirection.

 Oh wait, that's every day for her...That's Michael Fiorillo's response to Randi Weingarten p.r. over today's "Day of Action" to recalaim the promise of public education.And indeed, there is a diversionary tactic in this call to action.Even as our union leaders take millions of dollars from Bill Gates to promote the CCSS, to agree to teacher evaluations tied to test scores, and to collab

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

12-8-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Randi Weingarten And The Day Of ActionGates Foundation cash-flushed Randi Weingarten is advertising a "Day of Action" to save public education tomorrow.As I told Randi on twitter (a conversation you can see here), she's full of crap over this "save public education" stuff since she's done so much to wreck it herself - from signing off on the Race to the T

by mike simpson / 10h 

The Educated Reporter: EWA Resources for Reporters: Webinars, Story Starters and More

The Educated Reporter: EWA Resources for Reporters: Webinars, Story Starters and More:

EWA Resources for Reporters: Webinars, Story Starters and More

In case you missed it, you can catch a replay of our webinar on the new GED, which is going to reshape the landscape for individuals seeking to move ahead with their educations. In fact, we've got recordings of all our most recent online events conveniently collected in one place.

What else does EWA have to offer? I'm glad you asked. How about Story Starters, your go-to resource for background, the latest research, and expert sources on a wide range of topics. And you don't have to be "starting" a story to find useful information. In fact, it's a great place to go digging deeper into topics you're already writing about. And there's the new Glossary of Education Reform, where you can find out more about everything block scheduling to winter sessions (expanded learning time).

The last one is particularly good topic to check out as we move closer to the holidays. What do your schools have planned for the winter break? Will there be test prep for state exit exams for the high school seniors? Or a math boot camp for middle schoolers looking to get a jump start on the new semester? What about enrichment activities for the kids who attend Safe Key programs?

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. Follow her on Twitter: @EWAEmily.

Labels: EWA_Webinars, glossary_ed_reform, k12, Story_Starters

School Funding Litigation Seems Endless But Proves Essential | janresseger

School Funding Litigation Seems Endless But Proves Essential | janresseger:

School Funding Litigation Seems Endless But Proves Essential

Posted on December 9, 2013 by janresseger

According to David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center and lead counsel in the New Jersey school funding case, Abbott v. Burke,  “There is a decades-old and stubborn unwillingness by governors and legislators in state capitols to remedy the stark disparities in educational opportunity that mark the education landscape in most of our states.”

Noticing that states do not adequately compensate for enormous disparities in local taxing capacity from school district to school district, Eduardo Porter, writing a month ago in the business section of the NY Times, wondered: “If education is a poor child’s best shot at rising up the ladder of prosperity, why do public resources devoted to education lean so decisively in favor of the better off?”  This question is related to the much discussed international PISA scores released last week, an international score ranking in which the test scores of U.S. students in schools segregated by poverty and race pulled down the average for our society.

Even before last week’s despair about PISA scores, Porter raised the central issue:  “The United States is one of few advanced nations where schools serving better-off children usually have more educational resources than those serving poor students, according to research by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).”  The OECD that conducted the research on comparative school funding equity is also the sponsor of the PISA exams.

Porter quotes Andreas Schleicher, in charge of the PISA assessments for OECD:  “The bottom line is that the vast majority of OECD countries either invest equally into every student or 

Shanker Blog » Immediate Gratification And Education Policy

Shanker Blog » Immediate Gratification And Education Policy:

Immediate Gratification And Education Policy

Posted by Matthew Di Carlo on December 9, 2013

A couple of months ago, Bill Gates said something that received a lot of attention. With regard to his foundation’s education reform efforts, which focus most prominently on teacher evaluations, but encompass many other areas, he noted, “we don’t know if it will work.” In fact, according to Mr. Gates, “we won’t know for probably a decade.”

He’s absolutely correct. Most education policies, including (but not limited to) those geared toward shifting the distribution of teacher quality, take a long time to work (if they do work), and the research assessing these policies requires a great deal of patience. Yet so many of the most prominent figures in education policy routinely espouse the opposite viewpoint: Policies are expected to have an immediate, measurable impact (and their effects are assessed in the crudest manner imaginable).

A perfect example was the reaction to the recent release of results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Several state and district educational agency leaders (not to mention dozens of advocates) were quick to attribute increases in average scores to recent policy changes. This is, I suppose, predictable – these are highly politicized offices, and one might expect their incumbents to take every opportunity to score points. It is, however, unbecoming of their important positions, and does a disservice to the public.

Some of the worst commentary this year came from the editorial boards of the nation’s largest newspapers. In particular, the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal all published editorials that could easily 

Seeing in theory and practice: the impact of a liberal-arts education | Hechinger Report

Seeing in theory and practice: the impact of a liberal-arts education | Hechinger Report:

Seeing in theory and practice: the impact of a liberal-arts education

By Therese McCarty

As a college senior, I decided to round out my undergraduate experience with several courses in the humanities, including introductory philosophy. Among the concepts we studied was George (Bishop) Berkeley’s contention that familiar objects like tables and chairs are merely ideas in the minds of perceivers. It seemed bizarre to me, but I was also fascinated by Berkeley’s departure from the common assumption that everyone sees objective reality in the same way. I hadn’t previously considered whether or not we all see the same tables and chairs.

Therese McCarty

A few months later, I was prescribed eyeglasses for the first time. I had one nearsighted eye and one 20-20 eye, resulting in a loss of depth perception. When I put the glasses on for the first time, I was stunned by the shift in what I saw. Had I spent my whole life seeing things differently from how they really are? I found myself wondering. Given the variations in people’s eyes and brains and given the potential for imprecisions in vision correction, does everyone see things somewhat differently? I realized that Berkeley was on to something. The table that I see is not the table that you see; it’s not even the table that I see with my glasses 

The realization that people see things differently has stuck with me. Over and over, I have noticed that people experiencing the same conversation or event do not see it the same way. As an administrator, I know that it is very important to be aware of varying perception

Some sober words for school boards amid predictions of plenty | EdSource Today

Some sober words for school boards amid predictions of plenty | EdSource Today:

Some sober words for school boards amid predictions of plenty

December 8th, 2013 | Add a Comment | 
By John Fensterwald

1

For the first time since the Great Recession,school districts are getting more money this yearfrom the state; some – big beneficiaries of the new Local Control Funding Formula – are getting a lot. And that increase is expected to be larger next year, in one-time and ongoing money, if theLegislative Analyst’s predictions for a rebounding economy are on target.

School finance experts John Gray and Joel Montero, however, injected a cautionary note during a presentation Friday at the California School Boards Association’s annual convention in San Diego.

“We are still in a volatile situation. Be conservative. Be careful,” Montero advised several dozen school board members at his talk.

Montero is the unofficial fiscal worrywart of K-12 education. As the executive director of the stateFiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, or FCMAT, his job is to see that districts don’t run out of money and end up in bankruptcy. FCMAT’s oversight and dire warnings have worked; only a handful of the state’s 1,000 districts are in receivership despite devastating cuts over the past five years.

Gray is president of School Services of California, a Sacramento consulting firm that provides services to

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Nelson Mandela 

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.”  -- Johannesburg   July 2, 2005

Secret Teacher

My son brought home a Christmas card that consisted of a piece of white card folded in half which had been decorated with pictures from clipart. It had a typed message on the back about the learning objectives covered in the task. Disappointing. -- Guardian

Amisha Patel, Chicago Grassroots Collaborative

 “To even force a City Council debate around TIFs for the first time was amazing, and we’re going to continue to push. You don’t get to bury legislation in  comes from I

12-8-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:

Protesters Topple Vladimir Lenin

On Sunday protesters knocked down the statue of Vladimir Lenin in outrage over the Ukrainian government's push or closer ties to Russia. Some vandalized the statue even further by smashing it with hammers. Beside them stood a man waving a Ukrainian flag.  A lawmaker with the nationalist Svoboda party claimed responsibility for the incident. "This is the end of Soviet occupation," the par

by austinwu1 . / 1h 

 

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 12-7-13

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: mark as readNelson Mandela passes away....Sadly, former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Winner died at the age of 95 from a recurring lung infection. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa  on July 18, 1918.Mandela was an iconic man who led  the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and also he was the nation's first black lead

by mike simpson / 8h

NYC Public School Parents: ALEC's student privacy bill and the hydra-headed data predators

NYC Public School Parents: ALEC's student privacy bill and the hydra-headed data predators:

ALEC's student privacy bill and the hydra-headed data predators

As recently reported in Education Week , the American Legislative Exchange Council (or ALEC), the conservative advocacy group, is jumping on the student privacy bandwagon and has written a “model” bill for state legislators to adopt, based on an Oklahoma privacy bill that was recently passed. 

Even at first glance, I realized this bill was inadequate because it doesn’t provide for any parental consent before children’s personal data is handed over to vendors, and noted this to the EdWeek reporter:

Leonie Haimson, a New York City-based parent and public schools advocate, also questioned the wisdom of not providing families more say in whether and how their children’s information is being shared.

“To me, it sounds like [the bill is intended] to assuage the fears of parents who want there to be something done to protect their children’s data, but who aren’t really informed about the issues,” Ms. Haimson said.

Bills that contain more specifics but don’t take as comprehensive an approach have gained some traction in other states. In New York, for example, Ms. Haimson and her nonprofit organization, Class Size Matters, have helped push more-targeted bills crafted to stop the release of sensitive student information without parental consent 

Florida Council of 100 Uses Sketchy “Skills” Data to Justify Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida Council of 100 Uses Sketchy “Skills” Data to Justify Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings:

Florida Council of 100 Uses Sketchy “Skills” Data to Justify Common Core

Posted on December 8, 2013by Bob Sikes

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tampa Bay Times reporter Danny Valentine sought out Florida leaders for quotes in the aftermath of the state’s poor PISA outcomes. Among them were the Florida Council of 100.

Susan Pareigis, president and CEO of the Florida Council of 100, said in an email that the PISA results translate directly into a larger talent gap in the economy. She cited recent numbers showing that roughly 70 percent of first-time Florida college students need remediation in at least one subject area.

“This means that finding skilled workers is still tough,” she said.

Pareigis’ statement serves as a double-down on what Florida Council of 100 chair Marshall Criser III made last month in the Miami Herald.

Education is critical to spurring the state’s economic prosperity. Florida’s 

DAILY NEWS REPORTER BARBARA JONES "REWARDED" FOR NOT DEVIATING FROM LAUSD PARTY LINE - Perdaily.com

DAILY NEWS REPORTER BARBARA JONES "REWARDED" FOR NOT DEVIATING FROM LAUSD PARTY LINE - Perdaily.com:

DAILY NEWS REPORTER BARBARA JONES "REWARDED" FOR NOT DEVIATING FROM LAUSD PARTY LINE

(Mensaje se repite en Español)
It's hard to get angry at the American public for doing nothing to stop the dismantling and privatization of public education for profit and the further dumbing down of the electorate, when freedom of the press- and the 4th estate that is supposed to insure it- has already been completely dismantled. If you had any doubt about the press being completely co-opted, the hiring of Daily News Reporter Barbara Jones as Chief of Staff for Los Angeles Unified School Board Member Tamar Galatzan should finally put that to rest.

On more than one occasion this blog has pointed out the complete and utter one-sided reporting of Barbara Jones in parroting LAUSD party line. My personal favorite was when Jones repeated Superintendent John Deasy's blatantly false assertion that LAUSD had only lately gotten around to rolling out ersatz Common Core standards because as Deasy put it:

"I'm unaware of a moment in public education -- save the time when compulsory attendance went in and when we desegregated our schools -- like the next two years," 

Ms. Jones repeated this canard supposedly unaware of epidemic truancy at LAUSD and a present LAUSD with  90% Latino and Black students- do any 

Best John Lennon Quotes: 10 Phrases To Honor The Genius Beatle On The 33rd Anniversary Of His Death : News : Latin Times

Best John Lennon Quotes: 10 Phrases To Honor The Genius Beatle On The 33rd Anniversary Of His Death : News : Latin Times:

Best John Lennon Quotes: 10 Phrases To Honor The Genius Beatle On The 33rd Anniversary Of His Death

By Oscar Lopez, Dec 08, 2013 01:46 PM EST

 John Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building where he lived, The Dakota, in New York City on 8 December 1980. Today marks 33 years since the Beatles singer's death. Lennon was a true visionary: his lyrics remain some of the most profound and moving ever written. On the 14th of December 1980, millions of people around the world paused for ten minutes to remember John Lennon. 225,000 gathered inCentral Park. Every radio station in New York City went off the air.

John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England in 1940. As a teenager, he met Paul McCartney and formed what would become the greatest songwriting partnership of the 20th century. Lennon's solo album sales in the United States have exceeded 14 million units and, as writer, co-writer or performer, he is responsible for 25 number-one singles on the US Hot 100 chart. The Beatles are still the highest selling group in both the US and the UK, a remarkable testament to Lennon's incredible lyricism. 

John Lennon's words defined a generation. His speeches and song lyrics continue to inspire and astound. Today, as we remember the legendary musician, here are ten phrases to honour the genius Beatle.

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"All you need is love."

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."

"Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one. "

"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it."

"We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it."

"You don't need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!"

"All we are saying is give peace a chance." 

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." 

"The more I see the less I know for sure."

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted."

James Baldwin and Writing Through Disaster - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

James Baldwin and Writing Through Disaster - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:

James Baldwin and Writing Through Disaster

by JOSE VILSON on DECEMBER 8, 2013

in JOSE

James Baldwin

On Tuesday, at 7:30am, right before class, I found out my father passed away from my brother. The opaque skies of the early morning didn’t let up all day. My students acted as they usually do: adolescent, chatty, enlightened, irresponsible. My energy, however, didn’t betray me except in the few times they decided to quit on themselves. My tolerance level for their defeatist retorts was next to nil. My reaction to adults in our teacher team meeting didn’t help things.

The few people who knew about my situation kept their distance, but those who didn’t quickly found out through my other colleagues. I felt like I got no break from people.

Under the advisement of a few family members and friends, I took the day off on Wednesday, 

- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/james-baldwin-writing-disaster/#sthash.ilAVhGeR.dpuf