LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

New School Board in Pittsburgh Cancels Contract with TFA

A newly elected school board in Pittsburgh voted to cancel a contract with Teach for America, reversing the vote of the previous school board, which planned to hire 30 TFA recruits. The motion passed with six affirmative votes; two opposed and an abstention. The outgoing board previously approved the contract, 6-3. This was remarkable because it is one of the few times–maybe the first time–that a

1 by dianeravitch / 7min 

The NAEP for Urban Districts Was Released Today

You can view here the results for the NAEP for urban districts, known as TUDA, or Trial Urban District Assessments. Five districts volunteered to take the NAEP in 2002. Since then, the number has grown to 21 districts. Test scores have generally risen, though not in all districts and not at the same rate. Demographics affects the scores, not surprisingly. Watch for changes over time in the proport

1 by dianeravitch / 6min 

The New York Times Editorializes on Teachers and PISA, with Multiple Errors

Once again, we are treated to a New York Times editorial on education that is a mix of good and bad. Bottom line: The Times blames teachers for the U.S. scores on PISA. And once again, the Times assumes that the scores of 15-year-olds on a standardized test predict the future of our economy, for which there is no evidence at all. On the good side, the Times recognizes that entry standards into tea

by dianeravitch / 1min 

Steve Nelson: Education Isn’t Broken, Our Country Is

Some months ago, I added Steve Nelson to the honor roll of this blog because everything I read by this remarkable man made so much sense. He is the headmaster of the Calhoun School, a fine New York City private school. Yet he isn’t looking out for the self-interest of the private schools and their pupils, but for the good of American children and our society. In this article, Nelson surveys the me

2 by dianeravitch / 8min 

Are Charter Schools Public Schools? UNO Charter Withholds Financial Information

Ben Joravsky, one of Chicago’s best writers on politics and education, describes here the refusal of the UNO charter chain to release financial information to the public. He writes: Mayor Rahm Emanuel keeps telling us that Chicago’s school system is too broke to adequately fund the schools it already has, but that hasn’t stopped him from gearing up to open as many as 21 new charter schools in the

3 by dianeravitch / 37min hide  //  save

New Mexico Chief Pushes Invalid Teacher Evaluation Method

Hanna Skandera was appointed state commissioner in New Mexico three years ago by Republican Governor Susannah Martinez but has never been confirmed by Democratic legislators. She has never been a teacher, but has worked in policy positions for Governor Jeb Bush and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (I knew her slightly when she worked at the conservative Hoover Institution as a research assistant.)

1 by dianeravitch / 42min 

Registration Closed for Westchester Event on January 16, But….

I earlier announced that I would be speaking on the evening of January 16 at Fox Lane School in Bedford, New York, but registration closed at 650 people. FYI, in my experience, there are always no-shows. I have been to several events that were theoretically “sold out,” yet there were empty seats. So, I would encourage you to come to the event and take your chances. The event begins at 7:30 pm a

by dianeravitch / 57min 

Mercedes Schneider Studies Pearson’s Tax Returns

In addition to holding a Ph.D. in research methods and teaching high school English in Louisiana, Mercedes Schneider has become infatuated with tax returns. She has discovered that corporate tax returns tell interesting and important tales. When she learned that the Attorney General of New York had fined the Pearson Foundation $7.7 million for becoming involved in the activities of its for-profit

by dianeravitch / 1h 

“Governing” Magazine Recognizes the Power of This Blog LINK ADDED!

Mark Funkhouser, the director of the Governing Institute in Washington, D.C. and former mayor of Kansas City, wrote a terrific article recognizing how social media–specifically, this blog–is changing the national conversation about education. While Funkhouser focuses on the debate about Common Core, he acknowledges that the underlying issue goes to the heart of our democracy. Blogging and social m

7 by dianeravitch / 2h hide  //  save

Wisconsin: Republican Legislators Seek Dramatic Expansion of Charters

Wisconsin Republican legislators in the Assembly have introduced a proposal to open many more charters across the state, as well as to increase the number of authorizers of new charters. The new charters would take funding away from existing public schools and would be non-union. This legislation continues the radical assault on public education in Wisconsin and the extremist drive to privatize pu

19 by dianeravitch / 3h  

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: New Book Demonstrates That Public Schools Outperform the CompetitionPlease read this article about an important new book by Christopher and Sarah Lubienski, scholars at the University of Illinois. Their book is The Public School Advantage: Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools. The article contains an interview with Christo

by mike simpson / 7h 

12-18-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Freedom of Information Watch…. Hello Commissioner Pryor? It is the law!

Here is what the law says:   Connecticut State Statutes:   Sec. 1-212 – “Any person applying in writing shall receive, promptly upon request, a plain, facsimile, electronic or certified copy of any public record.” And yet another day has gone by with no response from the Connecticut Department of Education to Freedom of Information requests […]The post Freedom of Information Watch…. Hello Commissi

3 by jonpelto / 9min 

Another Brick in the Wall

It was called the Capital Prep Magnet School “Gift Brick” fundraiser.   But good luck trying to find your brick… According to the “Gift Brick” fundraiser cover letter that went out with the order form in 2010, “It is important that you carefully read and completely fill out the enclosed order form.  Each engraved brick […]The post Another Brick in the Wall (Not) appeared first on Wait What?.

1 by jonpelto / 2h

12-17-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: What the heck is the Capital Prep Scholarship Fund?The Capital Prep Magnet School website informs supporters that they can make “tax-deductible” donations to the Capital Prep Scholarship Fund.    Donations can be made via a PayPal link or checks can be mailed to “The Capital Prep Scholarship Fund – 1304 Main Street – Hartford, CT 06103.” (Which is the school’s address). Contributors ar

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-18-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

Arapahoe High student: ‘How does one go back to school now?’

A student named Brett Stewart was in psychology class at Arapahoe High School in Colorado on Dec. 9 when an armed student entered the building and critically wounded a classmate before killing himself. In an  essay he wrote about what happened, published in a student arts magazine, Stewart wrote about suddenly hearing the sounds — “like […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

What’s wrong with this headline?

The New York Times  published a story on Hanna Skandera, New Mexico’s highly controversial education secretary-designate (she’s been “designate” for three years because Democrats refuse to hold a hearing to confirm her)  under this online headline: “A Push for Teacher Accountability Meets Resistance in New Mexico.” What’s wrong with this headline speaks to what’s wrong with a lot […]    

2 by Valerie Strauss / 6h 

12-17-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Coalition to Duncan: Stop backtracking on teacher equityA coalition of 95  civil rights, disability, parent, student, community and education organizations has sent the following letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan expressing deep concerns about what they see as the department’s backtracking on ensuring that the country’s neediest childrenhave access to highly qualified tea

by mike simpson / 19h 

12-18-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

David Coleman's Common Core Shows How Less Can Be More, Boring

Somehow I missed this in October from Perdido Street, but it is priceless:NYSED ELA Lesson Module - 17 Days On One Short StoryAs I posted earlier this week, the teachers who have had the misfortune to have to use the Common Core lesson modules provided by NYSED at a website they call Engage NY have found that the material is so full of mind-numbing, soul-sucking drudgery that they had lost the int

2 by Jim Horn / 21min 

Times Editorial Board: Let's Be More Like Finland Except for Everything

We know what to expect when the NYTimes moneymen call on their token minority, Brent Staples, to craft an Editorial of the Absurd on CorpEd's antiquated reforms that have effectively blown up public education along with the teaching profession.  Staples' most recent effort does not disappoint, as he uses the most recent PISA release to apply his pretzel logic and funhouse lenses to make sense of t

2 by Jim Horn / 2min 

The Fight Against School Reform Is a Fight for Children

Why did commenters say that Diane Ravitch's, "What Happens to Kids Who Don't Graduate?" is her best post ever? Ravitch reviews the dramatic drop in Kentucky and New York pass rates after instituting Common Core assessments: In New York, the “passing” rate on the Common Core tests was 30% statewide. Only 3% of English learners passed, and only 5% of students with disabilities. The pass ra

4 by John Thompson / 1h

Pittsburgh School Board Reconsiders TFA Deal As Real Teachers File for Unemployment

From the Post-Gazette:The board of Pittsburgh Public Schools heard from a dozen people Monday -- most of them teachers -- who oppose the district's plan to bring in Teach for America teachers to take hard-to-fill jobs at its most challenging schools.The outgoing school board voted 6-3 in November to approve a contract with Teach for America, despite a petition that asked them to defer the decision

by Jim Horn / 26min 

Accountability without Autonomy Is Tyranny

At The Answer Sheet, Valerie Strauss confronts What’s wrong with this headline?:What’s wrong with this headline speaks to what’s wrong with a lot of the debate about school reform today. The problem is the indiscriminate and inaccurate use of the word “accountability.”While politicians and the media continue to pound at one nail—teacher quality—almost no one confronts the nearly universal lack of

2 by P. L. Thomas / 13min 

12-17-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of ThinkingMIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of Thinking http://t.co/edCbAClW1g— Diane Ravitch (@DianeRavitch) December 17, 2013 MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of Thinking via Professor Diane Ravitchby Robert D. Skeels  12-16-13 Scho

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-18-13 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:

Controversial Maverick’s Charter School Earns an F for 2012

From Palm Beach Post writer Jason Schultz: In all, about 60 percent of all public high schools including traditional, charter and alternative programs got A or B grades. The grades are based in large part on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results as well as things such as graduation, participation in advanced placement classes and scores on other tests such as the ACT. One traditional distr

3 by Bob Sikes / 27min 

Common Core’s Not the Problem; It’s the “Other Stuff”

New York is a step ahead of Florida. They have implemented Common Core and  administered the state-wide tests that go with them. The roll-out proved to be a disaster. Politicians develop education policy after listening  to lobbyists and folks who are paid by the testing industry. Lynne Erdle, the superintendent of schools in Canandaigua, New York does a good job explaining where educators are com

21 by Bob Sikes / 3h 

12-17-13 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: To Plug Common Core, Michelle Rhee’s Florida Rep Says Florida Schools Are “Failing Our Kids”Following the lead of her boss to use the recent release of PISA scores to promote Common Core, Michelle Rhee’s Florida representative Nikki Lowrey wrote an opinion piece for the

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-18-13 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions Education This Week - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3604: Protecting Education Privacy Act

To clarify the requirements of authorized representatives under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, and for other purposes.

2 1d hide  //  save

Bill Introduced: S. 1796: STEM Gateways Act

A bill to increase the participation of women, girls, and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, to encourage and support students from all economic backgrounds to pursue STEM career opportunities, and for other purposes.

6h 

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3690: STEM Gateways Act

To increase the participation of women, girls, and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, to encourage and support students from all economic backgrounds to pursue STEM career opportunities, and for other purposes.

6h hide  //  save

 

12-14-13 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions Education This Week - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: mark as readBill Introduced: S. 1777: Innovate America ActA bill to support innovation, and for other purposes.7h Bill Introduced: H.R. 3545: Collegiate Student Athlete Protection ActTo protect the academic futures of collegiate student athletes.7d Bill Introduced: H.R. 3532: Protecting Student Athletes From Concussions Act of 2013To promote State requirem

1 by mike simpson / 7h