LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

The MLK Test for Corporate Reformers, via the Schneider Standards

Mercedes Schneider has created a test question for corporate reformers. She proposes a compare and contrast between Martin Luther King’s original “I Have a Dream” speech and the vision of “reformers” who claim that their tactics to leave no child untested and no  public school undisturbed is “the civil rights issue of our time.”

by dianeravitch / 0min hide  //  save

Julian Vasquez Heilig on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Extremist

On his blog “Cloaking Inequity,” Julian Vasquez Heilig remembers Dr. King as an extremist and quotes his words. Heilig writes: So if you are a supporter of union busting via mayoral control, parent trigger, vouchers, and charters you are at odds with MLK, and you will find yourself on the wrong side of history.  Says Heilig: Be inspired to be a creative extremist for unions and living wages. Hono

by dianeravitch / 2min

EduShyster Imagines Dr. MLK & Today’s “Reform” Movement

EduShyster has a dream, but it is not the one that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about in 1963 at the March on Washington. She has a dream of Dr. King returning today to see the new “reform” movement which so often claims that it is the “civil rights movement” of our time. He tours the “no excuses” school and sees that it is segregated. He discovers that the new “civil rights movement” is fun

by dianeravitch / 17min

Naison on Dr. King’s Legacy

I am going to violate the unwritten rule of blogging here by reprinting the entire post, plus adding the link. Typically, I post only a summary and the link, to drive traffic to other bloggers. But in this case, I think Mark Naison has written such a valuable summary of Dr. King’s legacy that I want to share it with you, crediting him. He writes: http://bknation.org/2014/01/troubled-legacy-dr-mart

2 by dianeravitch / 5min 

Bob Braun: More on the Outrage in Newark

Bob Braun covered politics and education in New Jersey for the Star-Ledger for 50 years until his recent retirement. He now has his own blog, which is an invaluable source of information and insight into New Jersey political doings. Here he writes about the ouster of five Newark principals by state-appointed superintendent Cami Anderson. Four of them spoke at a public hearing about the pending clo

10 by dianeravitch / 28min 

The Sorry Condition of Civil Rights in New Jersey

Social activist Jan Resseger points us to a sobering article by civil rights attorney Paul Trachtenberg of Rutgers University in New Jersey. Trachtenberg describes the two school systems in New Jersey, one overwhelmingly white and successful, the other highly segregated and poor. One controls its schools, the other is controlled by the state. She writes: “One, the predominantly white, well-to-do a

9 by dianeravitch / 35min 

Are You Sick of Highly Paid Teachers?

Thanks to Jennie Shanker for tweeting this to me. It appeared in the Daily Kos. It shows how to adjust the wages of teachers.

7 by dianeravitch / 1h 

Edward Johnson: What Does Dr. King’s Legacy Mean Today?

Edward Johnson is a community activist in Atlanta who fights tirelessly for a wiser approach to education than the current ideology of competition. He is a devotee of Dr. Edward Deming, who taught that when things go wrong, it is because systems fail, and the systems must be fixed. He also taught that teamwork and collaboration produce better results for everyone than incentives, threats, and com

6 by dianeravitch / 1h 

A Critique of David Coleman’s Reading of ”Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

Daniel E. Ferguson, who taught in his native Birmingham, is now a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University. Here he reviews David Coleman’s “close reading” of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Coleman wants the reader to interpret the text without reference to his or her personal views. He demonstrates that this technique is designed to serve the needs

14 by dianeravitch / 2h hide  //  save

Paul Thomas: Ending Poverty Requires Community, Not War

Paul Thomas has written a post to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in which Paul explains that it is a great mistake to think that we can end poverty by making “war” on it. War always leaves victims and collateral damage. He writes: A big picture message offered in Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow is that the war on drugs, a key part of the larger era of mass incarceration, has devas

13 by dianeravitch / 3h 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: When Breaking the Law Is Just

In Newark, several principals spoke out against closing schools. They were “indefinitely suspended.” Should they have spoken out? Should they have kept their views to themselves? Dr. King had some advice to those who feel that what was done to their community was unjust. The principals did not “break a law.” They were, in some people’s eyes, insubordinate. Is that akin to law-breaking? Most of us

9 by dianeravitch / 3h

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Paul Horton: Why We Need to Tell Stories About Our LivesPaul Horton, who teaches history at the University of Chicago Lab School, here ponders a famous remark by David Coleman, architect of the Common Core standards. Coleman said, while giving a speech in New York that was taped, that students need to learn that no one gives a s— a

by mike simpson / 8h 

1-20-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

The Education Department’s strange new report on teaching

One of the most controversial issues in public education today is the use of “value-added measures” to evaluate teachers and principals. What these measures, known as VAM, purportedly do is to calculate the “value” of a teacher in student achievement through complicated formulas that use student standardized test scores as a base. Assessment experts have […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 8min

MLK: ‘Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education’

I published this last year, and I’m doing it again: Martin Luther King Jr., was prescient on a lot of things, including education. Here are some things he wrote decades ago that sound contemporary. – Here’s an excerpt from “The Purpose of Education,” a piece he wrote in the February 1947 edition of the Morehouse College student newspaper, the […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 8min 

Why Christie’s school ‘fix’ is misguided

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently proposed extending the school year and school day in State of the State speech as reforms intended to improve student achievement, though he didn’t provide details or make any mention of how he would fund it. Here’s a piece questioning the notion that simply adding seat time works. This was written […]    

5 by Valerie Strauss / 40min

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 1-18-14

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetEverything you need to know about Common Core — RavitchDiane Ravitch, the education historian who has become the leader of the movement against corporate-influenced school reform, gave this speech to the Modern Language Association on Jan. 11 about the past, present and future of the Common Core State Standards. Here’s her speech: As an organization of t

by mike simpson / 8h

1-20-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

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

Red States Looking to Dump Common Core, So Where’s Jeb Bush Now?

Via Shane Vander Hart has this from Restore Oklahoma Public Education: The “Resolution To Protect Oklahoma’s Education System” was passed today (January 18, 2014) by the Oklahoma GOP Committee during their regular meeting. This resolution records the will of the Oklahoma Republican Party Executive Committee to direct Republican floor leaders to both slate Common Core bills for hearing in Committe

by Bob Sikes / 1min

The New York Common Core Story That Frightens Florida GOP Lawmakers

It’s come to this in New York: To say John King Jr. is New York’s embattled education commissioner is an understatement. A statewide teachers’ union is making plans to take an unprecedented no-confidence vote against him. New York State United Teachers represents more than 600,000 teachers. Union president Richard Iannuzzi said King’s failure to address the problems with the Common Core curriculum

by Bob Sikes / 45min 

1-19-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Common Core’s Florida “rebranding and messaging is largely political.”Miami Herald reporter Kathleen McGrory spoke with Common Core’s opponents and she found out that they aren’t buying the FLOE spin: TALLAHASSEE — The state education department tried to distance itself

by mike simpson / 8h 

1-20-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

BBC Launches Exhaustive Interactive World War I Resource

We’re approaching the one-hundredth anniversary of the beginning of World War I, and lots of related online resources are being unveiled. The BBC has just launched an exhaustive interactive site on the War, which they call the first in a new way they say they plan to rebrand all their content. The new brand is called iWonder, and their World War One iWonder Guide has just about anything you want

by Larry Ferlazzo / 0min

The Best Martin Luther King Day Tweets

I’ve seen a lot of great tweets on my timeline today for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and thought I’d collect them in a Storify. I’ll continue to add to it. And I’ll add this link to The Best Websites For Learning About Martin Luther King. [View the story "The Best Martin Luther King Day Tweets" on Storify]

by Larry Ferlazzo / 29min hide  //  save

“The Education Department’s strange new report on teaching”

The Washington Post has reprinted most of my recent post on a U.S. Department of Education report (see New US Dept. of Ed Finds That “Less Effective Teaching” Responsible For 2-4 Percent Of Achievement Gap) and titled it The Education Department’s strange new report on teaching. Strange, indeed….

by Larry Ferlazzo / 29min 

Funny Video: Do We Teach Like Dogs Or Like Cats?

This video was shared by Daniel Coyle on Twitter:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 22min 

Home Culture Presentations With English Language Learners

Having English Language Learners give reports about about their home countries is a fairly typical class assignment. And, for students who are not newcomers, it gets pretty old for them to have to do it every year. I have students in my ELL Geography class do similar presentations each year, though I try to make it a little different from what they’ve done in the past. I introduce it as a lesson

by Larry Ferlazzo / 22min 

Quote Of The Day: “How We Get Dr. King Wrong”

How we get Dr. King wrong: “We’ve deliberately dismembered him,” Michael Eric Dyson tells Salon is an important piece. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Learning About Martin Luther King.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 31min 

Infographic: “Ten things not to put on your CV”

I’m adding this infographic from Career Savvy Magazine to The Best Places For Students To Write Their Resumes: Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 9min 

From The Archives: “Why we can’t all get along over school reform”

I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. Today, I’m revisiting a piece I wrote last year for The Washington Post on the importance of tension in organizing for change. It’s titled Why we can’t all get along over school reform. Here’s an excerpt:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 9min 

This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good Posts & Articles on Education Policy

Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues: Everything you need to know about Common Core is by Diane Ravitch. I’m adding it to The Best Articles Sharing Concerns About Common Core Standards. Beware Chinese data: Its schools might not be so great is by Jay Mathews at The Washington Post. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles On 2012 PISA Test Results. Why

by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h 

1-19-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Super Bowl ResourcesIt’s that time of year again — Super Bowl time! I’m writing this before the league championship games are played, but I certainly hope the 49ers will be in it. I’ve just updated, as I do every year, The Best Sites Where ELL’s Can Learn About The Super Bowl. I’ll continue to make new additions over the ne

by mike simpson / 8h 

1-20-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

It’s pension theft. In California the courts and the people agree.

From AFSCME: In years past, public employees paid into their pensions, confident their savings would be intact when they retired. After all, these deferred earnings were often protected by state law. However, municipalities too often reached into their employees’ retirement savings for easy cash, something we call “pension theft.” Recently, pension theft was averted in San Jose, Calif., where a ju

by Fred Klonsky / 15min

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Lookin’ out for his friends.

by Fred Klonsky / 24min hide  //  save

Martin Luther King, James Baldwin and my father.

  Martin Luther King, James Baldwin and my father (sitting on Baldwin’s left in the bottom pictures) at a fundraiser for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. My father was one of the organizers of the event, held in Los Angeles around 1964.

by Fred Klonsky / 3min 

Illinois election choices.

Bev Johns is a frequent contributor to this blog. She mostly keeps me and you up to date on the attempts by the ISBE to raise the class size limits that currently are in place for special education students. She also writes frequently about the election for governor of illinois. The primary is March 18. The general election is next November. We are allies on the class size fight. She is frustrate

by Fred Klonsky / 13min

1-19-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Bev Johns. We need you at the ISBE board meeting on January 22nd.- Bev Johns, Special Education advocate and activist. We need you at the ISBE Board meeting on January 22. Whether the ISBE Board eliminates special ed class size limits AND the 70/30 rule DEPENDS ON YOU. Will you offer testimony this We

by mike simpson / 8h