2-10-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

NEWS FLASH: Pryor reportedly giving Hartford’s Clark Elementary School to Washington D.C. Charter School Chain

Sources close to Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor report that the Charter School loving Commissioner of Education has committed to give Hartford’s Clark Elementary School to Friendship Charter Schools Inc., a major charter school management company based in Washington, D.C. Malloy’s Commissioner of Education recently announced that he has “accepted” Hartford’s Clark Element

by jonpelto / 2min 

Speaking of Bullying and Safe School Climates – Another MUST READ piece by Sarah Darer Littman

Sarah Darer Littman is back writing columns for CT Newsjunkie!  A pro-public education advocate, Sarah Darer Littman is also an award-winning columnist and novelist of books for teens. In a weekend commentary piece for CT Newsjunkie entitled, When Adults – and Politicians – Are Bystanders to Bullying, she has produced another MUST READ column. While […]The post Speaking of Bullying and Safe School

by jonpelto / 21min 

Oh for crying out loud – Pryor misses deadline for vital school safety report AGAIN!

February 1, 2014 has come and gone and Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor has FAILED AGAIN to produce a mandatory report on bullying, school climate and how to make our schools safer. And this isn’t the first time that Stefan Pryor has failed to fulfill his legal obligations when it comes to this […]The post Oh for crying out loud – Pryor misses deadline for vital school safe

6 by jonpelto / 1h 

2-9-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: Is Hartford forgoing its ethics policy for Capital Prep Steve Perry?Even a cursory review of the facts reveal that Capital Prep Principal Steve Perry is violating Hartford Board of Education policies, and potentially state laws, due to his chronic absenteeism, his inappropriate use of social media and the fact that he spends an inordinate amount of his work day promoting his profitable

by mike simpson / 23h 

2-10-14 @ The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

NY Gov. Cuomo blasts state’s top education officials over Common Core

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted the state’s top education officials on Monday, saying that efforts they plan to take to correct the state’s botched implementation of the Common Core State Standards was “too little, too late.” Implementation of the standards and the rollout of aligned standardized tests has been a mess in New York, […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 2h 

How ‘field testing’ turns kids into guinea pigs — without parent permission

Testing companies like to “test” future questions for standardized tests on kids, sometimes as part of a regular standardized exam and sometimes as a stand-alone field test. Here’s a post making the case that this practice essentially turns kids in guinea pigs for corporations. It was written by Jessie B. Ramey, a visiting scholar in […]    

1 by Valerie Strauss / 44min 

‘The greatest line I never said’ — from college admissions counselors

Many college admissions counselors across the country communicate with each other through a listserv. Most often they share professional thoughts and advice, but every now and then, they have a little fun. Recently, one counselor, in an e-mail with the subject line “The Greatest Line I never Said,” asked others to share things they had […]    

5 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

2-9-14 @ The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Is it unethical to use untested technology in the classroom?Is it unethical to use untested technology in classrooms? Answering the question is education historian Larry Cuban, who was a high school social studies teacher for 14 years and a district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, VA). He is now professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught

by mike simpson / 20h 

2-10-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Want to Raise Achievement? End Socioeconomic Segregation.

Richard Kahlenberg in the NYTimes:Parental involvement in education is both critical for students and unequally distributed, with upper-middle class parents much more likely to be engaged. There are, however, important steps that policy makers can take to ensure that students in all schools have champions for higher standards and strong teaching.Lower-income parents can't get involved as easily. A

2 by Jim Horn / 59min

That Sucking Sound in Philadelphia

From Ken Derstine:DN Editorial: CONTROL ISSUES: Is the state using charter rules to help kill Philly's school district? | Philadelphia Daily NewsLast week, the School District of Philadelphia confirmed what it feared back in November: It is facing an extra $25 million in unbudgeted costs associated with increased enrollment in charter schools. Charters have enrolled 1,600 more students than allowe

2 by Jim Horn / 9min 

For Schools or Anything Else to Matter, We Must Do What Life Requires Now

2 by Jim Horn / 11min hide  //  save

Taking Down Dixie's Last Political Stand in North Carolina

North Carolina is so everything that the current covey of Koch Brothers stooges in charge of the state are not: temperate, reasonable, accommodating, caring, committed to fairness. And just as Wake County reclaimed its schools from the ideologues sent in to destroy socioeconomic integration of schools, the voters of North Carolina will do the same. From Alternet, a nice piece.  A clip here:It was

2 by Jim Horn / 29min 

2-9-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: The Party's OverOne of the great political feats of the late 20th Century was the manufacture by billionaires of a right-wing cabal of crackpots-under-contract so unabashedly fascist that anyone sane and still voting would be left with a single alternative, which, of course, is the now-familiar brand of corporate, anti-democratic dramaturgy known as the Democratic Party.It's time f

by mike simpson / 12h

2-10-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Nys Regents Backs Off….

Read it all carefully. THIS IS GOOD, BUT NOT GREAT NEWS. 1…NY…BEWARE NOT TO LET UP BECAUSE OF THIS:2. OTHER STATES: USE NYS AS A GUIDING LIGHT. http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/regents-adjust-common-core-implementation.html

1 by davidgreene207003... / 30min

State Impact: Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty?

State Impact: Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty?. via State Impact: Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty?.

2 by plthomasedd / 29min

Progressivism and Whole Language: A Reader

Progressivism and Whole Language: A Reader. via Progressivism and Whole Language: A Reader.

1 by plthomasedd / 21min hide  //  save

Two Days After My Latest Post, The Boy From Florida Dies…

http://theindignantteacher.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/two-days-after-my-latest-post-the-boy-from-florida-dies/Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face

1 by jillconroy / 1h 

Recalling 1947 in 2014

Recalling 1947 in 2014. via Recalling 1947 in 2014.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

1 by plthomasedd / 1h 

“What Is Wrong with Aiming for Basic”?

“What Is Wrong with Aiming for Basic”?. via “What Is Wrong with Aiming for Basic”?.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

3 by plthomasedd / 3h 

All Week 2-9-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE: DCPS and the WTU: A Negotiation Showdown or an Opportunity to Repair?During the coming negotiation rounds between DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson and the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) President, Elizabeth “Liz” Davis, the following issues need further elaboration: How has IMPACT 2.0 faired in the 40 lowest performing schools? What is the teacher turnover rate within these schoo

by mike simpson / 1d

2-10-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

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

Workplace: Academia and the American Worker: Right to Work in an Era of Disaster Capitalism?

Academia and the American Worker: Right to Work in an Era of Disaster Capitalism? Abstract Why do educational degrees of any kind, especially advanced degrees, matter if there are only part-time service industry jobs waiting for graduates? In this article, the reduced labor market experienced by graduate students seeking tenure-track positions as professors is couched as one example within a much

1 by plthomasedd / 56min 

State Impact: Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty?

Core Questions: How Does Common Core Address Poverty? Speaking for the Education Trust, Sonja Brookins Santelises makes the following argument in support of Common Core: And before Baltimore, she worked in Massachusetts – the state whose standards are a model for Common Core. The Bay State is now one of the top-ranked education systems in the country. Common standards will allow districts across t

1 by plthomasedd / 30min 

Progressivism and Whole Language: A Reader

If you read a criticism of progressivism or whole language, I suspect you are reading one of two things: A misrepresentation of either so that the writer can attack the misrepresentation. Sometimes this is purposeful misrepresentation, but often the misrepresentation comes from carelessness or a lack of expertise. A confusion between the genuine principles of progressivism or whole language and h

by plthomasedd / 26min hide  //  save

Recalling 1947 in 2014

I had never felt more than a passing interest in 42: The Jackie Robinson Story because I expected a film biography of Robinson to pale too much against his life. As someone who admires the life and career of Muhammad Ali, I felt the same reservations about Ali. It seems likely that some people, some lives are simply too big, too grand on their own for recreation. But the universe can be a funny th

7 by plthomasedd / 1h

2-9-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Worst Op-Ed of 2014, Already?Worst Op-Ed of 2014, Already?.1 by plthomasedd / 1h hide  //  save2-8-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdDTHE BECOMING RADICALRadical ScholarshipEMPATHYEDUCATES!the becoming radical  A Place for a

by mike simpson / 1d

2-10-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Regents Say They're Feeling The Pressure

From Newsday: High school students across New York will not have to meet higher passage requirements on new, tougher state exams in order to graduate until 2022 under recommendations approved Monday by the Board of Regents. Those students currently were scheduled to start taking Regents exams based upon the Common Core academic standards this spring. The policy-making board's action means they wil

by reality-based edu... / 1h

Reaction To The Regents Recommendations On Common Core And APPR Teacher Evaluations

So the Regents reaffirmed the importance of Common Core but delayed the timeline of full implementation to 2022. You can read the Regents press release here.The Regents recommendations seemed to make nobody but some members of the legislature happy.Here was Cuomo's response:“Today’s recommendations are another in a series of missteps by the Board of Regents that suggests the time has come to serio

by reality-based edu... / 0min 

Chris Christie Helicopter Rides Probed In BridgeGate Scandal

Interesting story from the Post:The New Jersey legislative committee investigating the Bridgegate scandal will probe records of helicopter rides Gov. Chris Christie took to see if he flew near Fort Lee while lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge were closed, sources told The Post.Lawmakers also want to know if the New Jersey governor took a ride with then-Port Authority exec David Wildstei

by reality-based edu... / 0min 

Randy Credico To Challenge Andrew Cuomo In Democratic Primary

Not sure this is the best Cuomo challenger around, but nonetheless here is the story:Comedian and activist Randy Credico, a “Tonight Show” veteran and subject of the Laura Kightlinger documentary “Sixty Spins Around the Sun,’’ says he’s “definitely” going to challenge Cuomo in the Democratic primary this year. “I’ve got the financial backers to do it, and we’ll get the votes of the progressives in

by reality-based edu... / 49mi

Today's Board Of Regents Meeting

From the Daily Politics update this morning:From our Ken Lovett in Albany: * It’s not that often that a Board of Regents meeting can be called “much anticipated.” But give the controversy surrounding the implementation of the Common Core curriculum, today’s meeting could get interesting. Very interesting. State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for delays and changes or they vow to

by reality-based edu... / 1h hide  //  save

5 Year Old Student Leaves Charter School Unattended

The Daily News: In a case reminiscent of the tragic death of autistic teen Avonte Oquendo — who disappeared from school months before his body was found in Queens — a 5-year-old disabled boy managed to slip out of his Brooklyn charter school and walked more than a half mile home with a stranger, the Daily News has learned. Malachi Nelson, whose cerebral palsy causes him to drag his right foot, was

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

2-9-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: What A Surprise That A "Blended Learning" Course Is A DisasterMayor Bloomberg loved all things techie - especially when it came to replacing humans with computers or computerized programs.So of course we got all kinds of computerized nonsense in the NYDOE during his 12 years in power and one of the more infamous was the iZone, which was a highly-touted education pr

by mike simpson / 23h 

Huge North Carolina Rally Protests Roll Back of Voting, Labor, Health, Education, and Civil Rights | janresseger

Huge North Carolina Rally Protests Roll Back of Voting, Labor, Health, Education, and Civil Rights | janresseger:

Huge North Carolina Rally Protests Roll Back of Voting, Labor, Health, Education, and Civil Rights

Posted on February 10, 2014 by janresseger

Unless you live in North Carolina or follow Twitter, where pictures were posted all weekend, you may have missed that nearly 100,000 people rallied in Raleigh on Saturday to protest the policies and direction of North Carolina’s current one-party government and leadership by conservative Governor Pat McCrory, who even appointed far-right financier Art Pope as his budget director.  North Carolina is one of more than half the states that now lack checks and balances because the governor, and house and senate majorities are controlled by one party.

For much of the past year, the North Carolina NAACP, led by the prophetic Rev. William Barber, has been sponsoring Moral Monday protests at the statehouse to decry a rash of legislation that has wiped out what was thought to have been the progressive, “new south,” direction of North Carolina.

Ari Berman writing for The Nation summarizes North Carolina’s legislative record that has spurred the protests:  “Since taking over the legislature in 2010 and the governor’s mansion in 2012, controlling state government for the first time in over a century, North Carolina Republicans eliminated the earned-income tax credit for 900,000 North Carolinians; refused Medicaid coverage for 500,000; ended federal unemployment benefits for 170,000; cut pre-K for 30,000 kids while shifting $90 million from public education to voucher schools; slashed taxes for the top 5 percent while raising taxes on the bottom 95 percent; axed public financing of judicial races; prohibited death row inmates from challenging racially discriminatory verdicts; passed one of the country’s most draconian anti-choice laws; and enacted the