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Monday, February 10, 2014

Morning Wink 2-10-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




2-10-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Here’s My NY Times Post On Valentine’s Day, PLUS A “Video Bingo” That Didn’t Get Included!My latest New York Times post for English Language Learners is on Valentine’s Day and idioms. It includes a student interactive and teaching ideas. And here’s a “video bingo” activity that didn’t get included because of space limitatio
The Co-op That Changed The South | PopularResistance.Org
The Co-op That Changed The South | PopularResistance.Org: The Co-op That Changed The SouthEDUCATE! CIVIL RIGHTS, CO-OPS, RACISM, VIDEO By David J. Thompson, www.ncba.coopFebruary 9th, 2014 (284 VIEWS)  Powered by Translate1Above: Alice Wine at the Progressive ClubNote: The history of cooperatives and social change is intertwined throughout the life of the nation.  In this article, Cooperatives and
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-10-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Schneider: Updates on State-by-State Common Core Controversies: Part 3Mercedes Schneider here reports on the ongoing debates about Common Core standards and tests in the states. Links to the earlier posts are included in this one. The reason for the controversy is the lack of democratic process in imposing the standards. Imposing t
2-10-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: 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 i
2-10-14 @ The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: ‘The greatest line I never said’ — from college admissions counselorsMany 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
2-10-14 Schools Matte
Schools Matter: For Schools or Anything Else to Matter, We Must Do What Life Requires Now2 by Jim Horn / 11min hide  //  saveTaking Down Dixie's Last Political Stand in North CarolinaNorth 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 it
2-10-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Progressivism and Whole Language: A ReaderProgressivism and Whole Language: A Reader. via Progressivism and Whole Language: A Reader.1 by plthomasedd / 21min hide  //  saveTwo 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
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): Progressivism and Whole Language: A ReaderIf 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 misrepresent
2-10-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Today's Board Of Regents MeetingFrom 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 a
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 RightsPosted on February 10, 2014 by janressegerUnless you live in North Carolina or follow Twitter, where pictures were posted all weekend, you may have missed that nearly 100,000 people rallie
2-10-14 GoPublicSchool.com « An open discussion of public school issues. GoPublicSchool.com
GoPublicSchool.com « An open discussion of public school issues. GoPublicSchool.com: New documentary takes on standardized testing, Common Core…Jaime Franchi in The Long Island Press… “The documentary Standardized: Lies, Money, and Civil Rights: How Testing is Ruining Public Education, the brainchild of producer and former teacher Daniel Hornberger, is a powerful artistic translation of this both
Lessons from Abroad: Singapore’s secrets to training world-class teachers | HechingerEd Blog
Lessons from Abroad: Singapore’s secrets to training world-class teachers | HechingerEd Blog: Lessons from Abroad: Singapore’s secrets to training world-class teachersSingapore has been a hot topic in education circles ever since it began to appear near the top of the pack of international assessments in math and science in the mid-90s. The country has been held up as an example of a place where e
V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: When Grit Hits the Fan
V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: When Grit Hits the Fan: When Grit Hits the FanI am increasingly hearing the term "grit" thrown around in relation to education.  In January 2014, Michelle Obama elaborated on the concept (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/01/16/first-lady-michelle-obama-hosts-discussion-education).  Discussing some of the obstacles she managed to overcome in life, she said,
2014 Common Core Legislation Round-Up | Truth in American Education
2014 Common Core Legislation Round-Up | Truth in American Education: Common Core Premises, Standards and Assessments Put Children at RiskThis is a guest post by Joan Landes.  She’s a Clinical Mental Health Counselor licensed to assess, diagnose and treat mental health and relational dysfunctions in individuals, couples and families. She has worked in various settings including residential treatmen
Summit High School: The skinny on the Gates-backed charter school set for Seattle, Brad Bernatek (remember him?) and a host of others | Seattle Education
Summit High School: The skinny on the Gates-backed charter school set for Seattle, Brad Bernatek (remember him?) and a host of others | Seattle Education: Summit High School: The skinny on the Gates-backed charter school set for Seattle, Brad Bernatek (remember him?) and a host of othersBill Gates will be bringing yet another grand (failed) experiment onto public school children to Seattle soon.Re
NYC Educator
NYC Educator: Fire Them All, Says Daily NewsThe Daily News gets one thing almost right in its otherwise deplorable editorial:It is insane for the New York City public school system to keep 1,200 unwanted teachers on the payroll, at a cost of more than $100 million annually.It's insane that they spend all that money without putting the teachers to work, that's for sure. And it would be very easy to
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES"Obamacare makes you lazy!" - Roy Blunt, US Senator, who will only work 126 days this year.Lorna Brett Howard, N.Y. Democratic activist...dismissed concerns that the tax increase [for Mayor deBlasio's proposed universal Pre-K] — a difference of $530 for every $100,000 in income over the threshold — was burdensome. “That i

YESTERDAY

Oakland middle school’s 9-hour school day is model program | EdSource Today
Oakland middle school’s 9-hour school day is model program | EdSource Today: Oakland middle school’s 9-hour school day is model programFebruary 9th, 2014 | Add a Comment | By Susan FreyAndres McDade, an 8th grader at Elmhurst Community Prep in Oakland, plays a drum in the school’s expanded learning program. Credit: Citizen Schools.On a recent Thursday afternoon in Ashur Bratt’s class in Oakland, a
Common Core Opponents Rally in Georgia | Truth in American Education
Common Core Opponents Rally in Georgia | Truth in American Education: Common Core Opponents Rally in GeorgiaFiled in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on February 10, 2014 • 0 CommentsThere has been a concerned push over the last week to rid Georgia of the Common Core State Standards.  Northwest Georgia News covered a rally that was held last Tuesday at the
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
Are Corporate Education Reformers Like Young Earth Creationists? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Are Corporate Education Reformers Like Young Earth Creationists? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Are Corporate Education Reformers Like Young Earth Creationists?By Anthony Cody on February 9, 2014 7:59 PMLast week a commenter calling himself DrSpector posted a response to John Thompson's essay about the Gates Foundation's Imaginary World of School Reform.In part, DrSpector said this
Deasy v. Deasy: The Two Faces of L.A.’s School Superintendent | MyFDL
Deasy v. Deasy: The Two Faces of L.A.’s School Superintendent | MyFDL: Deasy v. Deasy: The Two Faces of L.A.’s School SuperintendentLast week’s testimony in the Vergara v. California trial raised many an eyebrow when Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent John E. Deasy testified on behalf of plaintiffs in a lawsuit whose defendants had originally included LAUSD.Despite its supp
Nite Cap 2-9-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPNYC Public School Parents: Justice denied! Slipshod and circular reasoning in the judge's decision on our inBloom lawsuit!NYC Public School Parents: Justice denied! Slipshod and circular reasoning in the judge's decision on our inBloom lawsuit!:
NYC Public School Parents: Justice denied! Slipshod and circular reasoning in the judge's decision on our inBloom lawsuit!
NYC Public School Parents: Justice denied! Slipshod and circular reasoning in the judge's decision on our inBloom lawsuit!: Justice denied! Slipshod and circular reasoning in the judge's decision on our inBloom lawsuit!Late Friday afternoon, we learned that Judge Breslin of the NY Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit to prevent the NY State Education Department from uploading personal student data
The Washington Teacher: Orr Elementary School: DCPS Dirty Little Secret East of the River
The Washington Teacher: Orr Elementary School: DCPS Dirty Little Secret East of the River: Orr Elementary School: DCPS Dirty Little Secret East of the RiverOrr Elementary Vault classroomBy Candi PetersonIn a February 6 post on The Washington Teacher education blog, I wrote about the Inhumane Teaching and Learning Conditions at DC's Orr elementary school. Benjamin Orr elementary school is located a
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, I Need, I Need.southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, I Need, I Need.After a prolific January of posting, I am finally getting to my first blog post for the month of February and in two weeks!So much has been on my mind of late. One thing that has sat on the front of my brain for some time is theguest blog post by the Original NYCDoenuts written on January 19, 2014. There is so much I want to shar
2-9-14 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.: In the NEA, this is what democracy looks like.Whoever thought it would be so hard to run for union delegate as a retiree? A quick review. I retired in June of 2012. I changed my union membership for active to retired. The switch didn’t get processed in time for me to run statewide as delegate to the 2
Star-Ledger to Cami Anderson: Be mine, Valentine! | Bob Braun's Ledger
Star-Ledger to Cami Anderson: Be mine, Valentine! | Bob Braun's Ledger: Star-Ledger to Cami Anderson: Be mine, Valentine!A new look for The Star-Ledger?The Star-Ledger’s passionate, public love affair with Cami Anderson is now sliding into political porn. The newspaper’s latest editorial is a gushing, embarrassing, big wet kiss for Chris Christie’s agent in Newark. “She needs help!” cries out the
2-9-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week + UpdatesFrom SPS Communications:Superintendent Banda made several principal appointments Feb. 7 , including: • George Breland, Cleveland High School;• Maria Breuder, McGilvra Elementary School;• Dedy Fauntleroy, John Stanford International School; • Robert Gary, Madison Middle School; • Jo Lute-Ervin, Kimball Elementary School;• Mary McDa
Common Core Standards Update | Seattle Education
Common Core Standards Update | Seattle Education: Common Core Standards UpdateFrom deutsch29 : Mercedes Schneider’s EduBlogUpdate on Common Core Status in the States: Part TwoOn February 6, 2014, I posted my first of three installments regarding the state of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in statehouses nationwide– and even in the US Senate. Reaction to CCSS includes the Huckabee-promoted
NYC Public School Parents: New York Parents Outraged by Governor’s Flawed Common Core Panel
NYC Public School Parents: New York Parents Outraged by Governor’s Flawed Common Core Panel: New York Parents Outraged by Governor’s Flawed Common Core PanelFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  February 9, 2014More information contact:Eric Mihelbergel (716) 553-1123; nys.allies@gmail.comLisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.comNYS Allies for Public Education www.nysape.orgNew Yorkers Outraged by Governo
Students Last: Pearson Buys New York State Education Department
Students Last: Pearson Buys New York State Education Department: Pearson Buys New York State Education DepartmentCommissioner King and Chancellor Tisch wait patientlyfor their turn to speak as their new Pearson overlordannounces the takeoverAlbany, New York - Best described as "not your usual corporate takeover," Pearson PLC announced that it had acquired the New York State Education Dep
Race to the Top Corporate Education Reform: A Page Out of IMF & World Bank Playbook?
Race to the TopCorporate Education Reforms maybe the US version IMF and WB "structural adjustment policies". These policies were applied to the "Banana Republics" during the later part of the 20th century. Race to the Top has based aid to schools on "structural adjustment policies". Is the goal of Corporate Education Reforms to make America just another Banana Republi
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
National African American Parent Involvement Day Monday aims to address achievement gap | MLive.com
National African American Parent Involvement Day Monday aims to address achievement gap | MLive.com: National African American Parent Involvement Day Monday aims to address achievement gapEvents scheduled for National African American Parent Involvement Day on Monday, Feb. 10 aim to encourage parents to be more involved in their children's education.Though the annual event is aimed particularly at
Dying Florida boy's family must prove he can't take FCAT | Orlando
Dying Florida boy's family must prove he can't take FCAT | Orlando: Dying Florida boy's family must prove he can't take FCATEthan Rediske, 11, who was born with severe brain damage and cerebral palsy, has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks. His mother, Andrea Rediske, said school officials told her she needed to provide more proof that Ethan was dying to exempt him from the FCAT. (FILE)By
Inspiring post of the day: North Carolina and the Rev. Dr. William Barber are delivering THE message of our times | Parents United for Public Education
Inspiring post of the day: North Carolina and the Rev. Dr. William Barber are delivering THE message of our times | Parents United for Public Education: Inspiring post of the day: North Carolina and the Rev. Dr. William Barber are delivering THE message of our timesPosted on February 9, 2014 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a commentA Moral Mondays march in the early days from June 2013.Need inspiration
2-9-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Some Very Useful Teaching Resources For SochiHere are the latest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, and I think they’re particularly useful today: Teaching Sochi 2014 – news and resources round up is from The Guardian. Classroom resources for teaching the 2014 Winter Olympics
2-9-14 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: No Credibility Left For Tom Moran and the Star-Ledger Editorial BoardMany of you will be surprised to hear this, but I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Tom Moran, Editorial Page Editor of the Star-Ledger. His newspaper is a fiscal trainwreck, heading for the same fate as its sister paper, the New Orleans Times-Picayune (although it's hard to imagine anyone in Newark rallying t
Morning Wink 2-9-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSStudy concludes WI charter schools are doing better because of students they select | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!Study concludes WI charter schools are doing better because of students they select | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:  Study concludes WI charter schools are doing better because of students they select WKOW Video:  ht























2-10-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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







The #EnglishEffect Videos Are Great, & Perfect For A Class Project
The British Council ran a contest last year called #EnglishEffect. Here is how they describe it: Last year the British Council ran a global video competition where people from all over the world sent in videos telling us what English meant to them. The winning video and the others are great for stimulating classroom discussion, and for ideas for making your own. They are absolutely right about the
“What If?” History Presentations By English Language Learners
I’ve written a lot about the “What If?” history presentations that I have my IB Theory of Knowledge students create. Then I make arrangements with their other classes so that they can come in and teach students in my Intermediate English history classes to do the same project (You can see lots of posts, including examples, at The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons. Here are a c
From The Archives: “Getting English-Language Learners to Thrive”
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 featuring a piece I wrote for Education Week Teacher several years ago. It’s titled Getting English-Language Learners to Thrive. Here’s an excerpt:

“The Maker Movement Can Give Students ‘A Story To Tell’”
The Maker Movement Can Give Students ‘A Story To Tell’ is Part Two in my Education Week Teacher series on The Maker Movement. Today, Tanya Baker from The National Writing Project discusses implications The Maker Movement has for different content areas, National Teacher of the Year Jeff Charbonneau elaborates further on its connect to STEM, and Leslie Texas and Tammy Jones make a connection to Pro

The New “Connect With English” Site Has Got To Be One Of This Year’s Best New Sites For ELLs
“Connect With English” was produced by Annenberg a number of years ago, and is a great video series for English Language Learners. The series has been free to watch via the web, but you’ve had to purchase student exercise books. I’ve previously our own “worksheet” that we developed for students to use. Though the videos are just beginning to show their age a bit, they’re still wonderful resource
Monday’s List Of New Sochi Resources
Here are new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: Winter Olympics Activity Toolkit is from The VIF Learning Center. Here’s a neat video from the 1932 Winter Olympics. The Atlantic has a good post about it: Sports Illustrated has a special site with lots of multimedia resources. Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest informatio


Here’s My NY Times Post On Valentine’s Day, PLUS A “Video Bingo” That Didn’t Get Included!
My latest New York Times post for English Language Learners is on Valentine’s Day and idioms. It includes a student interactive and teaching ideas. And here’s a “video bingo” activity that didn’t get included because of space limitations, but I thought readers would find it useful so I’m sharing it here. It’s in four “steps”: 1. Tell students they are going to play a game. First, though, they are


2-9-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Some Very Useful Teaching Resources For SochiHere are the latest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, and I think they’re particularly useful today: Teaching Sochi 2014 – news and resources round up is from The Guardian. Classroom resources for teaching the 2014 Winter Olympics

The Co-op That Changed The South | PopularResistance.Org

The Co-op That Changed The South | PopularResistance.Org:



The Co-op That Changed The South

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Above: Alice Wine at the Progressive Club
Note: The history of cooperatives and social change is intertwined throughout the life of the nation.  In this article, Cooperatives and Community Work Are Part of American DNA, Margaret Flowers and I review that history.  It is a part of our economy that is not talked about much in US history but it has had a consistent and important presence from before the United States became a nation to the present day. KZ
It was a small cooperative store on a little known island off the coast of South Carolina. During the harshest days of the civil rights struggle, embattled black leaders came through its doors seeking inspiration. Among the legendary leaders who visited the co-op were: Ralph Abernathy, Dorothy Cotton, Conrad Brown, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King Jr, John Lewis, Bernice Reagon, Cleveland Sellers, Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), Andrew Young, Hosea Williams and many others.
What began in that co-op was a Citizenship School to teach blacks on Johns Island, South Carolina how to qualify to vote. Later, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) spread that program throughout the South. That one class in the co-op became thousands of classes in churches, schools and homes. In 1962, the SCLC brought in other groups who then formed the Voter Education Project (VEP). Between 1962 and 1966 VEP trained 10,000 teachers for Citizenship Schools and 700,000 black voters registered throughout the South.  By 1970, another million black voters had registered.
The Progressive Club main entrance from South Carolina Dept of Archives and History.
The Progressive Club main entrance from South Carolina Dept of Archives and History.
Aldon Morris in his book, “Origins of the Civil Rights Movement,” wrote: “…the Citizenship Schools were one of the most effective tools of the movement.” That class at the co-op led to millions of blacks voting 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-10-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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






Network for Public Education Endorses Baraka for Newark Mayor
The Network for Public Education has endorsed City Councilman Ras Baraka for Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He is a career educator who opposes school closings and supports reduced class sizes and other research based strategies. We are proud to support him and believe that his election will begin a movement to restore democracy to education in Newark, whose schools have been under state control fo

NY Saga Heats Up as Advocates Blast Regents
The Regents pledged to tweak the botched Common Core rollout, which caused Governor Cuomo to accuse them of backing away from tough teacher evaluation (they didn’t). Now parents and educators condemn the Regents for failing to address their concerns: From: “NYS Allies for Public Education” Date: February 10, 2014 at 4:40:37 PM EST To: “‘NYS Allies for Public Education’” Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE R
Cuomo Blasts Regents for Common Core Fumbling
Governor Andrew Cuomo released a statement blasting the Regents for seeming to delay the tough teacher evaluation that Cuomo wants. Common Core has turned into a giant mess. The Regents and Commissioner John King want to appear to compromise without compromising. The governor condemns them for compromising. Here is the Regents’ statement. This is the report of the Regents Working Group that ca


NC Democrats Blast McCrory Pay Plan
North Carolina Governor McCrory tried to defuse criticism of his hostile policies toward teachers by offering a pay raise to teachers in their first five years instead of responding to a call by former Governor Jim Hunt to lift salaries to the national average. NC teachers are now 46th in the nation in salary. Under McCrory’s proposal, 70% of teachers get no raise. Salaries for teachers have been
Long Island Poll: 86% Thumbs Down on Common Core
Even as the NĆ©w York Board of Regents made minor tweaks to the Common Core standards and testing, a poll by News 12, Long Island’s only TV news station, showed simmering anti – Common Core sentiment in this crucial suburban area. 8% say Delay It 86% say Eliminate It 6% say Leave It Alone Long Island has been a hotbed of anti-Common Core activism. A special committee of the Regents reviewed the b
NY Times: Are Parents to Blame for Low Test Scores?
The NĆ©w York Times blog published a debate about whether parents are to blame for “failing schools.” The question is: “Do parents care enough about schools?” Various writers offer their opinions. The debate is based on President Obama’s assertion in his State of the Union address that parents don’t demand enough. Of course, that begs the question of which schools are “failing” and how they are

Los Angeles Lawyer: How to Fire a Teacher
Ron Lapekas, an attorney in Los Angeles, submitted the following comment to the blog about the Vergara trial, in which plaintiffs claim that tenure (due process) for teachers violates the civil rights of students. The case of the plaintiffs is funded with millions of dollars by a wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur, who thinks that teachers should be fired at the will of their employer without hea

Jon Stewart Interviews Bill de Blasio: Hilarious!
This is a fabulous interview of Bill de Blasio by Jon Stewart. Bill is funny, smart, terrific! What a change! And watch to see how great it is to live in Brooklyn. Laughter, not hectoring.

Schneider: Updates on State-by-State Common Core Controversies: Part 3
Mercedes Schneider here reports on the ongoing debates about Common Core standards and tests in the states. Links to the earlier posts are included in this one. The reason for the controversy is the lack of democratic process in imposing the standards. Imposing them by stealth was not a good idea. The public doesn’t know what they are, and their merits and demerits were never discussed and debated
Peter Greene on #evaluatethat
Peter Greene, who teaches high school English in Pennsylvania, here reviews the Twitter outburst with the hash tag #evaluatethat. The campaign on Twitter began as a way to point out that teachers do far more important things for students than get measured on standardized tests. And it grew. Greene points out that people in many occupations go beyond their job descriptions. So what is the point
What Went Wrong with Common Core Testing in Nashua, New Hampshire
Not long ago, I posted a news story about the problems with Common Core testing in Nashua, New Hampshire, where teachers reported serious flaws with the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Here is the letter from John Nelson, the principal of Fairgrounds Middle School, which contains details about the problems, as reported by teachers. FROM: JOHN NELSON RE: SMARTER BALANCE TEST This communication
A Message from James Meredith to BATS
This just in from the BATs: “ On February 12th the Badass Teachers Association was honored to get this amazing message from James Meredith via his co-author William Doyle. BATs will be honoring Meredith’s The American Child’s Education Bill of Rights with a special event on February 10-13. Here is that amazing message: A MESSAGE TO AMERICA’S TEACHERS The destiny of America is in your hands. We are


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-9-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Public Schools Across NY See State School Aid Decline Due to Cuomo BudgetI can’t find a link for this story, but I have the newspaper in front of me. (Thanks to a reader, here is the link: http://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/84-of-li-school-districts-to-get-less-aid-than-6-years-ago-under-cuomo-budget-plan-1.6973979) It is