2-25-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Mayor Segarra and Matt Poland lead 6-2 vote to give TFA $650,000

There will be 210 fewer job openings in the Hartford School System for Connecticut residents thanks to Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, Matt Poland and their allies on the Hartford Board of Education. While hundreds of qualified, certified Connecticut teachers are unemployed and hundreds of additional Connecticut residents will be seeking teaching jobs after graduating from […]The post Mayor Segarra

by jonpelto / 1h 

2-24-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: Hartford Leaders scheduled to waste another $650,000 in taxpayer fundsLast week’s Hartford Board of Education meeting has been re-schedule for tonight. At tonight’s meeting, the Hartford Board of Education, led by Mayor Pedro Segarra is expected to throw an additional $650,940 at Teach for America. Despite the fact that there are hundreds of unemployed and underemployed Connecticut res

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

2-25-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

First black female Ole Miss student body president reacts to newest racial incident at university

Kimbrely Dandridge was elected as the first black, female student body president at the University of Mississippi in 2012, and now is a first-year law student at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law. A recent racial incident at Ole Miss caused her to write the following piece, which was published on the Hechinger […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 29min hide  //  save

The most meaningless teacher evaluation exercise ever?

If  ever there were a meaningless exercise in the annals of evaluation, it would be this one. The Florida Times-Union newspaper sued the state Education Department to get access to what are called “value-added” scores of teachers that are used to make high-stakes decisions about their jobs. These scores come from student standardized test scores, […]    

3 by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

The forgotten factor in student achievement: the student

Will Fitzhugh is the founder and editor of The Concord Review, believed to be the world’s only English-language quarterly review for history academic papers by high school students. The Review, founded in Massachusetts in March 1978, comes out four times a year and has  published more than 1,000 history research papers — with an average of […]    

11 by Valerie Strauss / 6h 

2-24-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Class size matters a lot, research showsEvery now and then someone in education policy (Arne Duncan) or education philanthropy (Bill Gates) or the media (Malcolm Gladwell) will say something about why class size isn’t really very important because a great teacher can handle a boatload of kids. Not really. A new review of the major research that has been conducted on class […]    

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

2-25-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week

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

Step Up for Students Delivers Astroturf Campaign Ahead of Civil Rights Event

NAACP Florida Conference President Adora Obi-Nweze was critical of Florida’s school voucher program in a WMNF story about next week’s Moral Monday event when he said “it’s very critical that we get a high quality education for our children. The dollars that are being cut as a result of dollars being siphoned off from the public school district is stopping our children from being able to have a qua

by Bob Sikes / 0min 

Florida VAM Scores: The Most Meaningless Teacher Evaluation Exercise Ever?

So writes Valerie Strauss in the Washington Post: There are numerous problems with using VAM scores for high-stakes decisions, but in this particular release of data, the most obvious and perhaps the most egregious one is this: Some 70 percent of the Florida teachers received VAM scores based on test results from students they didn’t teach and/or in subjects they don’t teach. Yes, you read that ri

by Bob Sikes / 1h 

VAM Part of the “Systemic Dismantling of a Teachers Worth”

The fall-out over the court-ordered release of VAM scores belonging to Florida teachers is just beginning. Joseph E. Joyner, the superintendent of schools in St. Johns County where the state’s best VAM scores came from, wasn’t doing an end zone dance. Here’s part of the public letter he released yesterday: The creation of lists/judgments of teachers by VAM data is inherently wrong in several areas

33 by Bob Sikes / 3h 

2-24-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: The Gainesville Sun Rips Rick Scott, Calls for Pause in School Grade FormulaFrom the editors of the Gainesville Sun: Gov. Rick Scott should be providing leadership on this issue, but he has shown repeatedly he’s more about lip service on education than actually fixing wh

by mike simpson / 8h 

2-25-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

My New BAM! Podcast: “How Can We Better Support English Language Learners?”

What Do We Need to Do to Better Support English Language Learners? is the subject of my latest nine minute BAM! Radio podcast with guests Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. and Judie Haynes. Karen and Judie are both contributors to an upcoming column at my Education Week Teacher blog on the same subject.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 32min 

Impressive Video On Ukrainian Protests

Here’s how the New York Times describes this video: [It mixes] footage of the demonstrators with inspirational speeches on the importance of overcoming fear first spoken by Will Smith, in “After Earth,” and Sylvester Stallone, in “Rocky Balboa.” It was shared at the height of last week’s violence by Pavel Durov, the founder of the most prominent Russian social network, VKontakte. I’m adding it to

by Larry Ferlazzo / 7h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

Okay, These Are My Final Resources On Sochi

Okay, this post will contain my final additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: Our Favorite Moments from the 2014 Winter Olympics is from The Atlantic. 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Comes to a Close is a photo gallery from The Atlantic.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h 

Hot Spot Interview — Report From Venezuela

Three years ago, I began a new regular interview series. There are always lots of “hot spots” around the world — places where there are natural disasters, political upheavals, etc. And English teachers can be found in most of those places. If you are an EFL/ESL teacher in one of those areas, please let me know. Today, I’m lucky to be able to interview Miguel Mendoza from Venezuela (he also shared

by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h 

2-24-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Learn About Comparatives & Superlatives At My Latest NY Times Post For ELLsMy latest New York Times post for English Language Learners includes a student interactive and teaching ideas. It focuses on comparatives and superlatives. You can see all my previous Times posts for ELLs here.by Larry Ferlazzo / 47min hide  //  

by mike simpson / 8h 

2-25-14 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.:

Teachers at Chicago’s Saucedo Scholastic Academy vote 100% to boycott ISAT test. Teachers union has their backs. 100%.

  This morning teachers at Maria Saucedo Academy voted unanimously to boycott the ISAT test. This follows on the heels of yesterday’s press conference by parents who have opted out of the test. They represent a reported 500 parents who have opted out district-wide. Here is the press release from the Chicago Teachers Union: CHICAGO – The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) supports teachers and parents a

by Fred Klonsky / 31min 

Ten minute drawing. BGA’s Andy Shaw applauds pain on working people.

by Fred Klonsky / 1min 

Tony at the Red Line Tap.

  “I don’t get it,” Tony sighed as I grabbed my seat at the bar. “Sean, my man.” I yelled to the kid in the back room. “A Cal’Arenys. Room temperature.” “I said, I don’t get it.” “I heard you, but I wanted my beer. Now. What don’t you get, Tony?” “Four-man bobsledding.  How is it different from two-man bobsledding?” “It’s different because one has two guys and one has four,” I explained. “Why are

by Fred Klonsky / 28min hide  //  save

Todd Mertz. In Arizona…

- Todd Mertz is a teacher and IEA union and political activist. The ruling came on Thursday. Yes, I know we don’t live in Arizona. But this is significant and absolutely great news for us too.  Here is why: The language in the IL and AZ constitutions are very similar in protecting pension benefits for public employees. In fact, both the IL and AZ constitution state that membership in the state pe

by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

2-24-14 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.: Big union ad buy for Guzzardi.. The price of poker just went up. A piece of interesting election news this morning is that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) just dropped $50,000 on a media ad buy for Will Guzzardi’s race against Machine Democratic Party daughter, Toni Berrios. Berrios h

1 by mike simpson / 8h

2-25-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Will de Blasio Dump Moskowitz' Ill-Gotten Gains as Eva Throws Tantrum?

The last minute push by Bloomberg to get as many Eva Moskowitz charters into as many neighborhoods as possible reminded me of the American rush to leave Saigon in the waning days of the Vietnam war. Two October PEP meetings were set up to beat the clock and Moskowitz walked away with the biggest bundle. Law suits were filed over one of the final outrages of the Bloomberg administration. Public Adv

by ed notes online / 0min 

A Decade of Cover-up at PS 106: Who Protected Marcella Sills?

My column for The Wave, to be published Feb. 28, 2014. A Decade of Cover-up at PS 106: Who Protected Marcella Sills?By Norm ScottThe media seems to be enthralled over Marcella Sills’ magic disappearing act as principal of PS 106 in Far Rockaway ever since the NY Post reported the story a short time after Bill de Blasio and Carmen Fariña took over the running of the school system from the Bloomber

by ed notes online / 1h

2-24-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: THIS FRIDAY (Feb. 28)! Meet with NYC Parents Who Are Saying NO! (to high stakes testing)Meet with NYC Parents Who Are Saying NO!     (Please Share Widely with your friends, PTAs, SLTs, Parent Lists, teachers)As children and teachers enter the spring “testing season,” parents must decide if we will continue to allow our children to support high-stakes testing. There are many ways t

by mike simpson / 8h 

2-25-14 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):

Cornel West and Carl Dix say: Hoodies Up! on February 26

1 by plthomasedd / 21min

What Shall We Do About Reading Today? (1942)

What Shall We Do About Reading Today? (1942).

1 by plthomasedd / 9min hide  //  save

Ralph Ellison, a Century: From Unseen to Misseen

With his Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison’s narrator announced on the first page: “I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” Ralph Ellison – March 1, 1914 – April 16, 1994 And with this novel, the ironies become so layered that “irony” likely isn’t sufficient. Many see only Invisible Man when they hear Ellison’s name. And Ellison’s entry into the exclusive and mostly white a

6 by plthomasedd / 45min 

2-24-14 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): Knowledge: Not If, but How (and Who Decides)As I have posted before, progressivism and whole language have a long history of being blamed for failure when in reality neither has been practiced in any substantial way by teachers. While school policies and classroom practi

by mike simpson / 8h