3-4-14 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! Radio Program: “What Are the Five Best Practices to Promote Better Student Learning?”

The latest episode of my nine-minute BAM! Radio podcast is on What Are the Five Best Practices to Promote Better Student Learning? My guests are Diana Laufenberg and National Teacher Of The Year Jeff Charbonneau. They have both contributed a written response to that question for one of my future Education Week Teacher columns.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 28min 

Video: “WKRP: Venus Explains the Atom” Shows Great Teaching In Action

Neil deGrasse Tyson shared this great video on Google Plus. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn About (And View Video Clips Of) Teachers In The Movies:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h hide  //  save

“Building ‘Political Will’ To Retain Teachers In High-Need Schools”

Building ‘Political Will’ To Retain Teachers In High-Need Schools is Part Two in my Education Week Teacher series on teacher turnover in high-poverty schools. Today, Barnett Berry and Ilana Garon share their thoughts. Here are some excerpts:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h 

YESTERDAY

New Resources On The Ukraine Crisis

Here are new additions to The Best Resources On The Protests (& Crisis) In Ukraine: Covering the Russian Army in Crimea is a photo gallery from The New York Times. Ukraine crisis: the military imbalance is an interactive from The Guardian. Military movements in Crimea is an infographic from The Washington Post. Newsround Guide – What’s happening in Ukraine? is a very accessible summary from C

by Larry Ferlazzo / 9h 

The Problem With Including Standardized Test Results As Part Of “Multiple Measures” For Teacher Evaluation

There’s a lot of discussion, and actual implementation of, standardized test results as part of “multiple measures”  for teacher — and for principal — evaluation. Among other points, proponents suggest that no one is suggesting that they count as one-hundred percent, only a portion — usually somewhere between twenty and fifty percent. That sounds very reasonable, doesn’t it? Except that it isn’t…

by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h  

3-3-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Practice Pronunciation With Tongue-Twisters AND Learn About Dinosaurs!Practice pronunciation with “tongue-twisters” and learn about the dinosaurs at the same time with my latest New York Times post for English Language Learners. A student interactive and teaching ideas are included. I’m adding this post to The Best Sites Fo

by mike simpson / 9h 

3-4-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher Fred Klonsky

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

First day of ISAT testing. Boycotting teachers are still in their classrooms.

In spite of threats by CPS CEO Bully Byrd-Bennett that boycotting ISAT teachers would be sent home without pay, those teachers are in their classrooms this morning, not testing. This according to reports in the Chicago Sun-Times. Despite a threat from the Chicago Public Schools chief that teachers who are refused to administer an annual state achievement test would be ordered to leave, boycotting

by Fred Klonsky / 58min hide  //  save

The schizophrenic Chicago Tribune in the the kingdom of Dick Mell.

  Aaron Goldstein. I’m not sure what an endorsement by the Chicago Tribune means in actual votes. I’m sure some professional political operative can write in and tell me. But when the Trib endorsed progressive challenger Will Guzzardi against Toni Berrios, it probably meant more that Berrios is already in trouble and sinking fast. The editorial board of the Trib reads the same polls as Madigan an

3 by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

Pensions at the polls. The story of Travis and Guzzardi.

     Jay Travis and Will Guzzardi. Back in May when the Illinois House voted for Senate Bill 1, many of us called on our union and political leadership to mount primary campaigns against those state representatives who voted to cut our constitutionally protected pensions. Some we would win and some we would lose. Still, the message would be sent that there was a political price to pay for violatin

by Fred Klonsky / 45min  

3-3-14 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.: Today is the first day of early voting. I won’t be voting for Kirk Dillard.Today is the first day of early voting in Illinois. After some coffee and breakfast I will head over to the library on Milwaukee Avenue and vote for Will Guzzardi in the 39th State Representative District. I promised to do that

by mike simpson / 9h 

Educators: Don’t Assume A Can Opener | Paul Bruno

Educators: Don’t Assume A Can Opener | Paul Bruno:

Educators: Don’t Assume A Can Opener

By PAUL BRUNO | Published: MARCH 4, 2014

There is a famous joke about the way economists often undermine the usefulness of their conclusions by making too many simplifying assumptions. Here’s one of the older formulations:

There is a story that has been going around about a physicist, a chemist, and an economist who were stranded on a desert island with no implements and a can of food. The physicist and the chemist each devised an ingenious mechanism for getting the can open; the economist merely said, “Assume we have a can opener”!

It’s probably not fair to pick on economists in this way when then the abuse of simplifying assumptions is at least as widespread in education.

For instance, arguably the trendiest thing going in education today is ‘grit‘: “the tendency to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term goals”.

We all agree, I suspect, that a tendency to persevere is desirable, and that we 

States That Spend the Least on Students Are Growing the Fastest - Mikhail Zinshteyn - The Atlantic

States That Spend the Least on Students Are Growing the Fastest - Mikhail Zinshteyn - The Atlantic:

States That Spend the Least on Students Are Growing the Fastest

The school populations of Nevada and Arizona are expected to increase by 20 percent in the next decade—but these states also are in the bottom 10 on the list of per-pupil spending.

Mike Derer/AP Photo

New projections on student enrollment from the federal government hint at the financial pressure many states will face as their student populations rise considerably in the next decade. 

The data, released last week by the National Center on Education Statistics, forecast that the nation’s number of public school students from prekindergarten through high school will grow by 7 percent between 2011 and 2022. Leading the charge are states in the Western and Southern parts of the United States.

The school populations of Nevada and Arizona are expected to swell by more than 20 percent. Utah is set to grow by 19 percent, and Texas by more than 15 percent. Florida, the researchers write, can look forward to 14 percent growth.

But these states stand out for another reason as well. The states expected to grow the most also are among those that spend the least per student.

Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Texas and Utah all fall in the bottom 10 on the list of state expenditures per pupil, according to Education Week data released this year. State and local money tend to comprise nine out of 10 dollars spent on 

CURMUDGUCATION: How Grassy Are Your Roots?

CURMUDGUCATION: How Grassy Are Your Roots?:

How Grassy Are Your Roots?

The world of reformy stuff has altered my life; specifically, it has changed my daily routine. In the morning before school, I read. At lunch, I read. And sometimes in the evening, I read. And when I need a break from reading, I write.

There are soooooo many powerful writers out there covering the world of education, the high stakes test-driven status quo, and the many fronts in the ongoing battle to reclaim public education. The long list to the right of this column only scratches the surface. And to stay fully informed, I also read the work of the corporate champions of the high stakes test-driven status quo, the various organizations that fight and claw to keep the dream of educorporate schooling alive. So I've had plenty of opportunity to see what separates the two groups, what distinguishes the Network for Public Education from, say, StudentsFirst or TFA or any of the groups that shoehorn "Education" and "Quality" into their names.

The difference is money.

So many of the supporters of Reformy Stuff are bought and paid for. So many of the opponents are not.

If the Gates Foundation woke up tomorrow and discovered that all its money had turned into, I don't know, expired gift certificates for a free breakfast at Denny's, support for CCSS would collapse. If the Common Core and Teach for America and the Charter Movement had to survive on actual meri

3-4-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Putin Sites Mulgrew/Randi Takeover of NYSUT as Inspitation for Crimean Invasion

I admire the Unity Caucus operation tremendously. I only wish I had such control....My next invasion will be Brighton Beach to protect the Russian speaking population in Brooklyn.... I am looking for a condo in Brooklyn as a base of operation but the real estate prices are crazy.... Vladimir Putin

by ed notes online / 3h 

Brooklyn Rally Friday to Oppose de Blasio School Giveaway to Moskowitz/Success Charter

"We want our schools back." Laticia James, at PEP, Oct. 2013.. RALLY, Friday, March 7, 2:30PM at Seth Low, 99 Ave. P.Will James be there? The counterattack begins. I know, how many of these anti-Eva rallies have we seen in school after school? Water off her back as she knows that when school opens in the fall the fait accompli will sink in and people will stop protesting. But here she is

by ed notes online / 2h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

MORE March Membership Madness Meeting Sat, Mar 8 - and Help Mike, Peter and Me Celebrate Our B-Days

Even if you can't make the noon-time meeting, join us after. We will be talking about the NYSUT split towards the end of the meeting around 2:30 so if you are interested in that angle come on down. The rest of the agenda to come.Hi all,As you know our general meeting is next Saturday at YaYa at 224 W. 29th st NYC --It's our March Membership Madness campaignDetails click hereWe are also hosting a p

by ed notes online / 9h 

Deny Them the Data - Opt Out Grows - Chicago Rocks While UFT Twiddles its Thumbs

What is the scariest words an ed deformer, privatizer, profiteer can hear? OPT-OUT.As we work here in New York with the Change the Stakes group as we build alliances with other groups we are seeing the growth of the movement around the nation, even spreading from parents to teachers willing to risk their careers. (Though many teachers ARE opting out their own kids). Of course the UFT leadership is

by ed notes online / 9h

3-3-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Video Inspiration: Karen Lewis and John Kuhn @ Network for Public Education Conf, Austin, TXfrom Vincent Precht at http://vimeo.com/87984834by ed notes online / 10h 3-2-14 Ed Notes Online WeekEd Notes Online: Portelos on SCI LiesIf you had sat through the 23 day3020a trial and listened to the evidence, there were many "break out laughing" moments at the farce the DOE was

by mike simpson / 9h 

3-4-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

Activist calls for congressional hearings on standardized testing, gets unexpected support

Education historian and activist Diane Ravitch just called for congressional hearings on the misuse and abuse of standardized tests used for high-stakes purposes — and she got some unexpected support. Ravitch and the nonprofit Network for Public Education that she leads held a conference in Austin this past weekend, just before the start of the […]    

9 by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

A bizarre letter from Florida’s Education Department

What is the Florida Education Department thinking? State Education Commissioner Pam Stewart just issued an open letter to teachers (see below) that makes the ridiculous mistake of accusing people who want a change in standardized testing requirements for severely disabled students of launching a political attack on the department. It said in part: “You may […]    

11 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

3-3-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Why school isn’t for children anymore — teacherDawn Neely-Randall, a 24-year veteran teacher in Ohio,  has watched with alarm the rising influence of standardized testing on public education in recent years. In an e-mail, she said she is “weary” of the “testing abuse inflicted” on her students and profession. Neely-Randall wrote the following piece a few days ago about what she s

by mike simpson / 9h 

3-4-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Parthenon to Ed Industry Investors: If Common Core Has teeth, the "Performance Gap" Will get a lot bigger!

One of the chief bottom feeders of the ed industry consulting business is Rob Lytle of the Parthenon Group.  Here are two slides from a 2012 ppt. that points out how growth in the ed industry depends upon guaranteed failure mechanism like Common Core, which is the testing delivery system for another generation of public school turnovers to CorpEd.  More here.

by Jim Horn / 15min hide  //  save

Massachusetts Parents Should Opt Out of Pearson Pilot Tests

Clearly the State of Massachusetts needs a wake up call.  Parents should say NO to PARCC tests.  Send a message to the corporate stooges who are more interested in Pearson's well being than the learning needs of children.WORCESTER — Small percentages of students at 31 Worcester public schools will field test a standardized assessment that could someday replace MCAS, but some parents are saying the

2 by Jim Horn / 1h 

Randi the Riddler Goes BAT Shirt Crazy

If you are a BAT dedicated to ending high stakes tests and the testing delivery system, Common Core, you may want to grab your BAT barf bag. Ravitch Conference invited guest and Ravitch chum and Common Core fanatic, Randi Weingarten, emerged from her meeting looking like Robin's mom.

2 by Jim Horn / 49min

Tennessee School Board Model for Resistance to CorpEd

RESOLUTION OF THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATIONIN OPPOSITION TO  LEGISLATIONTHREATENING A FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEMWHEREAS, Rutherford County Schools are not for sale; andWHEREAS, a number of bills are being advanced before the State of Tennessee’s legislature by private lobbyists and for profit companies aimed at privatizing the State of Tennessee’s free public education system; andWHER

1 by Jim Horn / 11h 

3-3-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Alan Morrison: Another Indiana Amway/Walmart PlayerBy Doug MartinAfter Indiana House District 42’s Republican Alan Morrison appeared at a crackerbarrel session in the small town of Clinton over the weekend, someone noted on facebook that “Morrison was very condescending and argumentative to some of the citizens, especially to a couple of local school teachers.”   This is no surpris

by mike simpson / 9h 

3-2-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: The Witch of Wall Street May Go to CourtFederal Judge Orders Michelle Rhee Suit to Go Forward, will Broaden to Concealment and Fraud ClaimsA US federal judge has denied a Motion to Dismiss by former DC Public School Chancellor Michelle Rhee in a wrongful termination lawsuit over the mass firings of DC Public School teachers back in 2009. Case to be amended to add concealment and fr

by mike simpson / 22h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-4-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

In Survey, Utla President Vows To File Complaints Over ‘Teacher Jails’

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/1n6UwOs Los Angeles teachers union president Warren Fletcher lashed out at the school district Monday for its handling of teachers accused of misconduct, vowing to file federal and state age-discrimination complaints. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times / February 9, 2012)   March 3, 2014, 6:55 p.m.  ::  Los Angeles teachers union president

by smf / 18min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-3-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Meet the ®eformers: TED MITCHELL + DAVID WELCHTHE EDUCATION OF TED MITCHELL | Written by Gary Cohn/CAPITAL & MAIN | INVESTIGATING POWER & POLITICS |  http://bit.ly/1oiNdlI 28 Feb 2014-CALIFORNIA EXCLUSIVE  ::  The nomination of Californian Ted Mitchell to the number two position at the U.S. Department of Education is the latest indication that p

by mike simpson / 9h