3-10-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

The myth of Common Core equity

The Common Core State Standards were originally promoted as a way of raising academic standards for all children around the country. But is the initiative really about equitable outcomes? Here’s a post that takes on that question, by award-winning New York Principal Carol Burris and Alan A. Aja, assistant  and deputy chair in the Department […]    

100+ by Valerie Strauss / 3h hide  //  save

How to get kids from low-income families into the arts

High-quality arts programs are known to provide myriad benefits to students who participate in them — but getting kids to sign up isn’t easy. What attracts young students — especially those from low-income families — to specific arts programs? Peter Rogovin and Denise Montgomery of Next Level Strategic Marketing Group are authors of a new […]    

100+ by Valerie Strauss / 3h 

Why the Obama administration should drop its college rating plan

The Obama administration is developing a system to rate colleges and universities by 2015 that will be based on a yet-to-be-determined set of criteria that could include data points such as average tuition and how much graduates earn. Part of the system involves getting congressional approval (which isn’t likely) to direct more federal student aid […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 6min  

3-9-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: 11 key questions on standardized testing for Congress to answerThe nonprofit Network for Public Education, a coalition of education organizations fighting the privatization of public schools, has asked key congressional committees to hold formal hearings on the overuse of high-stakes standardized tests as a result of federal and state laws. The advocacy group was founded last by

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

3-10-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

SEA Fighting Back on NCLB Waiver

Superintendent Banda sent a letter to the Legislature last week, urging them to pass the teacher evaluation bill that would require test scores to be used for teacher evaluations.  (Currently, they can be but don't have to be used.) What makes this also important is that the Seattle teacher evaluation  in the CBA already mandates using the data but the rest of the state in their local CBAs do not.

by Melissa Westbrook / 8min 

AFT Severs Its Relationship with the Gates Foundation

From Politico:"The American Federation of Teachers ended a five-year relationship with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation after rank-and-file union members expressed deep distrust of the foundation's approach to education reform. AFT President Randi Weingarten told Morning Education the union will no longer accept Gates money for its Innovation Fund, which was founded in 2009 and has rec

by Melissa Westbrook / 10min 

Seattle Schools This Week

Monday, March 10thCurriculum&Instruction Policy Meeting, 4:30-6:30 pm, AgendaOf interest:- an ask for a waiver for one school day for Lawton- update on Creative Approach schools- Math Adoption Progress reportThis week has two of the five Community Meetings for the Strategic Plan for each region.  I would take this opportunity to ask ANY question you want because the Strategic Plan covers it al

by Melissa Westbrook / 10h

3-9-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Just a BloggerAs Diane Ravitch said, when starting the Network for Public Education (NPE), We are many.  There is power in our numbers.  Together,we will save our schools.I felt very embraced at the 500-person conference.  We were parents, teachers, bloggers, public education writers and activists. We want a bigger and more diverse tent.  What was amazing was to he

1 by mike simpson / 6h 

3-10-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Video: “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Here’s the premiere episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s remake of Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” (thanks to Alexander Russo for the tip). You might also want to check out the show’s website, as well as a New York Times article about it.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 57min hide  //  save

Recent Student Projects From My Theory Of Knowledge Class

As regular readers know, in addition to teaching Beginning and Intermediate English Language Learners English and Social Studies, I also teacher mainstream ninth-grade English classes and an International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge class (and it looks like I’ll be teaching two TOK classes next year!). In addition to IB Diploma candidates, I heavily recruit other students that are not taking

by Larry Ferlazzo / 57min 

Using Art For Language-Learning Is Focus Of My Latest NY Times Post For ELLs

My latest New York Times post for English Language Learners is on art — students complete an interactive about an artist who uses chewing gum for his creations, and I share teaching ideas using online art apps. You might also be interested in The Best Art Websites For Learning English. You can see all my previous New York Times posts here.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

The Best Sites For Learning About The 2014 World Cup In Brazil

I’ve published two posts at The New York Times for English Language Learners that focus on soccer: one on Lionel Messi and the other on a Mexican girls soccer team. The 2014 World Cup begins on June 12th in Brazil. I created a very long “Best” list for the 2010 World Cup, and have selected sites that would be useful this year and added them to this new list. Of course, I’ll be adding a lot more a

by Larry Ferlazzo / 9h

3-9-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Has Me Concerned: “Study Links Teacher ‘Grit’ with Effectiveness, Retention”The SAME day The Washington Post republished my piece on the potential misuse of teaching Social Emotional Learning Skills, Education Week reported on new research titled Study Links Teacher ‘Grit’ with Effectiveness, Retention. My Washington P

by mike simpson / 7h 

3-10-14 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.:

Defined benefit versus defined contribution.

  Glen Brown.   Fred, I was thinking that some time ago you did a comparison piece of defined pensions vs. 401K’s. Given what Rauner is saying in the Chicago. Tribune, 401′s are the way he wants to go. To make a short story long, on a FB thread of a friends, one of HIS friends is saying that 401′s are okey dokey with him because he was financially savvy enough to place enough of his money into

2 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

Monday morning with pensions on my mind.

J Jay Travis is running for the Illinois House in the 26th District. Daylight savings time means it is dark at 7AM as I head out the door. I won’t be doing much posting today since I will be at the Area II meeting of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. I’m speaking along with IRTA President Bob Pinkerton, IRTA Executive Director Jim Bachman and Bob Lyons, the Annuitant Trustee of the Teache

2 by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

3-9-14 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.: Sunday reads.  Mayor Preckwinkle? Twelve powerful images of women in the labor movement. PBS is still hiding their cozy financial dealings with the pension thieves. Ex-guerrilla favorite to win El Salvador’s presidential election. Billionaires are bullying teachers in California. Five bad ideas about

by mike simpson / 4h

3-10-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Dora Taylor: What is a Charter School

Dora reminds us of her 2010 piece on charters at the Seattle Education blog.What is a Charter School?The basic difference between a traditional public school and a privately run charter school is that with a charter school there is complete control of the school by a private enterprise within a public school district. Although taxpayer-funded, charters operate without the same degree of public and

by ed notes online / 10min 

AFT Won’t Accept Gates Money, Except When It Does

...that only accounts for half the money AFT has received from Gates. According to Politico, “AFT’s executive council hasn’t formally voted to reject Gates funding for other projects, but Weingarten said she would be very cautious about taking such grants.” Somehow a headline that reads “AFT Shuns Gates Funding” gives a different impression than one that reads “AFT Will Be Very Cautious the Next T

by ed notes online / 2min

Leonie on Ed Show Tonight on Charter Co-Loco Battle

At least MSNBC has been giving some voice to our side -- hope you saw Julie Cavanagh on the SAT issue on Chris Hayes Friday night. Now Leonie on The Ed Show at 5:30.Dear folks:I will be on the Ed Show at 5:30 PM EST tonight on MSNBC, talking about the furious co-location battle going on in NYC.Lost in the furious rhetoric from the charter lobby and the biased coverage by the mainstream media is th

by ed notes online / 1h 

CamiGate: Get Rid of Black Teachers and Replace them with white TFA in Newark in the Name of Civil Rights

There is a historical context of racial discrimination against black teachers in the United States, and “choice” systems of education have previously been found to disproportionately affect the employment of these teachers. One Newark appears to continue this tradition.There are significant differences in race, gender, and experience in the characteristics of NPS staff and the staff of Newark’s ch

by ed notes online / 3min 

Randi and Gives Up Some Gates Dough -- And She's Being Praised?

Oh, Jesus, when will it end? Diane Ravitch posts the "good news" that Randi will no longer accept Gates money and there are some cheers - but also critiques. Breaking News: Randi Says AFT Will No Longer Accept Funding from Gates Foundation for Innovation FundThere are a bunch of comments you should read. I left one but it is awaiting moderation. In case it doesn't pass muster, here it is

by ed notes online / 6min 

De Blasio Allies Counterattack on Moskowitz - the Real Civil Rights Issue of the Time

As a candidate for mayor, Bill de Blasio electrified crowds of parents and education activists with a pledge to charge rent to charter schools, one of the starkest policy departures from his predecessor, Michael R. Bloomberg... NY Times, March 10, 2014Well, finally, a word or two that gets to the heart of the issue. The Mayor ran on an anti-charter platform and beat the guy who ran on a pro-charte

by ed notes online / 0min hide  //  save

Charterbeat Distorts Charter Coverage

That private dollars help the charters is fine, but they remain publicly funded institutions, and it is irresponsibly shortsighted to spend that money without also benefiting the host districts.... Your article notes that students at the Success Academy charter schools outscored public school students in standardized math and reading tests. While this may be encouraging for the charter school move

by ed notes online / 35min 

YESTERDAY

Monday March 10, 4PM: Rally at Harlem School for Victims of Moskowitz Attempt to Push Out Special Ed Kids

Which kids are really getting hurt in the charter wars?Rally To Support de Blasio and Public  Schools in Harlem Tomorrow Where:  Outside PS/ MS 149When : 4: 00- 5:00  March 1041 W.  117th St between Lennox Ave and FifthSubway:  2 or 3 to 116th  Even as Mayor Bill de Blasio’s  handling of the issue of charter school co-locations has disappointed many, it has signaled the end of the era when the li

by ed notes online / 10h 

3-9-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: You Mean, That Jessica Tisch? Bratton Chooses TischNYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton names Jessica Tisch as deputy commissioner of information and technologyOh, you mean that Jessica Tisch?Jessica Tisch Calls For Bloomberg 3rd Term - Ed Notes OnlineApr 15, 2008Today's Post includes an op-ed calling for voters to decide on term limits so Bloomberg can run again. The piece claims Bloom

1 by mike simpson / 8h

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-10-14

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

Agnotology: CULTURAL PRODUCTION OF IGNORANCE PROVIDES RICH FIELD FOR STUDY + smf’s 2¢

Robert Proctor is one of the world's leading experts in agnotology, a neologism signifying the study of the cultural production of ignorance.   Irony and using a preposition to end a sentence with:  Eric Lawson, who portrayed the rugged Marlboro man in cigarette ads during the late 1970s, died Jan. 10 at his home in San Luis Obispo of respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive

by smf / 21min 

The UTLA Presidential Race: CANDIDATES VYING TO LEAD UTLA REFLECT RECENT TEACHER WOES + UTLA STATEMENTS & E4E RESPONSES

The 10 candidates running for president of United Teachers-Los Angeles seek to lead a dispirited and divided teacher corps with common grievances but who lack consensus on how to move forward. By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/1loK43O Incumbent Warren Fletcher, center, seeks a second and final term as UTLA president for a three-year position that pays $101,000 annually

by smf / 48min 

LA Schools iPads: OFFICIALS CHOSE INCOMPLETE SOFTWARE OVER COMPETITORS

Annie Gilbertson, Education Reporter | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/1cq4RE2 Grant Slater/KPCC : A student at KIPP Comienza in Huntington Park plays ST Math to review the week's material. The game tracks his progress and gives him harder activities as he masters skills. It's the type of interactivity L.A. Unified reviewers said they were

by smf / 51min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-9-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: ARTS AT THE CORE: Dr. Deasy’s elementary arts plan …and a PowerPoint about the budgetfrom LAUSD, presented w/o commentby smf / 0min 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-8-144LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  Arne blinks! FEDERAL OFFICIALS END STAND OFF, GREEN-LIGHT CALIFORNIA TESTING PLAN  A

by mike simpson / 7h