5-4-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School:

Andrew Cuomo Shows His Cowardice

In case you missed the news, Andrew Cuomo has pulled out of his billed appearance at the Education Reform Now-sponsored education reform retreat at Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid.According to Jessica Bakeman at Capital NY, Cuomo cited scheduling difficulties for the conference and has sent a video along instead of driving himself over on his motorcycle and appearing as the "honorary chair.&qu

by reality-based edu... / 34min 

Michelle Rhee Says The UFT Contract Fails The Reform Test

Could be a head fake out of the Great Broomster, but Michelle Rhee says she's not too impressed with the new UFT contract agreement: The camaraderie among the mayor, senior administration officials and UFT leadership was evident at Thursday's big announcement. Praise flew every which way; UFT boss Michael Mulgrew and Chancellor Fariña hugged. What was not so clear was what, exactly, they had agree

by reality-based edu... / 29min 

UFT Contract - What Will The Rank And File Do?

Most of the bloggers in the New York City education blogosphere have been critical or outright contemptuous of the contract proposal between the UFT and the city that was announced on Thursday.Once it became apparent that no more than 2% compensation would hit the salary step ladder this calendar year if the contract is passed, initial comments on the UFT Facebook page and on the Internet were pre

by reality-based edu... / 8min 

5-3-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: Perdido Street School WeekUFT Contract Open ThreadPretty negative reaction to the contract news at my school.The feeling I get is, quite a few people are angry enough to vote no.What were you hearing out there?2 by reality-based edu... / 18h Here's How You Know The UFT Contract Deal Is A Bad One - The NY Post Likes ItOne of the measures of any UFT contract deal is what the n

by mike simpson / 51min 

5-4-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

Arne Duncan can keep his cynical NCLB waiver — Washington school board member

Last month the U.S.  Education Department for the first time rescinded one of the waivers it gave to states that exempts them the most onerous parts of the flawed No Child Left Behind law. It was Washington’s, and as a result, the state will  have to comply with all parts of No Child Left Behind — even though […]

by Valerie Strauss / 4min 

‘Today was the first day I was ever ashamed to be a teacher’

Students around the country are taking high-stakes Common Core-aligned standardized tests now and some teachers are expressing unhappiness about having to administer them.  Some are refusing to administer them and others are going public with their concerns about the nature of the tests and the emphasis being placed on them by policymakers.  Numerous problems have […]

7 by Valerie Strauss / 53min 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 5-3-14

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetTeaching is harder than working in high tech — by a teacher who worked in high techAfter spending 25 years in high-tech — primarily in the wireless and Global Positioning System (GPS) industries – Dave Reid became a high school mathematics teacher and is now in his third year of teaching. It didn’t take him long to realize just how hard teaching really i

by mike simpson / 35min 

5-4-14 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:

Jeb Bush’s “Seperate-But-Unequal Educational Choice System”

Scathing Purple Musings won’t have to add much to Tom Romano’s take-down in the Tampa Bay Times of legislation which expanded Florida’s school voucher system. Students, teachers and administrators are seemingly held captive by standardized tests in public schools, and yet tax revenues flow into private schools with few checks and balances and virtually no oversight. Vouchers were sold as a way for

by Bob Sikes / 9min 

Did Step Up for Students Buy Florida Voucher Expansion?

At some point, the Republican-dominated Florida senate was going to be able to impose their will on expanding Florida’s voucher system. Few legislators have fought against what’s now become a clear effort by Republican lawmakers to eliminate public schools as has Sen. Dwight Bullard (D-Miami). During debate Friday, Bullard made an astonishing objection. This from Orlando Sentinel reporter Jason Ga

by Bob Sikes / 30min 

5-3-14 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:Scathing Purple Musings  Color me purple in Florida ALL WeekDr. Rosa Castro Feinberg: With Best Wishes to Valentin: Conflicts Between ESOL and Florida Voucher LawReprinted in its entirety with permission from Dr. Rosa Castro Feinberg In respond to my columns, Julio Fuente

by mike simpson / 33min 

5-4-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

The Freedom Rides Began On This Day In 1961

As NPR says, on this day in 1961: 13 activists piled on a bus headed south to test new laws against segregation. The group of “Freedom Riders” that left Washington, D.C., that day would be one of many to confront racial discrimination in public transportation. Learn more at The Best Resources For Learning About The “Freedom Riders.”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Videos For Theory Of Knowledge: “What Is A Photocopier?”

The old Abbott and Costello “Who’s On First?” routine is used by Theory of Knowledge teachers around the world to illustrate how language can be used to discourage understanding. Jimmy Fallon also did a remake with famous comedians. You can see them both here. The New York Times recently shared a sad, but funny, video, What Is A Photocopier?, that can be used for the same purpose: It reminded me

by Larry Ferlazzo / 47min 

New York Times Summer Reading Contest

The New York Times Learning Network has just announced their fifth annual summer reading contest. Here’s a brief description from them: Every Friday from June 13 through Aug. 15 we’ll pose the same question: What interested you most in The Times this week? Anyone 13 to 19 years old from anywhere in the world can post an answer, and contestants can choose from any Times article, essay, video, inte

by Larry Ferlazzo / 26min 

“TUZZit” Looks Like An Intriguing Site For Online Graphic Organizers & More

I just learned about TUZZit from Carla Arena. It’s a free online graphic organizer tool that provides lots of different options of organizers (you can also create your own); lets you paste online images videos, virtual post-it notes and more onto them; and then you can share your creation with online collaborators. In some ways it seems like an Exploratree on steriods (that site is on Not “The Be

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1min hide  //  save

More Resources On California’s Drought

Here are some new additions to A Beginning List Of The Best Resources On California’s Drought: California’s Historic Drought is a photo gallery from The Atlantic. Parched is a chart from The Economist. What the Devastating Droughts in California and Texas Look Like When Graphed is from The Atlantic.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1min 

New RSA Animated Video Of Daniel Pink Talk

People are probably familiar with Dan Pink’s “TED Talk” which is one of their most popular of all time, and some are familiar with the RSA Animation of another one of his talks on motivation (I’ve embedded both below). A few days ago RSA posted another animation of a talk he gave on his most recent book (by the way, for what it’s worth, Dan interviewed both my wife and me for it). I’ve embedded t

by Larry Ferlazzo / 40min 

Video: Violence ‘Interrupters’

It’s new to me, but apparently there’s an organization in Chicago called “Ceasefire” that works to reduce gang violence in Chicago. Here’s a useful clip from a Stephen Colbert interview with Ameena Matthews, one of the group’s leaders. I think the short segment on why people join gangs is one that will be particularly helpful since we write about that in our English class. You can also view an ent

by Larry Ferlazzo / 29min 

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

I’ve started a somewhat regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention: Good language teachers, as seen through the eyes of teachers and learners is by Adam Simpson. There’s a lot of substance there, and I would label it as a “must-read.” Are School Turnaround Efforts Overlooking English-Lear

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6min hide  //  save

Here’s The Writing Prompt I’m Using As Part Of My Final For Ninth-Grade English

I’ve been sharing the writing prompts I have used, and plan to use, in all my classes — both as formative and summative assessments. You can find them all at My Best Posts On Writing Instruction. Here’s one I’ll be using with my mainstream ninth-grade English class… The Most Important Question You Can Ask was recently published by The New York Times. It’s a short essay by Tony Schwartz. Here’s ho

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6min 

Video: “Hans Rosling – fossil fuel distribution in two minutes”

I’m adding this video to The Best Hans Rosling Videos:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 59min 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 5-3-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY‘The Grading System We Need to Have’‘The Grading System We Need to Have’ is my latest Education Week Teacher post. It features Rick Wormeli and others. Here are some excerpts:by Larry Ferlazzo / 9h Oops — May Day Was Yesterday & I Forgot To Share My Updated “Best” ListYesterday was May

by mike simpson / 1h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 5-4-14

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

Legislating morality? Criminalizing bad behavior? :: CARSON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MOVE TO OUTLINE BULLYING

By Michael Finnegan, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1umicmB Carson Mayor Jim Dear said, "Many kids don't even understand the concepts behind bullying and how people manipulate and take advantage of other kids." (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / June 9, 2004) May 3, 2014, 1:23 p.m.  ::  Alarmed by reports of teen suicides, elected leaders in Carson are moving to outlaw bullying. Under an

by smf / 29min hide  //  save

Lawyers Want Investigation Of Lausd Destruction Of Abuse Reports

By Stephen Ceasar, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1nVzDZs   Former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt, right, appears in L.A. County Superior Court with attorney Manny Medrano last year. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times / November 15, 2013) Online: May 2, 2014, 2:50 p.m./Print: May 4, 2014  ::  Attorneys representing students and their families in litigation over alleged sexual

by smf / 32min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 5-3-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  Sb 1174: Senate Panel Moves Bill To Restore Multilingual K-12 Classroomsby Kimberly Beltran  |  SI&A Cabinet Report :: http://bit.ly/1nRILOP MAY 01, 2014 (Calif.)   ::  A bill that would repeal the core tenets of a 15-year-old ban on the use of bilingual education in the state’s K-12 school system cleared

by mike simpson / 58min

5-4-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:

The "Sit and Stare" Policies used against Test Resistors are Daily Practice in Many Charter Schools

For the past year, I have been working with, and trying to get legal representation for, parents whose children have been forced to "sit and stare" during standardized tests they have refused to take. This punitive policy has outraged parents and Test Refusal advocates throughout New York State and has resulted in mass pressure tactics which have persuaded many school districts- but not

4 by Mark Naison / 34min 

5-3-14 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week

With A Brooklyn Accent:With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All WeekOn the Hunt for "Bad Teachers"The percentage of "Bad Teachers" in our public schools is probably no higher than Bad Principals, Bad Superintendents, Bad Commissioners, Bad Politicians, and Bad Philanthropists. Yet people in every walk of life seem obsessed with getting rid of them. This isn't a well thought out polic

by mike simpson / 29min

Open Letters To ‘B-List’ Reformers I Know. Part 3: Michael Petrilli | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

Open Letters To ‘B-List’ Reformers I Know. Part 3: Michael Petrilli | Gary Rubinstein's Blog:

Open Letters To ‘B-List’ Reformers I Know. Part 3: Michael Petrilli

Posted on May 3, 2014by garyrubinstein

With social media, I suppose I can say that I ‘know’ someone if we’ve sent tweets to each other over the years.  This is the case with Michael Petrilli.  He is executive vice president of The Fordham Institute, and, according to his bio on their site, he is “one of the nation’s most trusted education analysts.”

I have been intrigued by ‘reform-minded’ Petrilli who, along with Rick Hess, occasionally writes something that admits the complexity of trying to improve education in this country.  Most ‘reformers,’ particularly ones who are getting rich off of it, present such a caricature about what public schools and average teachers are supposedly doing and what charter schools and ‘highly effective’ teachers are supposedly doing.  Petrilli, especially recently, has come out against some big ‘reform’ sacred cows.  The most popular of these was a post called ‘College isn’t for everyone.  Let’s stop pretending it is.‘  This caused Rishawn Biddle at Dropout Nation to write an article called ‘Mike Petrilli Gives Up On Reform.’

I ‘engaged’ with Petrilli on Twitter about his ‘College isn’t for everyone’ piece, and he wrote some things that would surely frustrate Biddle even more.

But despite Petrilli’s willingness to admit that improving education dramatically isn’t just about firing teachers and closing schools, Petrilli seems to have emerged as one of the Open Letters To ‘B-List’ Reformers I Know. Part 3: Michael Petrilli | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: