6-3-14 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.:

The definition of irony. Illinois pension thieves hold burglary seminar.

H/T John Dillon

by Fred Klonsky / 5min 

John “No Nose” DiFronzo. Park Ridge District 64. Running schools like a business.

  Johnny “No Nose” DiFronzo. When wealthy Park Ridge foot doctor Dr.Anthony Borrelli and right-wing psychologist Dr. Dathan Paterno were elected to the Park Ridge District 64 school board, they promised a tough line towards the the teachers union. They would run things like a business. A Chicago business. So, naturally the facilities director Scott Mackall hired a mob-connected company for air co

by Fred Klonsky / 41min 

Ten minute drawing. Hey Einstein!

by Fred Klonsky / 0min 

Breaking. Shocking. New study disproves the theory that throwing money at schools doesn’t do any good. It does.

How much money do you think was spent on a new study that demonstrates that spending money on schools that serve poor kids will result in the poor kids doing better at school? Headline in Education Week: School Spending Increases Linked to Better Outcomes for Poor Students Sound of palm smacking my forehead. In districts that substantially increased their spending as the result of court-ordered c

by Fred Klonsky / 41min 

Strike vote. Things are heating up in suburban Hinsdale. A sign of things to come in Chicago suburbs?

It’s not that it never happens. But it is rare for a strike vote by teachers before the old contract has expired. That is the case in suburban Hinsdale District 86, where the school board appears to be acting more adversarial than usual. “The issue we are trying to communicate today is not about (contract) negotiations,” said David Lapetino, president of the teachers’ association at South. “It’s

by Fred Klonsky / 22min 

6-2-14 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.: Representative Christian Mitchell is a part of the Eli Broad collection.When Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke host their monthly show at the Hideout tomorrow night, Eli Broad will not be appearing on stage with them. But he will be there in spirit. State Representative Christian Mitchell will be channeling

by mike simpson / 6h 

6-3-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

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

Rick Scott’s “Education Investment” a “Paper Tiger”

The editors of the Lakeland Ledger focus on Polk County Schools  woes they will experience under the education budget which Governor Rick Scott signed yesterday. Florida legislators have been patting themselves on the back for increasing school funding in their annual session, which ended May 2. Even so, funding for public schools in Florida — particularly in Polk County — is not nearly enoug

by Bob Sikes / 3h 

6-2-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Common Core Ties Draw Jeb Bush CriticsJeb Bush’s support for Common Core Standards has drawn the interest of one of the state’ top political reporters. Writes the Tampa Bay Times Alex Leary:  WASHINGTON – Jeb Bush is one of the country’s most visible advocates of Common

by mike simpson / 7h 

6-3-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Wait What? 

Supporters of Corporate Education Reform now targeting higher education

While it is obvious that the widespread access to higher educational opportunities is more important than ever, elected officials have been consistently reducing support for our public colleges and universities. The shocking and disturbing trend has been especially visible here in Connecticut where Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy has pushed through the deepest cuts in Connecticut […] The post Support

by jonpelto / 41min 

New York Working Families Party fails to move Cuomo on education but endorses anyway

When it comes the to the rise of the corporate education reform industry, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy continually jockey for 1st and 2nd place as to which one is more anti-teacher and anti-public education. While Cuomo has poured more money into charter schools than Malloy, Malloy is the […] The post New York Working Families Party fails to move Cuom

by jonpelto / 37min hide  //  save

There goes another $100,000 in taxpayer funds

Following up on yesterday’s Wait, What? post entitled, NEWS FLASH:  Pryor’s No Bid contract costs taxpayers another $100,000 plus, CTNewsjunkie provides the details about the Malloy administration’s decision to pay an out-of-state consulting education reform company another $100,000 despite the fact that the company did not have a written contract extension. As Christine Stuart explains, […] The p

by jonpelto / 3h 

6-2-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: Wait What? NEWS FLASH:  Pryor’s No Bid contract costs taxpayers another $100,000 plusA Hartford Superior Court Judge is being asked today to authorize an “agreement” between the Malloy Administration and Leeds Global Partners, a major player in the national education reform industry.  The agreement will cost Connecticut taxpayers an additional $100,000 on top of the $195,000 the out-of

by mike simpson / 6h 

6-3-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet:

National principals group urges slowdown in Common Core implementation

The National Association of Secondary School Principals is calling for a slowdown in the Common Core initiative, citing educators’ concerns about “the implementation of the new standards in their states and the inadequate training they have received to help them ensure that their teachers are able to change instructional practices.” The NASSP, the leading organization […]

by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

Black educator: Is the education reform movement too white?

Andre Perry, the founding dean of urban education at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and author of  ”The Garden Path: The Miseducation of a City” wrote a piece on the PostEverything blog on washingtonpost.com that offers a different take on race and school reform. Perry — who tweets @andreperryedu — wrote in part: …  There’s not quite […]

by Valerie Strauss / 1min 

‘Network routers’: a new proposal to put education research into practice

  It’s no secret that there is a huge gap between education research and practice. Here’s a new proposal to bridge that gap, by Jack Schneider. an assistant professor of education at the College of the Holy Cross and the author of From the Ivory Tower to the Schoolhouse: How Scholarship Becomes Common Knowledge in Education. He […]

by Valerie Strauss / 19min 

6th graders seeking payment for taking Common Core field tests

Some sixth grade students in Massachusetts who spent hours over several days taking practice versions of newly developed Common Core tests decided that they should be paid for their work and are seeking payment for serving as “guinea pigs.” The Ipswich Chronicle reported in this story about what happened after students at Ipswich Middle School  field […]

1 by Valerie Strauss / 3h hide  //  save

The real story behind drop in scores on N.Y. Regents exams

Two educators in New York did an analysis of scores on the June 2013 New York State Regents exams and found something  interesting that somehow never made it into news stories, including a recent “exclusive” by one New York City newspaper. Read about it what it was below in the post by Carol Burris and […]

7 by Valerie Strauss / 4h 

Three innovative ways to address mental health issues

With every new traumatic shooting that rivets the nation’s attention, mental health becomes a hot topic for debate for a short while before dying down until the next disaster. In an attempt to move the dialogue into action, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, and the Cigna Foundation are hosting an all-day forum […]

2 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

6-2-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet: Spain’s king-to-be went to Georgetown UniversitySpain’s Prince Felipe, who is about to become the new king of his country, went to high school in Canada, college in Madrid, and earned a master’s degree at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Felipe’s father, King Juan Carlos, announced Monday morning that he would abdicate in favor of his son, who is 46 and whose […]by Valerie S

by mike simpson / 7h 

6-3-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Utica Citizens Say No to Another Cash Draining Corporate Charter

Locals collect 1,400 signatures for petition against another charter.

by Jim Horn / 42min 

Parent Insists Her Child Will No Longer Be Pearson Lab Rat

There was a time not so long ago when the post-test curriculum could take hold after the March madness of state testing, when teachers could do a few of the interesting units and projects that once engaged children from September through February. Now school after test time is increasingly filled with even more rigorometry and grittiness in order to be ready for next year's tests and in getting re

by Jim Horn / 0min hide  //  save

Common Core's Emphasis on Computers May Be Undermining Thinking and Learning

NYTWhat’s Lost as Handwriting FadesBy MARIA KONNIKOVAJUNE 2, 2014PhotoCreditMichael MabryContinue reading the main storyShare This PageContinue reading the main storyRECENT COMMENTSRvincent1 8 minutes agoI teach in higher education and I have noticed over the years that handwriting legibility of students is decreasing at a steady pace as...Michael Branagan 8 minutes agoMy microbiology classes back

by freetoteach / 1h 

This should settle the bilingual education debate.

Sent to Education Week, June 2, 2014Lesli Maxwell is right: Things have changed dramatically since the dismantling of bilingual education in California caused by the passage of Proposition 227 ("Proposal to restore bilingual education in California advances," May 28).  The most important change is that there is more evidence than ever that bilingual education works, that bilingual educat

by skrashen / 7h 

5-31-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekSteve Hinnefeld Reviews Hoosier School Heist: Unions Unite NOWby Doug MartinSteve Hinnefeld has posted a review of my book Hoosier School Heist on his blog, School Matters.  Please read his review and check out his other pieces, too.  Here is an excerpt from Steven's review:  "Martin has a Ph.D. in literature, has taught in universities and published a

by mike simpson / 9h 

6-3-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Education in Black and White: Beware the Roadbuilders

Education in Black and White: Beware the Roadbuilders. via Education in Black and White: Beware the Roadbuilders.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

by plthomasedd / 47min hide  //  save

Kindness as Antidote to Fatalism of “Grit”

Kindness as Antidote to Fatalism of “Grit”. via Kindness as Antidote to Fatalism of “Grit”.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical

1 by plthomasedd / 2h 

YESTERDAY

Anthony Cody Reviews A Chronicle of Echoes

Anthony Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high-needs middle school. A National Board- certified teacher, he now leads workshops with teachers on Project Based Learning. He is the co-founder of the Network for Public Education. With education at a crossroads, he invites you to […]

2 by deutsch29 / 9h 

6-2-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Invoking “Oliver Rule (Expanded)” for Education Reform DebateInvoking “Oliver Rule (Expanded)” for Education Reform Debate. via Invoking “Oliver Rule (Expanded)” for Education Reform Debate.by plthomasedd / 2min hide  //  saveEducation’S “Open Door” Policy Opened The Door For Corporate Ed ReformersEDUCATION’S “OPEN DOOR” POLICY OPENED THE DOOR FOR CORPORATE ED REFORMERS.2 by Davi

by mike simpson / 5h