LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-19-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

New York: Parents Outraged by Cuomo’s Deal on Tests: What About the Children?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 19, 2014 More information contact: Eric Mihelbergel (716) 553-1123; nys.allies@gmail.com Lisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.com NYS Allies for Public Education http://www.nysape.org Parents Outraged by APPR Albany Deal that Ignores the Children The deal reached today by Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature regarding minimizing the impact of Common

10 by dianeravitch / 59min

Louisiana: Who Is in Charge? The Saga Continues.

Governor Bobby Jindal says he will not ask for John White’s resignation. They disagree. Jindal says the state is dropping Common Core and pulling out of the PARCC test. White says the governor is wrong. White says the state is staying in Common Core and PARCC. The governor has canceled funding for PARCC and called for an audit of the state department of education. Stay tuned.

1 by dianeravitch / 23min 

Cuomo Shapes Compromise to Shield Low-Rated Teachers from Common Core Evaluations

Governor Cuomo reached a compromise with teachers’ unions and legislators to protect teachers who received the lowest ratings on the Common Core tests. Such teachers will not be evaluated by the tests. Only 1% of the state’s teachers were rated ineffective. What this deal really means is that a meaningless and deeply flawed teacher evaluation system, cobbled together to get Race to the Top funding

by dianeravitch / 37min 

Federal Prosecutors Investigate Governor Scott Walker

According to newly released documents, “prosecutors believe Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a potential 2016 Republican candidate for president, was at the center of a nationwide “criminal scheme” to illegally coordinate fundraising with outside conservative groups, according to previously secret court documents released Thursday.”

3 by dianeravitch / 36min 

Ohio: Another Charter School Closing

From Bill Phillis of the Ohio Adequacy and Equity Coalition: Another charter school will close down: corruption, ethics, nepotism and poor performance, at issue. The superintendent of the VLT Academy, a charter school of 600 some students, was making $140,000 per year; her daughter was making $92,000 per year for data entry; and her husband was making $62,000 in addition to running his company th

by dianeravitch / 3min 

Shaun Johnson: What’s Behind the Attack on Tenure?

Shaun Johnson, an elementary school teacher, explains the attack on tenure and details what reformers would do of they really cared about teachers or children or the quality of education. He writes: “Obsessions with teacher tenure, or tenure in any academic profession, is all about union busting, and flipping the teaching profession into an unprofessional, short-term, part-time, scab workforce.

9 by dianeravitch / 27min 

Why Privatization of Public Services Harms Society

You will find this publication of great interest at this time. It is titled “Race to the Bottom: How Outsourcing Public Services Rewards Corporations and Punishes the Middle Class.” It was written by a group called “In the Public Interest.” The full PDF file is available for free. Here is the executive summary: “As state and local governments outsource important public functions to for-profit a

by dianeravitch / 20min hide  //  save

New Orleans: The Other Side of the Story

Here is the latest from New Orleans, as locals try to tell “the other side of the story” from what you see in the national media. Dr. Raynard Sanders is an educator who is affiliated with Research on Reforms. Phoebe Ferguson is a co-founder of the Plessy & Ferguson Foundation for Education, Preservation, and Outreach. “Dear Friends and Colleagues, “For the past two years Phoebe Ferguson and I

19 by dianeravitch / 1h 

TFA Members Want to Open a “Model” Rural Charter School in Tennessee

Tracy O’Neill is a mom and education activist in rural Cheatham County, Tennessee. This pleasant community is now riven by a controversy, as TFA corps members seek approval to open a charter school to compete with the public schools. Aside from the financial cost to the community, the charter school will divide community support for the local schools. Tracy is running for a seat on the local schoo

39 by dianeravitch / 2h 

Horton: Not a Conspiracy Theory: The Gates Foundation Bought Control of U.S. Education

A year ago, Paul Horton wrote a letter to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, asking him to conduct hearings on the Common Core and Race to the Top, and specifically to inquire about the role of the Gates Foundation and the Broad Foundation in shaping federal education policy. Nothing happened. Now that the world knows that the Gates Foundation, working in alliance with the U.S. Department of Education, unde

95 by dianeravitch / 3h  

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-18-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Shocker: Obama Administration Proposes “Race to Top” Model for Indian Tribal SchoolsIn a bold effort to reorganize the tribal schools run by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Obama administration proposes a competition for funding based on Race to the Top. “A revamped BIE, as envisioned in the proposal, would eventually giv

by mike simpson / 7h 

6-19-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

All Of My “Best Of 2014 – So Far″ Lists In One Place!

Here are my “Best of 2014 – So Far” lists — all in one place! I might have one or two more to do, and will just add them here when I get around to writing more. Of course, you can see all over 1,300 of my “The Best” lists here. And you might also want to take a look at All Of My “Best Of 2013″ Lists In One Place! The Best Science Sites Of 2014 – So Far The Best Websites For English Language Learn

by Larry Ferlazzo / 42min 

The Best Science Sites Of 2014 – So Far

Well, this should be the last of my mid-year lists…. It’s a fairly small list this year, though there are certainly tons of good resources from previous ones. You might also be interested in: The “All-Time” Best Science Sites The Best Science Sites Of 2013 – Part Two The Best Science Sites Of 2013 – So Far The Best Science Sites Of 2012 — Part Two The Best Science Sites Of 2012 — Part One The B

by Larry Ferlazzo / 15min

June’s Best Tweets — Part Three

Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in post. If you don’t use Twitter, you can

by Larry Ferlazzo / 8min 

What Can School Districts (& School Reformers) Learn From Pixar?

I haven’t been a big fan of schools being run like businesses (see The Best Posts & Articles Explaining Why Schools Should Not Be Run Like Businesses). However, here’s one thing school districts and “school reformers” can learn from Pixar Animation studies: Substitute "schl dist" 4 "company" RT @hollybrocks: Every company needs this quote from Pixar's 'Creativity, Inc' pic

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1min hide  //  save

Thursday’s New World Cup Resources

Here are today’s additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The 2014 World Cup In Brazil: Battle Cries is a wonderful interactive from The NY Times. Here are several Wall St. Journal interactives: Meet Team USA Profiles the Favored Teams Scoring: A National Style Guide

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1min 

June’s Infographics & Interactives Galore – Part Three

There are just so many good infographics and interactives out there that I’ve begun a new semi-regular feature called “Infographics & Interactives Galore.” You can see others at A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Infographics and by searching “infographics” on this blog. I’ll still be publishing separate posts to individually highlight especially useful infographics and interactives, but you

by Larry Ferlazzo / 48min hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students In 2014 – So Far

This list focuses on sites that ELL students would use directly. Of course, many other sites on my other lists can also be used effectively with ELL’s. You might also be interested in: The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students In 2013 – Part Two The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students In 2013 – So Far The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students In 2012 —

by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h 

6-18-14 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 Best Articles (And Blog Posts) Offering Practical Advice & Resources To Teachers In 2014 – So FarI continue my mid-year “The Best…” lists… The title of this “The Best…” list is pretty self-explanatory. What you’ll find here are blog posts and articles this year (some written by me, some by others) that were, in my o

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-19-14 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.:

Ten minute drawing. Avoidance.

1 by Fred Klonsky / 40min 

What Quinn doesn’t want you to know: Paul Vallas is Bruce Rauner.

by Fred Klonsky / 27min 

My photo: Union thug.

Photo: Fred Klonsky. Madison, Wisconsin. 2011.

by Fred Klonsky / 0min hide  //  save

Why should you care about Hinsdale?

Every year there are anywhere from three to a dozen teacher strikes in Illinois. I was President of the Park Ridge Education Association back in 2003 when our members voted 94% to strike. It lasted four – very long – days. It was painful for many of our members. But necessary. Lately I have been writing about contract negotiations between the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association and their bo

1 by Fred Klonsky / 30min 

My suggestion is to call Dyett High School an “incubator.”

The three-day community vigil at Dyett High School. For the past couple of days parents and members of the Bronzeville community have been holding a vigil at the neighborhood’s last open admission public high school. That would be Walter H. Dyett High School. CPS plans to shutter it. But community and school activist Jitu Brown and others have developed a proposal for the Dyett Global Leadership

2 by Fred Klonsky / 51min

6-18-14 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.: Wall Street and public pensions. A license to steal.North Carolina has the 7th largest public pension fund in the United States. It has one trustee. She is the State Treasurer Democrat Janet Crowell. Before becoming State Treasurer she was  the marketing director for the tech-focused firm SJF Ventures

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-19-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet:

And now, a Common Core brawl

You’d think that the heated debate, overcharged rhetoric and complete nonsense being spouted for and against the Common Core State Standards would be enough for one education reform. But no, now we have a brawl. Yes, in Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal — who loved the Core before he hated it — has essentially declared war […]

by Valerie Strauss / 2min 

Aren’t California tenure policies in fact unreasonable? Plus 4 more Vergara questions asked and answered

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu handed down a ruling in Vergara vs California this month tossing out California statutes providing job protections to teachers, siding with plaintiffs who argued that California children who live in low-income families receive an inadequate education because they get weak teachers who can’t be fired. The ruling has […]

by Valerie Strauss / 4h hide  //  save

From Redskins to Redhawks: Why one Washington high school changed team name after 88 years

This week, a Washington state high school whose sports teams were known as the Redskins for 88 years gave final approval for a new logo with the team’s new name: The Redhawks. Why did it make the change? Because it determined that while tradition was important and change is hard, the Redskins name is disparaging […]

2 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

6-18-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet: Sarcasm, Scarlett Johannson and why machines should never grade student writingCan machines really grade essays as well as humans? Naturally, there is a study that says they can (there are studies saying just about everything), but a number of experts say otherwise. Here’s one of them, writing about why the machines are inferior graders and should not be used. It was written by Maja

by mike simpson / 8h