7-25-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Lily Gives Arne a Big Hug

From MicroSoftNBC:Despite the education secretary’s outwardly nonchalant reaction to the NEA vote [calling for his resignation], García says he seemed “hurt” and “surprisingly confused.” In her estimation, he didn’t realize the level of anger he had conjured up. “Arne Duncan is not a bad man,” she said. “I think he sincerely believes this stuff.” Despite their differences, says García, they ended

2 by Jim Horn / 1h 

Behning's Corporate School Money Still Flowing

by Doug Martin (See the important note at the end of this article. Patrick Lockhart is running against Behning, and needs your support.  Here is his facebook page.  Spread it wide.  It is time to take this to a truly grassroots level.  Pass this article on to your neighbors, your community members and leaders and to the people in Lockhart’s district, many of them in Indianapolis.  It is time to s

36 by Doug Martin / 1h hide  //  save

Haslam's Secret Meeting at Ground Zero of Secret Classroom Camera Project

Last year we were able to uncover details of a Gates-funded student and teacher surveillance plan that gathered classroom video data and dumped it into a corporate Cloud for sharing among, who knows?Now it seems Governor Haslam is meeting undercover with a group of "educators" in Washington County to find out "what works and what's not."  Wonder if the Gov plans to keep it all

2 by Jim Horn / 1h 

Getting to Know KnowledgeWorks, Part 1

Soon after Ted Strickland (D) was elected Governor of Ohio in 2006, he announced that he would rely on the expertise of the KnowledgeWorks foundation to "help shape his administration's education agenda."  Really not surprising, since the CEO for KnowledgeWorks, Chad Wick, served as transition team leader following Strickland's election.  What does Wick, an investment banker, know about

1 by Jim Horn / 2h 

7-24-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Our overall scores are unspectacular because of our high rate of child poverty. (WSJ)Test Scores, Students and LearningOur overall scores are unspectacular because of our high rate of child poverty.Published in the Wall Street Journal, July 24, 2014.When researchers control for the effect of poverty, American scores on international tests are at the top of the world. Our overall sc

by mike simpson / 7h 

7-25-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

July’s Best Tweets — Part Four

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 / 42min 

Almost Done With My Third Book On Helping Students Develop Intrinsic Motivation!

I’m about two-thirds down with the third book in my series on helping students develop intrinsic motivation, and I think it’s looking pretty good. I might be biased, though Its tentative title is Building a Community of Self-Motivated Learners: Strategies for Teaching Resilience, Respect, and Responsibility , and Routledge should have it published by next Spring. In the meantime, though, feel f

by Larry Ferlazzo / 37min 

“Race To The Top Was A ‘Wasted Opportunity’”

Race To The Top Was A ‘Wasted Opportunity’ is my latest Education Week Teacher post, and comes on the fifth anniversary of the unveiling of that program. Today, educators John Kuhn and Gary Rubinstein provide response to this question. On Monday, I’ll be publishing guest responses from several more educators, as well as comments from readers. Here are some excerpts:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 7min 

Videos: “Forward Thinking Transfer Of Learning” With James Bond

© 2011 Johan Oomen, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio I promise – this will be my last Transfer of Learning post for the day! Two kinds of transfers of learning are called “backward-reaching” and “forward-thinking.” In “backward-reaching,” you’re applying what you have previously learned to a new situation — that’s what was demonstrated in the Karate Kid and MacGyver videos I posted earlier today. In

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h 

7-24-14 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 Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Education Policy© 2012 Shutter Stutter, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio Here are some recent useful posts on educational policy issues: The Teacher Dropout Crisis is from NPR. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles About The Importance Of Teacher (& Student) Wo

by mike simpson / 7h 

7-25-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

About the radio show

Join Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar 

LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST 

on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. 

Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. 

You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursday at 7PM EST.

Visit the @ the Chalk Face radio main page for more information on the show and syndication.

Drawing Upon Paul Tough to Nurture Soft Skills Not “Grit”

It is always reassuring to read about pedagogies developed in the classroom being later determined to be based on scientific principles documented by academic researchers. That is one reason why I was so impressed with Paul Tough’s New York Times Magazine article, “Who Gets to Graduate?” Tough’s article was published this spring and I immediately […]

4 by John Thompson 

Vaunted Garfield High School has a problem with sexual assault

From Al-Jazeera America. According to the article, mishandling sexual assault cases is pretty common in public schools and in higher education. There’s certainly an abundance of evidence out there for that. But I was surprised to hear that the venerable catalysts of nationwide test boycotts, Garfield High School, bungled this one. That’s a shame. The […]

2 by Shaun Johnson / 40min 

7-24-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursd

by mike simpson / 6h 

7-22-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: BATS- Finding a Teacher Voice

With A Brooklyn Accent:

BATS- Finding a Teacher Voice

If there is a single contribution that BATS has made in the one year of its existence, it is to show the powers that be that public school teachers- in all their diversity and variety-- are not a silent, compliant group who can be demonized, standardized, scripted, deprived of due process, and forced to commit professional malpractice at the expense of the students and families they serve without

by Mark Naison / 4h 

7-22-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Four Reasons Why I Am Pumped Up About the BATS March on Washington

With A Brooklyn Accent: Four Reasons Why I Am Pumped Up About the BATS March on Washington1. It is a celebration of the creativity of public school teachers, parents and students as well as a protest with songs, plays, flash mobs, banners, poems and chants. What it is NOT, is a litany of boring speeches.2. It is a multiracial event which show cases our movement's growing strength in the inner city

by mike simpson / 8h 

7-25-14 The Whole Child Blog — What Happens When You Believe

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:

What Happens When You Believe

I was recently asked if I remember teachers or educators that made a difference in my life and learning and how they inspired me. Yes, for a while I was that "middle" kid. I was your student who came diligently every day to class, completes their work, and if given the choice, would have been perfectly happy blending into the background. I was eager about the world's possibilities (which

by Dawn Imada Chan / 1h 

7-24-14 The Whole Child Blog — History for Its Own Sake, and For All of Our Sakes

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: History for Its Own Sake, and For All of Our SakesPost written by Kerry Dunne and Christopher Martell Recent national media attention on attempts by school districts to fold history and social studies into broader humanities programs has brought attention to the role of history education in today schools. This begs the question: Is the study of history

by mike simpson / 7h 

7-25-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:

How Much Money Is Tenure Worth?

Economist Allison Schrager is quoted over at Yahoo putting forth the idea that tenure is worth cold hard cash.Certainly this is not the first time the idea has been introduced. She Who Will Not Be Named tried in DC to introduce a plan to have a non-tenure big-buck track. This failed to get traction, perhaps because it's hard not to see trading tenure for big bucks as being synonymous with trading

14 by Peter Greene / 1h hide  //  save

Memo to Three-Year-Old Slackers

To: American Three-Year-OldsFrom: America's Education Reform Thought Leaders'Re: Get to work, you lazy slackersIt has come to our attention that your older brothers and sisters have been showing up to Kindergarten completely unprepared for the requirements of a rigorous education. It is time to nip this indolent behavior in the bud. You probably don't even know what 'indolent" means, do you?

74 by Peter Greene / 1h 

No Shocking News About Principals In Study

In all of public education, is there a job that has gotten worse in past years than that of principals? And yes-- there are many, many truly terrible principals out there. How surprising is that, really? Who would want to sign up for a job that provides all of the responsibility with none of the power and the absolute guarantee that somebody in your district will be hating pretty much every decisi

6 by Peter Greene / 2h 

7-24-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION: Racing to the Bottom: The New School Leadership ChallengeAs the assault on public education continues, school leaders face an unprecedented challenge-- how to win the race to the bottom without being too obvious about it.Occasionally, somebody notices that a district is becoming too successful in trashing its own mission. Just this week in Indianapolis, members of the school board

by mike simpson / 7h

7-25-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School:

When Does Governor Cuomo Surface?

It's been five days since Governor Cuomo appeared in public, three days since the now infamous NY Times/Moreland story revealed the extent of his administration's tampering into the Moreland Commission.Capital Confidential puts all this in context:It’s been five days since @NYGovCuomo has appeared in public. We are unable to find a weekday gap that long in recent public schedules.— Capitol Confide

by reality-based edu... / 42min 

Microsoft Lays Off 18,000 Employees Based Not On Performance Or Worth To The Company, But By Algorithm

The people going after teacher tenure and seniority protections always claim that they want these gone so that when layoffs come, teachers can be retained based upon performance and value, not time with the district.But according to one former employee, Microsoft - the company founded by one of the major opponents to teacher protections, Bill Gates - just let 18,000 people go randomly:At the end o

by reality-based edu... / 32min 

The Close Ties Between Christie And Cuomo

Zach Fink has more on the close ties between Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo in his State of Politics piece exploring why Christie, as head of the Republican Governors Association, may not be helping GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino against Governor Cuomo in this year's election:Finally, there is the Cuomo-Christie connection. Astorino raised this on Tuesday, suggesting Cuomo may have help

by reality-based edu... / 1min 

What If There's No Legal Jeopardy For Cuomo In The Moreland Mess?

Nick Reisman writes Three Reasons Why Moreland Won't Stick, And Why It Might.He notes that the scandal is an insider baseball one, without hookers or indictments in the executive, and the latest Siena poll shows "corruption" way down the list of public concerns in 2014.He also notes that it's not clear if Cuomo administration tampering into the Moreland Commission constituted any law-bre

by reality-based edu... / 12min 

Governor Cuomo Remains In Hiding For A Third Straight Day

State of Politics:Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in New York City, with nothing public planned.When will the governor face the public and explain himself on the Moreland/NY Times story?He kept out of sight yesterday too, instead issuing press release after press release about everything in the world except Moreland. Is he going to stay hidden for the rest of the summer, then re-emerge in September and claim

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

7-24-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: Did Cuomo Break The Law By Tampering With The Moreland Commission?The answer is, maybe:Cuomo's camp contends his office had the right to guide the panel under the language of the 1907 Moreland Act, which allows the governor to investigate any executive branch agency or related entity. While past governors have used the statute to examine the inner workings of government and

by mike simpson / 7h 

Teacher quality and test scores: Recent studies raise questions | Education Lab Blog | Seattle Times

Teacher quality and test scores: Recent studies raise questions | Education Lab Blog | Seattle Times:

Teacher quality and test scores: Recent studies raise questions

Posted by Linda Shaw

As we reported earlier this week, the standoff continues between our state and the feds over the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations.

The U.S. Department of Education continues to insist that test scores should play some role in teacher evaluations. Washington lawmakers have refused to require school districts to do so and, as a result, lost the state’s waiver from the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

This week, the feds refused Washington’s request to get back a piece of that waiver – the part that would have saved schools from having to send letters home saying they have failed – as most other schools in the nation have failed – to ensure that all students were proficient in reading and math this year.

So what about the substance of the argument? Are test scores a valid indicator of a teacher’s effectiveness?

People on both sides can point to research that supports their views.

Here are a few of the latest reports and studies, which raise a lot of questions:

1. In May, two researchers looked at whether the way some districts are using test scores to judge teacher performance is a good gauge of teaching quality.  They found, to their surprise, that it doesn’t seem to be.

Morgan Polikoff and Andrew Porter looked at data about 327 fourth- and eighth-grade teachers in six school districts.   They looked at the ratings teachers received from an analysis of their students’ test scores, often called value-added measures.   Then they looked at other measures of quality, including how well teachers cover the material they were supposed to teach under their state’s learning standards.

Their bottom line: “What we’re left with is this concern that state tests really aren’t picking up the things that we think of as being good teaching,” Polikoff said in a video that accompanied the release of the study, which appeared in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association,

“What these results, among other results, call into question is the sort of fixed and formulaic approach to teacher evaluation that is being promoted in a lot states right now,” he said.

(Their research was sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is also the main sponsor of Education Lab.)

2. In April, the American Statistical Association urged caution in the use of value-added measures, Teacher quality and test scores: Recent studies raise questions | Education Lab Blog | Seattle Times:

Russ on Reading: Hope, Poverty, and Grit

Russ on Reading: Hope, Poverty, and Grit:

Hope, Poverty, and Grit

Calling on our political leaders and plutocrats to show some grit.

When I was a kid “grit” was the stuff that was left in the bottom of the bath tub after I showered following a full day spent on a dusty baseball field. “Grit” was also the stuff in the Lava soap my auto mechanic father used to get the grease off his hands at the end of the work day.

Now the word “grit” has morphed into one more way for the corporate education reformers to blame children, teachers and parents for what they perceive as the shortcomings of public education. Apparently, American school children lack grit and their teachers and parents are failing to instill it on them.

Angela Duckworth, the University of Pennsylvania psychology professor who coined the term, defines grit as "This quality of being able to sustain your passions, and also work really hard at them, over really disappointingly long periods of time.”

I admit by that definition I am not very gritty myself. My father didn’t know grit from shinola, but he often lamented my lack of it. I had a passion for baseball, but couldn’t hit a lick. My dad said I wasn’t trying hard enough. I believed him, so I practiced more, got extra coaching and still couldn’t hit a lick. My dad said I was too lazy to practice enough. I eventually gave up my dreams of being a major league baseball player. See – a grit deficit.

In ninth grade my grit was put to the ultimate test, I was assigned to readSilas Marner, by George Eliot. I tried to grit it out. I read the first chapter. I read most of the second chapter. That was it. I gave up the ghost. It didn’t make any sense of me and even thinking about the novel today makes start to yawn. Fortunately, my copy of the dreaded Silas had the John Steinbeck Russ on Reading: Hope, Poverty, and Grit: