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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Morning Wink 8-21-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.Org
The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.Org: The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across CountryEDUCATE! CHARTER SCHOOLS, CORRUPTION, EDUCATION, FBI By Ruth Conniff, www.truth-out.orgAugust 21st, 2014  Powered by TranslateThe Charter School Racket Is Attracting Attention of the FBI Investigating Charter-School FraudThere’s been a flood
by mike simpson / 0min 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-21-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Schneider: When Are Common Core Polls AstroTurf?Mercedes Schneider analyzes the recent polls on Common Core and spies an effort to rescue the CCSS from the wreckage. The bottom-line, she says, is that the development of Common Core was top-down, not state-led. “Here’s the reality: CCSS was conceived, organized, produced, monitored,
by mike simpson / 5min 
NYC Educator: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership
NYC Educator: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership It was inspiring to a lot of people when the Revive NYSUT ticket appeared last year. Naturally, there were frustrations with NYSUT, and a few people I respect explained some of them to me. In fact, when I first saw them, I thought it might be a good idea. Like
by mike simpson / 8min 
8-21-14 Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet: A shocking statistic about the quality of education researchIn 1968, an article in Kappan magazine titled “The Need for Replication in Education Research” by education Professor Robert H. Bauernfeind said: The principle of replication is the cornerstone of scientific inquiry. This principle holds that under similar conditions, one should obtain similar results. Replication has long b
by mike simpson / 10min 
8-21-14 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.: Jersey Jazzman. The myth of the burned-out older veteran teacher. We get better with age.- Jersey Jazzman is a teacher and education blogger. Non-teacher David Boies is absolutely convinced that we are plagued by old, bad, burned-out teachers; that’s why we need to get rid of tenure, see, and replace
by mike simpson / 12min 
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 8-21-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: L.A. Unified Teachers Decry New Student Tracking SystemSome L.A. Unified schools face packed classes, roaming students as new $20-million student database falters By Stephen Ceasar, LA Times | LA Times http://lat.ms/1ljiKbJ "We don't have anything to gain from exaggerating -- we want the problem fixed," says teachers union President Alex Caput
by mike simpson / 15min 
8-21-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: An Appropriate Rumination on Tenure and Due Process By A. Scapegoat When I became a teacher,  I was kind of appalled by seniority and tenure for the reasons most are, but  came to understand why it was needed when we lost a very strong by the book leader who was scary but only if you were screwing up. And we all do because we have to be professionals who are also caregivers p
by mike simpson / 17min 
8-21-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Campaign To Drive Down Confidence In Public Schools A SuccessThe headline in the PDK/Gallup poll released yesterday was how much support Common Core has lost with both the general public and parents of children of school age.But we shouldn't lose sight of these poll findings either:The wide-ranging survey also showed that trust in the nation’s public school system has evapor
by mike simpson / 19min 
Common Core Chaos, Loss and Betrayal | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
Common Core Chaos, Loss and Betrayal | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsCommon Core Chaos, Loss and BetrayalPosted on August 21, 20149Recently I was interviewed by WAFB about the latest developments in Louisiana’s Common Core lawsuit saga and the recent court loss. You can see the full story here:http://www.wafb.com/story/26328975/common-core-debate-con
by mike simpson / 24min 
Don’t Turn Kindergarteners Into Test-Taking Minions | Truth in American Education
Don’t Turn Kindergarteners Into Test-Taking Minions | Truth in American Education: Don’t Turn Kindergarteners Into Test-Taking MinionsFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on August 21, 2014 • 0 CommentsAn excerpt:Channel 9′s Lori Brown found out that the state is requiring districts to develop tests for every subject taught in kindergarten.The state law requires Orange County
by mike simpson / 28min 
Am I Wrong For Thinking We Could Be Something For Real? - The Jose Vilson
Am I Wrong For Thinking We Could Be Something For Real? - The Jose Vilson: Am I Wrong For Thinking We Could Be Something For Real?This afternoon, I happened upon a situation that most New Yorkers don’t. I found myself walking into the ocean with maybe 50 people over a half-mile stretch of beach to my left and my right. The more I walked into the ocean, the less people I saw around me. I didn’t eve
by mike simpson / 30min 
School Discipline Policies are Where the Anger Begins for Too Many Black Americans | Life at the Intersections
School Discipline Policies are Where the Anger Begins for Too Many Black Americans | Life at the Intersections: SCHOOL DISCIPLINE POLICIES ARE WHERE THE ANGER BEGINS FOR TOO MANY BLACK AMERICANSAUGUST 20, 2014 BRETT DICKERSONFerguson, Missouri protest, Aug 16th, Credit: CBS NewsWhat we are seeing in Ferguson, Missouri and in other cities is, in part, a direct outgrowth of misguided school suspensi
by mike simpson / 35min 
empathyeducates – A White Sheriff, His Black Son; Kitchen Table Conversations About Race
empathyeducates – A White Sheriff, His Black Son; Kitchen Table Conversations About Race: A White Sheriff, His Black Son; Kitchen Table Conversations About RaceBeyond Ferguson there are countless race-related conversations. We are also talking about the police. When the two come together…Well, what do you think? A White Sheriff, His Black Son…What might the two say when they sit down to dinner? Ra
by mike simpson / 39min 

YESTERDAY

Back To Schools White People Cannot See
Back To Schools White People Cannot See: Back To Schools White People Cannot SeeAs we face a new Back-to-School season under the pall of the recent tragedy in Ferguson, Missouri, there new considerations that can’t be ignored.Of the many heartfelt, well thought-out, and clearly written responses to the ongoing travesty happening in that town, one of the most insightful was “Dear White People: The
by mike simpson / 11h 
The AstroTurf Lament: Common Core in Two 2014 Public Opinion Polls | deutsch29
The AstroTurf Lament: Common Core in Two 2014 Public Opinion Polls | deutsch29: The AstroTurf Lament: Common Core in Two 2014 Public Opinion PollsAugust 20, 2014In August 2014, both Education Next and Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup published public opinion polls on education and that included questions regarding the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).EdNext polled approximately 5,000 individuals, and PDK
by mike simpson / 11h 
Badass Teachers Association - Wizard of Oz by Love Light - BATs - YouTube
BATs - YouTube: Badass Teacher (BAT) AssociationWELCOME TO THE BAT CAVEBadass Teacher Association Web SiteSurprise announcement!!!! BATs will be conducting a National Teacher's Congress in DC in 2015!! We will vote on the date and we will swarm the Capitol!!!! STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO!! BATsby TheBadassTeachers21 videos3,030 views1 hour, 17 minutesInformation about the Badass Teacher Association c
by mike simpson / 13h 
How the Common Core Lost Teacher Support | Peter Greene
How the Common Core Lost Teacher Support | Peter Greene: How the Common Core Lost Teacher SupportToday's big headline from the new Education Next poll is "Teachers No Longer Love CCSS."Support for the Core among teachers dropped like a stone, from 76% in 2013 to 46% in 2014. That's a lot of love lost. Now, as we move from the "Holy schneikies!" phase into the "Got some spl
by mike simpson / 13h 
It's Not Just About the Test: A Teacher Talks About the Classroom - WNYC
It's Not Just About the Test: A Teacher Talks About the Classroom - WNYC: It's Not Just About the Test: A Teacher Talks About the ClassroomMonday, August 25, 2014 - 04:00 AMBy Beth FertigSharePrintEmailEnlargeMath teacher Jose Vilson, who is Dominican and Haitian, believes teachers should pay more attention to their students' cultural backgrounds(Tafari Stevenson-Howard)Jose Luis Vilson has been b
by mike simpson / 14h 
NEA President-elect, Supt. Torlakson and CA’s Educators Kick Off Degrees Not Debt Campaign - California Teachers Association
NEA President-elect, Supt. Torlakson and CA’s Educators Kick Off Degrees Not Debt Campaign - California Teachers Association: NEA President-elect, Supt. Torlakson and CA’s Educators Kick Off Degrees Not Debt CampaignContacts: Staci Maiers, NEA Communications 202-270-5333 cell, smaiers@nea.org; Claudia Briggs, CTA Communications 916-296-4087 cell, cbriggs@cta.org; Becky Zoglman, CTA Communications
by mike simpson / 14h 
Common Core gets AWFUL review in new study | The Daily Caller
Common Core gets AWFUL review in new study | The Daily Caller: Common Core gets AWFUL review in new studyBad news for supporters of national education curriculum: States with education standards most closely aligned to Common Core fared worse on math tests than states with their own standards, according to a new study.The study, conducted by the Brookings Institution, compared standardized test sc
by mike simpson / 15h 
Nite Cap 8-20-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPThe Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-District Charter | Cloaking InequityThe Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-District Charter | Cloaking Inequity: The Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-Dist
by mike simpson / 15h 
The Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-District Charter | Cloaking Inequity
The Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-District Charter | Cloaking Inequity: The Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-District CharterIn the post Photo Essay: This Charter School is Lovely, I first introduced Travis Heights Charter School.This post examines Education Austin’s efforts to serve as a conduit for bringing teachers and parents together to create an in-di
by mike simpson / 15h 
Our School and How I Just Want To Hear What Happened - The Jose Vilson
Our School and How I Just Want To Hear What Happened - The Jose Vilson: Our School and How I Just Want To Hear What Happened Our School by Sam ChaltainThis is a quick blog recommending that you read Our School by Sam Chaltain. I’m in the throes of reading three edu-books in a row while promoting mine. What Chaltain provides in buckets is a first-hand account of what’s happening in two different, b
by mike simpson / 18h 
NEA’s new president denounces testing | EdSource
NEA’s new president denounces testing | EdSource: NEA’s new president denounces testingCREDIT: NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONNewly elected National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García addresses delegates at the union's national convention in Denver in July.In the midst of her first swing through California, the incoming president of the National Education Association praised the
by mike simpson / 18h 
8-20-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Common Core; Slip Slidin' AwayPoll results on public education including Common Core from two sources.Education Next - No Common Opinion on Common CoreFor example, the share of the public that say it favors the Common Core State Standards slipped noticeably between 2013 and 2014. Establishing a common set of standards across states is a new policy proposal that eme
by mike simpson / 18h 
8-20-14 @ 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 / 19h 
Reflections on Ferguson — What does education mean in a world like this? | Daniel Katz, Ph.D.
Reflections on Ferguson — What does education mean in a world like this? | Daniel Katz, Ph.D.: Reflections on Ferguson — What does education mean in a world like this?On August 9th, 2014, Michael Brown, an 18 year-old African American, was shot dead in the middle of the afternoon by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.  Eye witness and police accounts of how t
by mike simpson / 20h 
Teacher Feeds Children in Ferguson: Be proud for her and all of us who meet the needs of students every day. | Reclaim Reform
Teacher Feeds Children in Ferguson: Be proud for her and all of us who meet the needs of students every day. | Reclaim Reform: Teacher Feeds Children in Ferguson: Be proud for her and all of us who meet the needs of students every day.Posted on August 20, 2014by Ken PrevitiJulianna Mendelsohn is a teacher. She meets the needs of students; that’s what teachers do.She just made every teacher in Amer
by mike simpson / 20h 
Time to say something controversial: What else is new? ‪#‎Dueprocess‬ must be done right. | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing
Time to say something controversial: What else is new? ‪#‎Dueprocess‬ must be done right. | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing: Time to say something controversial: What else is new? ‪#‎Dueprocess‬ must be done right.I have been giving this Tenure – Due Process issue a lot of thought lately. Like anything else worth doing, it is worth doing well. How we supervise and develop better teachers and ev
by mike simpson / 20h 
The Education Economy: America's Next Big Thing
The Education Economy: America's Next Big ThingHow integrating the country's educational system, employers, and job creators can reshape -- and reignite -- the American economyby Brandon BusteedThough the economy and education have long been topics of top concern to Americans, we haven't worked to create strong linkages between the two. They are more like two castles with a large moat between them
by mike simpson / 21h 
Tony Wagner's The Global Achievement Gap Is More Relevant than Ever | John Thompson
Tony Wagner's The Global Achievement Gap Is More Relevant than Ever | John Thompson: Tony Wagner's The Global Achievement Gap Is More Relevant than EverWhen checking out Amanda Ripley's The Smartest Kids in the World, which argues that American education is falling dangerously behind other nations, I stumbled across Tony Wagner's six-year-old The Global Achievement Gap. Wagner begins with a fright
by mike simpson / 21h 
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 8-20-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: COUNTY OFFICE OF ED WITHHOLDS APPROVAL OF LAUSD LCAP, Questions spending on low-income, English learner and foster studentsBy Louis Freedberg | ED SOURCE TODAY | http://bit.ly/1tpNtD4 August 19, 2014 |  updated at 11:30 a.m.  ::  The Los Angeles County Office of Education is withholding approval of the Local Control and Accountability Plan drawn up by t
by mike simpson / 21h 
8-20-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning Read: Deasy urges respect for 1st AmendmentMorning Read: Deasy urges respect for 1st Amendment L.A. Unified principals given guidance on student free speech rights As unrest continues in Ferguson, Mo. and, to a degree in Los Angeles, after the fatal police shootings of unarmed black men in those c
by mike simpson / 21h 
8-20-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?:  Wait What? Pelto/Murphy 2014 Malloy promises to “stay the course” on education reform!It turns out that it took less than 24 hours for Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy to make it clear that Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor’s departure IS NOT a sign that Connecticut’s anti-teacher, pro-corporate education reform Democratic governor is going to use a second term to do a better job repres
by mike simpson / 22h 
Americans Wary of Federal Influence on Public Schools
Americans Wary of Federal Influence on Public Schools: Americans Wary of Federal Influence on Public SchoolsPrefer local school boards over federal government, 56% to 15%by Valerie J. CalderonWASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' trust in U.S. leaders has slipped amid partisan gridlock that has led to federal government inaction on pressing issues at home and abroad. Americans' weak confidence in the fed
by mike simpson / 22h 
The strategic campaign needed to save public education — in nine steps - The Washington Post
The strategic campaign needed to save public education — in nine steps - The Washington Post: The strategic campaign needed to save public education — in nine steps Leaders of the school standardized test-based reform’ movement have been very smart about using public relations and intentional messaging to their benefit, something their critics have failed to do. Arthur H. Camins, director of the C
by mike simpson / 22h 
Back to School? In These States, Be Prepared to Get Spanked | TakePart
Back to School? In These States, Be Prepared to Get Spanked | TakePart: Back to School? In These States, Be Prepared to Get SpankedThough proven ineffective and sometimes harmful, corporal punishment is legal in much of the U.S. Put an end to hitting children in school.Add that to the list, along with immigration reform, student loan reform, and spending authorization, of things Congress failed to
by mike simpson / 23h 
Russ on Reading: The Trouble with Frank Bruni
Russ on Reading: The Trouble with Frank Bruni: The Trouble with Frank BruniFrank Bruni is capable of writing insightful critiques of New York’s great restaurants. When he writes about education he can only offer us fast food.Former New York Times food writer and current columnist, Frank Bruni had an op-ed piece in the New York Times entitled The Trouble with Tenure. In the article, Bruni quotes ex
by mike simpson / 23h 
Morning Wink 8-20-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-20-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Bruce Baker: How to Get Rid of Accountability, Transparency, and Student RightsThis may be the most important article you read this week, this month, or this year. It was published last year, an
by mike simpson / 23h 




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The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.Org

The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.Org:



The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country




By Ruth Conniff, www.truth-out.org
August 21st, 2014



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The Charter School Racket Is Attracting Attention of the FBI Investigating Charter-School Fraud

There’s been a flood of local news stories in recent months about FBI raids on charter schools all over the country.
From Pittsburgh to Baton Rouge, from Hartford to Cincinnatti to Albuquerque, FBI agents have been busting into schools, carting off documents and making arrests leading to high-profile indictments.
“The troubled Hartford charter school operator FUSE was dealt another blow Friday when FBI agents served it with subpoenas to a grand jury that is examining the group’s operations. When two Courant reporters arrived at FUSE offices on Asylum Hill on Friday morning, minutes after the FBI’s visit, they saw a woman feeding sheaves of documents into a shredder.”—The Hartford Courant, July 18, 2014
“The FBI has raided an Albuquerque school just months after the state started peering into the school’s finances. KRQE News 13 learned federal agents were there because of allegations that someone may have been taking money that was meant for the classroom at the Southwest Secondary Learning Center on Candelaria, near Morris in northwest Albuquerque … “—KRQE News 13, August 1 2014
“Wednesday evening’s FBI raid on a charter school in East Baton Rouge is the latest item in a list of scandals involving the organization that holds the charter for the Kenilworth Science and Technology School. … Pelican Educational Foundation runs the school and has ties to a family from Turkey. The school receives about $5,000,000 in local, state, and federal tax money. … the FBI raided the school six days after the agency renewed the Baton Rouge school’s charter through the year 2019.”—The Advocate, January 14, 2014
“The state of Pennsylvania is bringing in the FBI to look into accusations that a Pittsburgh charter school [Urban Pathways Charter School] misspent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on luxuries such as fine-dining and retreats at exclusive resorts and spas.”—CBS News November 12, 2013
“COLUMBUS, OH—A federal grand jury has indicted four people, alleging that they offered and accepted bribes and kickbacks as part of a public corruption conspiracy in their roles as managers and a consultant for Arise! Academy, a charter school in Dayton, Ohio.” —FBI Press Release, June 2014
What’s going on here?
Charter schools are such a racket, across the nation they are attracting special The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.Org:
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LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-21-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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






Peter Greene: Another Poll showed Common Core Support Plummeting
Peter Greene notes that the two polls released this week were preceded by a Rasmussen poll in June, which showed Common Core losing support. Parents of school children were polled. “Once again, we can see the result of a year’s worth of direct exposure. In November of 2013, the Core was supported by an unimpressive 52% and specifically opposed by 32%. By the following June, the numbers had shifte
4 by dianeravitch / 1h


North Carolina Voucher Decision: The Crucial Details
Sharon McCloskey and Lindsay Wagner of NC Policy Watch here fill in the key details of today’s voucher decision. Judge Robert Hobgood pulled no punches: “In a stunning rebuke to state lawmakers’ efforts to bring school vouchers to North Carolina, Wake County Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood today found the recently-enacted “Opportunity Scholarship Program” unconstitutional and permanently enj
15 by dianeravitch / 41min

Austerity in Detroit: Teachers Get A 10% Pay Cut, 24 Schools Will Close
Governor Rick Snyder long ago made it clear that the state of Michigan has no intention of saving public education in Detroit or anywhere else. The city’s emergency manager announced a 10% pay cut for teachers, larger class size, and the closing of 24 schools. The schools have a deficit of $127 million. The wage concessions by teachers will save $13.3 million. “Parents, educators and community st
3 by dianeravitch / 29min 

Julianna Mendelsohn, a Hero Teacher, Raising Money to Feed the Children of Ferguson
Ken Previti tells the story on his blog about Julianna Mendelsohn, a teacher. Julianna wanted to help the children of Ferguson. ““As a public school teacher, my first thought is always about the children involved in any tragic situation like this,” she writes. “When I found out school had been canceled for several days as a result of the civil unrest, I immediately became worried for the students
1 by dianeravitch / 36min 

Breaking News; NC Judge Rules Vouchers Unconstitutional
A North Carolina judge ruled voucher legislation unconstitutional because it gives money intended for public schools to private and religious schools. He ordered an immediate halt to the program. Yvonne Brannan of PublicSchools First NC sent the following response, which included a video of Judge Robert Hobgood reading his decision: “PLEASE watch this– you will better understand why this is so cr
by dianeravitch / 5min 


Ohio: Public Schools Forfeit $13.1 Million for Low-Performing Online Charter
A note from Bill Phillis of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy. White Hat is Ohio’s largest charter chain. It operates for profit. The owner of White Hat, industrialist David Brennan, is a major contributor to Republican politicians, including Governor John Kasich and legislators. Because it is a private company, White Hat does not permit public disclosure of its finances. Phillis writes:
by dianeravitch / 7min 

Schneider: When Are Common Core Polls AstroTurf?
Mercedes Schneider analyzes the recent polls on Common Core and spies an effort to rescue the CCSS from the wreckage. The bottom-line, she says, is that the development of Common Core was top-down, not state-led. “Here’s the reality: CCSS was conceived, organized, produced, monitored, and promoted by “the few,” the most obvious CCSS “top downers” being the two organizations that drafted the CCSS
1 by dianeravitch / 18min hide  //  save
Teacher Arthur Goldstein Explains Why Frank Bruni Is Wrong
Arthur Goldstein teaches English to immigrant students in high school in New York City. He has taught for many years. He has written about the importance of tenure, which enables him to advocate for his students without fear of losing his job. He can be a whistle blower without fear of losing his job. He has academic freedom because he has tenure. Frank Bruni of the New York Times doesn’t like te
2 by dianeravitch / 1h 
Mike Klonsky to Bill Gates: How to Solve the Problems of Malaria and Good Schools
Mike Klonsky of Chicago recently posted this item. Bill Gates said it was easier to solve the problems of public health than to fix American education. “Reader Rufus responds to Bill Gates with a comment on my Schooling in the Ownership Society Blog. This one is too good to leave in the comments section. “Rufus August 6, 2014 “Gates claims it’s easier to find cures for malaria and other diseases
8 by dianeravitch / 2h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-20-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Bruce Baker: How to Get Rid of Accountability, Transparency, and Student RightsThis may be the most important article you read this week, this month, or this year. It was published last year, and I missed it. But, wow, Bruce Baker nails what is wrong with “education reform.” Basically, the public has been sold a bill of goods. We h
by mike simpson / 8h 


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NYC Educator: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership

NYC Educator: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership:



Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership


 It was inspiring to a lot of people when the Revive NYSUT ticket appeared last year. Naturally, there were frustrations with NYSUT, and a few people I respect explained some of them to me. In fact, when I first saw them, I thought it might be a good idea. Like most UFT members, I had little contact with NYSUT, but I knew UFT needed a revival, so why not try this? It wasn't until weeks later I discovered that UFT leadership was actually behind this movement. I was recruited to run for Executive VP of NYSUT, and I traveled all over the state going to forums. I learned an awful lot about NYSUT.

For one thing, it's clear new NYSUT leadership follows UFT in every way. UFT makes up 28% of NYSUT, but has a 34% voting bloc, because many locals simply cannot afford to spend a weekend at the NY Hilton. Therefore, they get no vote. Of course all UFT reps have signed loyalty oaths. They vote as Mulgrew dicates or risk not only a punch in the face, but also expulsion from the elite, invitation-only Unity Caucus and all the privileges membership entails.
 
This is ironic because one of Revive NYSUT's biggest cheerleaders criticized the old leadership forbelonging to the Fort Orange Club. NYSUT claimed membership was 15K a year, that the membership preceded their tenure for decates, and that the space was needed Current Secretary Treasurer Martin Messner, in particular was vocally livid about this "perk." Not only this, but NYSUT officers were taking first-class flights. He was gonna get to the bottom of this and make sure there was transparency, and no more perks! NYSUT could hold high-level meetings at Starbucks, they said, and save these crucial member dollars.

Here's the thing, though. It was tough to recruit people willing to run for NYSUT office. You see, the UFT has a deal with the city that while its members work union jobs, it compensates the city for salary. Full disclosure--I'm chapter leader at a large NYC Educator: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership:
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8-21-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet:








Strauss: Is doing less harm enough for Education Secretary Duncan?
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said today via a blog post that he has decided to allow most states to apply for permission from the Education Department to push back to 2015-16 a requirement that they use student standardized test scores in teacher’s evaluations. This marked a step beyond flexibility Duncan offered last year, when he said states could seek flexibility from making personnel deci
by Valerie Strauss / 1h 


For first time, minority students expected to be majority in U.S. public schools this fall
For the first time in U.S. history, ethnic and racial minorities are projected to make up the majority of students attending American public schools this fall, ending the white-majority population that has existed from the beginnings of the public education system. The U.S. Education Department projected that this fall, the percentage of students who are white […]
by Valerie Strauss / 8min 

Books that college freshmen should have read over the summer
It has become a common practice at many colleges and universities to assign to incoming freshmen a book or other reading selection over the summer —sometimes as a requirement, sometimes just as a suggestion — so they can all come together to participate in a discussion about a particular theme during the school year. In some […]
by Valerie Strauss / 15min 

A shocking statistic about the quality of education research
In 1968, an article in Kappan magazine titled “The Need for Replication in Education Research” by education Professor Robert H. Bauernfeind said: The principle of replication is the cornerstone of scientific inquiry. This principle holds that under similar conditions, one should obtain similar results. Replication has long been an essential aspect of research in the […]
76 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 


8-20-14 Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet: The strategic campaign needed to save public education — in nine stepsLeaders of the school standardized test-based reform’ movement have been very smart about using public relations and intentional messaging to their benefit, something their critics have failed to do. Arthur H. Camins, director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institut
by mike simpson / 8h 
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8-21-14 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.:









NBC’s Ward Room. Mark Anderson. Chicago is ready for progressive reform.
- This is reposted from Mark Anderson on the NBC online Ward Room. Look out, Bill de Blasio—here we come! While no one can predict the outcome of the 2015 city elections this far in advance, it seems clear something unusual is brewing in Chicago politics. For the first time in a long time, the political power structure in Chicago appears to be gaining some serious opposition. And that opposition
by Fred Klonsky / 34min hide  //  save
Bob Lyons. If they can take my pension, they can take your social security.
  - Bob Lyons represents retirees on the Illinois Teacher Retirement System board of trustees. I fully expect at some time in the future that as active and retired teachers and public employees we will face a challenge from the forces that want to cut our retirement benefits where they will attempt to change or totally remove the provision in the Illinois Constitution that protects public pensions
by Fred Klonsky / 45min 
Jersey Jazzman. The myth of the burned-out older veteran teacher. We get better with age.
- Jersey Jazzman is a teacher and education blogger. Non-teacher David Boies is absolutely convinced that we are plagued by old, bad, burned-out teachers; that’s why we need to get rid of tenure, see, and replace them with young, inexperienced, poorly-trained teachers, like the ones at TFA, the vast majority of whom will leave teaching after three years. Makes complete sense… Non-teacher Jonathan
by Fred Klonsky / 1h hide  //  save
Sun-Times’ Mark Brown. Teachers ready to teach Rahm a lesson.
- Mark Brown, Chicago Sun-Times. The adoring crowd that welcomed Karen Lewis to the Beverly Woods Banquet Hall on Tuesday gave the first of her public “Conversations with Karen” the feel of a Chicago Teachers Union rally. That’s probably because it was a CTU production start to finish — arranged and publicized by the union’s organizing staff in support of rank-and-file members from the neighborho
by Fred Klonsky / 2h 


8-20-14 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.: AFT’s Weingarten promises a million bucks for Karen Lewis’ run for Mayor.  Sun-Times: The head of the American Federation of Teachers says the national union is ready to spend $1 million to help Karen Lewis unseat Mayor Rahm Emanuel if the Chicago Teachers Union president decides to run. “I did say pr
by mike simpson / 8h 

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