Nite Cap 9-30-14 #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 CAP

Blue Ribbon Schools for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Blue Ribbon Schools for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Congratulates California Winners of the 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools AwardSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today congratulated 24 California public schools that are being recognized as 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools.The California schools, which are either h

1 by mike simpson / 36min 

Training Our Way to a New Oligarchy? Not Yet! | Life at the Intersections

Training Our Way to a New Oligarchy? Not Yet! | Life at the Intersections: TRAINING OUR WAY TO A NEW OLIGARCHY? NOT YET!Students in Jefferson County, Colo protest forced changes in U.S. History standards by local school board. Credit: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images In Texas and now in Colorado conservatives on the far right have been in a panic about history students actually learnin

1 by mike simpson / 48min 

Tuck, Torlakson debate union power, lawsuit | EdSource

Tuck, Torlakson debate union power, lawsuit | EdSource:Tuck, Torlakson debate union power, lawsuithttp://www.tomtorlakson.com/ The two candidates for state superintendent of public instruction disagreed on the condition of K-12 education in California, the influence of teachers unions and which of them is best qualified for the job at a forum Saturday in Burlingame, the last scheduled joint appear

1 by mike simpson / 53min 

The Fight for Public Education: Coming to a School Near You! | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

The Fight for Public Education: Coming to a School Near You! | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: The Fight for Public Education: Coming to a School Near You!Publication Date:  Tue, 2014-09-30Philadelphia's schools opened at the start of this school year in the midst of a funding crisis. While state lawmakers dragged their heels on a proposed ciga

8 by mike simpson / 2h 

9-30-14 Wait What? - Will Foley or Malloy join Visconti in protecting parental rights?

Wait What?: Common Core Testing – Will Foley or Malloy join Visconti in protecting parental rights?To date, the only Connecticut gubernatorial candidate on the November 2014 ballot that is publicly committed to protecting the right of parents to opt their children out of the inappropriate and unfair Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Test (SBAC) is petitioning candidate Joe Visconti. With Con

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

Reading Requires Outside Knowledge | Truth in American Education

Reading Requires Outside Knowledge | Truth in American Education: Reading Requires Outside KnowledgeFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on September 30, 2014 • 0 Comments1051Daniel Willingham is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and he wrote a piece at Real Clear Education entitled “Common Core and ‘Close Reading’: Effectiveness Questionable without Outs

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

Is the Impact of Charters Schools on Achievement a Big Lie? | Cloaking Inequity

Is the Impact of Charters Schools on Achievement a Big Lie? | Cloaking Inequity: Is the Impact of Charters Schools on Achievement a Big Lie?I have been called a charter school “lover” and a charter school “hater” in the same week. Are both true? Neither? I think we as a society must be pragmatic on charters. I recently had a conversation with my grandmother, who was a lifelong educator at a middle

by mike simpson / 3h 

9-30-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet: Professor: Why I tell students to become teachers — even though the profession is under assaultWhy, given the continuing assault on the teaching profession, would anyone suggest to young people that they consider becoming teachers? Here’s why, from Mark Naison, a professor of African American Studies and History at Fordham University and director of Fordham’s Urban Studies Program. H

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

How LGBT Students Can Pay an ‘Unfair Price’ for Life | NEA Today

How LGBT Students Can Pay an ‘Unfair Price’ for Life | NEA Today: How LGBT Students Can Pay an ‘Unfair Price’ for LifeSeptember 30, 2014 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Tim WalkerAn economy still plagued by stagnant wages, sluggish growth and a tight job market has left millions of Americans financially vulnerable and struggling to make ends meet. A new landmark

by mike simpson / 3h 

Russ on Reading: VAMs: Stupid Economist’s Tricks

Russ on Reading: VAMs: Stupid Economist’s Tricks: VAMs: Stupid Economist’s TricksThe formula to the left will allow you to calculate your Value Added Score. Please don't forget to show your work.I am not an economist. I had one intro to economics course in college. Everything I have learned about economics since then has come from reading Paul Krugman in the New York Times. I consider it a good mo

by mike simpson / 3h 

School spending by affluent is widening wealth gap | 89.3 KPCC

School spending by affluent is widening wealth gap | 89.3 KPCC: School spending by affluent is widening wealth gapEducation is supposed to help bridge the gap between the wealthiest people and everyone else. Ask the experts, and they'll count the ways:Preschool can lift children from poverty. Top high schools prepare students for college. A college degree boosts pay over a lifetime. And the U.S. e

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

9-30-14 Cali Education Headlines | CSIS – California School Information Services

Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team | CSIS – California School Information Services: Education HeadlinesStockton USD truancy force puts love in tough loveOne little girl had a lice infestation so severe, she’d gouged her scalp trying to relieve the maddening itch. Badly infected, she was ashamed to go to school and her family too ashamed to reach out for help. September 30, 2014John Gre

1 by mike simpson / 4h 

9-30-14 Curmudgucation - What Lily Misses about the Common Core

CURMUDGUCATION: What Lily Misses about the Common CoreMy esteemed colleague at Edushyster scored an interview with NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia, and as always, it's pretty encouraging to see an NEA boss express herself in plain English that clearly opposes reformster ideas-- except for the Common Core. I'm going to reprint a full paragraph because I think it articulates more clearly than any

1 by mike simpson / 5h 

9-30-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools and Garfield Field Trip Incident: PTSA meetingI attended Garfield's PTSA meeting last night.  There were about 65 people in attendance.  It was a bit odd because they chose to have the lights down so as to put the agenda and supporting documents on a big overhead screen.  It was pretty dark and made the remarks even more gloomy.I was fairly astonish

1 by mike simpson / 5h 

9-30-14 This Week in 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): Homeless student population in US grew rapidly since recessionHomeless student population in US grew rapidly since recession Via Hechinger Report | by Jill Barshay Despite signs of a national economic recovery, homelessness in U.S. public schools steadily increased 8 percent, to 1.26 million students, in

1 by mike simpson / 5h 

“More Than a Score” named in The Nation’s “5 Books to Build a Movement for Education Justice!” | I AM AN EDUCATOR

“More Than a Score” named in The Nation’s “5 Books to Build a Movement for Education Justice!” | I AM AN EDUCATOR: “More Than a Score” named in The Nation’s “5 Books to Build a Movement for Education Justice!”By I AM AN EDUCATOR on September 30, 2014I am thrilled to announce that Kenzo Shibata, writing for the current issue of The Nation magazine, named the forthcoming book I edited, More Than a S

1 by mike simpson / 5h 

Is the new AP U.S. History really anti-American? | The Hechinger Report

Is the new AP U.S. History really anti-American? | The Hechinger Report: Is the new AP U.S. History really anti-American?What changed and what didn’t in the latest “Common Core” version of the classBy Emmanuel FeltonMartin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, James Madison and Rosa Parks. If you’ve heard that the new AP U.S. History course description doesn’t mention these

1 by mike simpson / 5h 

The growing disjunction in education policy | TheHill

The growing disjunction in education policy | TheHill: The growing disjunction in education policyA flurry of activity among education reformers across the country exposes a growing bifurcation within its ranks, uncovered by recent challenges to teacher tenure in New York. Former CNN anchor Campbell Brown's Partnership for Educational Justice, which recently recruited renowned attorneys David Boie

8 by mike simpson / 6h 

The Games Charter Schools Play | Frank Breslin

The Games Charter Schools Play | Frank Breslin: The Games Charter Schools PlayJudging by the claims made by charters, one would think it but child's play to make good on their boast of having higher test scores than their public-school cousins.Charters' ability to deliver on their promise of achieving higher scores is, after all, their sole reason for existing and the only justification for their

1 by mike simpson / 6h 

Morning Wink 9-30-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-30-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Tennessee: Most Teachers Say Abandon Common CoreTennessee is one of Arne Duncan’s favorite states because it was one of the first states to win Race to the Top funding, it has a rightwing govern

3 by mike simpson / 7h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-30-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Tennessee: Most Teachers Say Abandon Common CoreTennessee is one of Arne Duncan’s favorite states because it was one of the first states to win Race to the Top funding, it has a rightwing governor and legislature, and an experienced, TFA-trained state commissioner. Thus, the state is committed to charters, to privatization, and to

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

9-30-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Appocalypse Soon - DC Watch Debate: Guns and Race"When government officials distrust their people, they disarm the people to protect themselves from the dangers they fear from them...." - Gary Imhoff, DC WatchYou know I've been thinking along these lines. That with the .01% stealing resources with the ultimate possibility of unrest, the bringing home of the military and

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

9-30-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Upcoming Google Hangout: “Family and Community Engagement Practices that Raise Achievement”

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": Upcoming Google Hangout: “Family and Community Engagement Practices that Raise Achievement”Scholastic will be hosting what looks like a very useful Google Hangout on family engagement. Here’s how they describe it: Wed, Oct 8, 5:00 PM – 5:40 PM Hangouts On Air – Broadcast for free Join us for a Scholastic Mini-PD session foc

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

9-30-14 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.: Not my kids. Your kids.2 by Fred Klonsky / 33min hide  //  save“I hope this extra time to find new employment alleviates some of your hardship,” Balanoff said in the call.SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff. I hope writing about CPS janitors doesn’t cause me to receive a letter from SEIU lawyers. Like

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

9-30-14 Schools Matter - Comments on Naomi Klein's New Book

Schools Matter: Comments on Naomi Klein's New BookA clip from comments on Naomi Klein's new book at Nation of Change:Klein starts with a blunt statement of the problem: “[O]ur economic system and our planetary system are now at war. Or, more accurately, our economy is at war with many forms of life on earth, including human life.” (21) Human survival requires a new economics, which explains why cl

by mike simpson / 7h 

9-30-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Teachers Can Receive Free DVD Of “12 Years A Slave” & Study GuideTeachers can receive a free DVD copy of the movie “12 Years A Slave,” a book and more, and it’s very simple to register for it online. Here’s what you get: *FREE Educator’s Toolkit Includes: Full Length DVD copy of the movie (edited version, parental appro

by mike simpson / 7h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-30-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Newton in The LA Times: DEASY+CO CIRCLE THE WAGONS AS EMILY BRONTE MEETS CHRISTIAN GREYEXT. MONUMENT VALLEY – DAY THERE ARE SMOKE SIGNALS – AND THE SOUNDTRACK HAS AN INCESSENT DRUMBEAT. AND SO IT BEGINS, AS THE DEASY LOYALISTS, ®EFORMERS, ASTROTURF ALLIANCES, CHARTER SCHOOL PROPONENTS AND THE BILLIONARE BOYS CLUB CIRCLE THE WAGONS IN THE VALLEY AS THE B

2 by mike simpson / 7h 

9-30-14 @ 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 / 7h 

9-30-14 Hemlock on the Rocks

Hemlock on the Rocks: Big Education Ape: Homeless students increase by 58 percent in past six years | Education By The Numbershttp://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2014/09/homeless-students-increase-by-58.html Homeless students increase by 58 percent in past six years | Education By The NumbersDespite signs of a national economic recovery, homelessness in U.S. public schools steadily increased 8 per

by mike simpson / 7h 

9-30-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Oprah Loves "Warriors"Associated Press today: SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey is donating $100,000 to a youth center on the south side of Syracuse.Winfrey made a surprise stop Monday at the Mary Nelson Youth Center and said she was writing out the check on the spot. She called Mary Nelson a "community warrior" for doing the work she does on the city'

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

How college ed programs try, fail to recruit teachers of color | The Hechinger Report

How college ed programs try, fail to recruit teachers of color | The Hechinger Report: How college ed programs try, fail to recruit teachers of colorOnly radical new engagement strategies can end racial disparityBy Andre PerryNationally, black males account for 2 percent of the teacher population. Blacks in total represent 8 percent of all teachers; Latinos, 7 percent; and Asians, 2 percent. My 3-

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

A #Commoncore Twitter Play | Missouri Education Watchdog

A #Commoncore Twitter Play | Missouri Education Watchdog: A #Commoncore Twitter PlayinSharePass the popcorn.CAST:Common Core Proponents (Supported by Tax Dollars and Special Interest Groups):Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, State Education Agency,Jefferson City, MO dese.mo.govRobert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow @ Fordham Institute; senior adviser @democracyprep. K-12 educatio

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

Ohio’s Plunderbund Examines Correlation of School District Ratings with Family Income | janresseger

Ohio’s Plunderbund Examines Correlation of School District Ratings with Family Income | janresseger: Ohio’s Plunderbund Examines Correlation of School District Ratings with Family IncomePosted on September 30, 2014 by janressegerFor many years Ohio has used a Performance Index to judge its school districts.  The Performance Index is a formula based primarily on standardized test scores.  Not too l

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Philly's cancerous approach to school funding

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Philly's cancerous approach to school funding: Philly's cancerous approach to school fundingAs if making schools dependent on property taxes wasn't bad enough, now Philadelphia Public Schools will have to rely on cigarette sales just to make it through the year. Without the regressive $2-a-pack cigarette tax increase passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Corbe

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

Teachers' Unions, Democracy, & Risk-Taking - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Teachers' Unions, Democracy, & Risk-Taking - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Teachers' Unions, Democracy, & Risk-TakingBy Deborah Meier on September 30, 2014 9:06 AMDeborah Meier continues her conversation with Leo Casey today. Dear Leo (and Readers),Yes, indeed, democracy is nonnegotiable, except ...  democracy is a constant negotiation, a balancing act, which never gets it quite r

by mike simpson / 8h 

Teaching U.S. History in a Failing School (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Teaching U.S. History in a Failing School (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Teaching U.S. History in a Failing School (Part 2)How to interpret the three history lessons I watched Mark Allison, a veteran teacher, teach?Allison had prepared an interactive lesson with a series of slides on the Civil Rights movement. He asked his students to inspect each slide carefully a

by mike simpson / 8h 

NYC Educator: What Does UFT Leadership Stand For?

NYC Educator: What Does UFT Leadership Stand For?: What Does UFT Leadership Stand For?We know that President Michael Mulgrew loves Common Core, because he clearly stated he'd punch anyone who tried to take it away from him. He then ridiculed those who said Gates had anything to do with it, though Gates clearly pumped hundreds of millions into it, several in the direction of teacher unions. While r

by mike simpson / 8h 

Brown wraps up ed bills, leaves some heads shaking :: SI&A Cabinet Report

Brown wraps up ed bills, leaves some heads shaking :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: SEPTEMBER 30, 2014Brown wraps up ed bills, leaves some heads shakingby Kimberly Beltran(Calif.) Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have made kindergarten mandatory while at the same time signing one intended to show the overwhelming boost that opti

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

Evaluating Gates via His Microsoft Failure | deutsch29

Evaluating Gates via His Microsoft Failure | deutsch29: Evaluating Gates via His Microsoft FailureSeptember 30, 2014Billionaire Bill Gates has been buying his version of American public education for years now. His first major *reform* effort began in 2000 and involved chopping large urban high schools into smaller schools. It was his solution of choice for several years.  He abandoned the idea in

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 9-29-14 #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORM“I must do right by the children… I refuse to administer the PARCC.”“I must do right by the children…” Do we realize that saving our children requires that we ALL “must do right by the children”? I know Peggy Robertson, a mom and a Colorado teacher who helped found United Opt Out. I have more respect for her as a human being and as a tea

2 by mike simpson / 18h 

Marie Corfield: UPDATE: The real story behind Lily's trip to Camden

Marie Corfield: UPDATE: The real story behind Lily's trip to Camden: UPDATE: The real story behind Lily's trip to CamdenTwo weeks ago NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia visited New Jersey as part of her 50-state Back to School Tour. I wrote about her visit and meeting with NJ ed bloggers here, here and here.One of her stops was Pyne Poynt Middle School in Camden which is also home to the co-locate

1 by mike simpson / 22h 

Nite Cap 9-29-14 #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 CAPA Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes BackA Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes Back: A Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes BackDon't Tread on My PROFITS! Rebellions sometimes begin slow

4 by mike simpson / 23h 

2nd Banana 9-27-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 9-20-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 9-13-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 9-6-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 8-30-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 8-23-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Nite Cap 9-29-14

Nite Cap 9-28-14

Nite Cap 9-27-14

Nite Cap 9-26-14

Nite Cap 9-25-14

Nite Cap 9-24-14

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Nite Cap 9-22-14

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Nite Cap 9-20-14

Blue Ribbon Schools for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Blue Ribbon Schools for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Congratulates California Winners of the 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today congratulated 24 California public schools that are being recognized as 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

The California schools, which are either high achieving or made significant academic improvement, are among 337 schools in 47 states—287 public (traditional, charter, choice, and magnet) schools and 50 private schools—announced this morning by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"I commend these amazing schools and their commitment to providing the kind of learning environment in which teachers can excel and students can achieve," Torlakson said. "They have brought out the very best in their students and themselves. I am proud of their success and hope they relish this moment to shine in the national spotlight."

The federal Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private schools from elementary through high school. (There were no private schools from California selected this year.)

Public schools are nominated by each Chief State School Officer (CSSO), including the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education nominates private schools. Based on state data the nominated schools must be certified as meeting one of two eligibility criteria:

• Exemplary High-Performing, defined as the achievement of the school’s students in the most recent year tested placing the school among the highest-performing in the state on assessments of reading (or English-language arts) and mathematics. Disaggregated results for student subgroups, including students from disadvantaged backgrounds, must be similar to the results for all students tested.
• Exemplary-Improving, defined as schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds and have improved student performance to high levels in English-language arts and mathematics on state assessments or assessments referenced against national norms. "Disadvantaged" means students eligible for free or reduced-priced meals, who receive Title I services, are limited English proficient, migrant, or in need of special services.

National Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored at a national awards ceremony on November 10-11, 2014 in Washington, D.C., where each winner will receive a plaque and flag. Blue Ribbon winners may fly this flag at their schools as a mark of excellence. In its 32-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has presented this award to 7,900 of America's schools.

Details of the achievements of the 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools can be found on the U.S. Department of Education's Web site.

California’s National Blue Ribbon Public Schools for 2014

County	School District	School
Alameda	Fremont Unified	Mission San Jose Elementary
Alameda	San Lorenzo Unified	KIPP Summit Academy
Contra Costa	San Ramon Valley Unified	Windemere Ranch Middle
Fresno	Clovis Unified	Pinedale Elementary
Los Angeles	ABC Unified	Gretchen Whitney High
Los Angeles	Compton Unified	Tibby Elementary
Los Angeles	Compton Unified	Thomas Jefferson Elementary
Los Angeles	El Rancho Unified	Rio Vista Elementary
Los Angeles	Hacienda La Puente Unified	Los Molinos Elementary
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Unified	Lanai Road Elementary
Los Angeles	Whittier City Elementary	Wallen L. Andrews Elementary
Merced	Winton	Frank Sparkes Elementary
Napa	Calistoga Joint Unified	Calistoga Elementary
Orange	Fountain Valley Elementary	Newland (William T.) Elementary
Orange	Huntington Beach City Elementary	Huntington Seacliff Elementary
Orange	Los Alamitos Unified	Rossmoor Elementary
San Bernardino	San Bernardino City Unified	Hillside Elementary
San Diego	Poway Unified	Del Sur Elementary
San Francisco	San Francisco Unified	Clarendon Alternative Elementary
San Mateo	Las Lomitas Elementary	La Entrada Middle
Santa Clara	Cupertino Union	Nelson S. Dilworth Elementary
Santa Clara	Los Altos	Ardis G. Egan Junior High
Santa Clara	Los Altos	Georgina P. Blach Junior High
Santa Clara	Santa Clara County Office of Education	Bullis Purissima Charter

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Training Our Way to a New Oligarchy? Not Yet! | Life at the Intersections

Training Our Way to a New Oligarchy? Not Yet! | Life at the Intersections:

TRAINING OUR WAY TO A NEW OLIGARCHY? NOT YET!

Students in Jefferson County, Colo protest forced changes in U.S. History standards by local school board. Credit: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images

 In Texas and now in Colorado conservatives on the far right have been in a panic about history students actually learning history. Whether being earnest in their own beliefs or being duped by corporate propaganda efforts, these conservatives want desperately to put a lid on history study at the high school level that might explore all of American history.
Top-down prescriptions

Prescriptive plans that call for studying the conservative heroes from the past only, downplaying the progressive leaders, and not studying any wrongs or failures in America’s past have been handed down from the Texas State School Board, producing embarrassingly stupid textbook passages that seem more like spoofs generated by The Onion rather than a statewide school board.

All of this has to do with feverish efforts to establish a new American oligarchy — which is the dominant, systemic rule by a wealthy minority.

Wait. An oligarchy? In the U.S.?

And if “new”, when was the last one?

Oligarchy in our past? Oh, yes!

The U.S. last saw an oligarchy in the pre-Civil-War Southern slave states where only 10% of its population controlled 90% of the wealth and controlled all decision-making and education in that society. That 10% was made up of self-perpetuating wealth within the same families and based upon inherited slaves, with little chance of anyone outside of those families moving up into their ranks, except by marriage.

All white residents in those states for multiple generations where taught from childhood that they owed their loyalty to that 10%. Thus, a bloody Civil War was gladly fought mostly by men who had never owned even one slave, but were taught and believed that they were fighting for their state, or some concept as “states rights”.

In actuality, they were fighting, suffering and dying for a small, powerful oligarchy who would rather start a war against other Training Our Way to a New Oligarchy? Not Yet! | Life at the Intersections:

Tuck, Torlakson debate union power, lawsuit | EdSource

Tuck, Torlakson debate union power, lawsuit | EdSource:



Tuck, Torlakson debate union power, lawsuit

http://www.tomtorlakson.com/

 The two candidates for state superintendent of public instruction disagreed on the condition of K-12 education in California, the influence of teachers unions and which of them is best qualified for the job at a forum Saturday in Burlingame, the last scheduled joint appearance before the Nov. 4 election.

Incumbent Tom Torlakson cited “real progress” in restoring money to schools, shifting to new academic standards and increasing high school graduation rates to a record level as indications that schools are headed in the right direction. “This is not the time to put progress at risk,” he said at an hour-long head-to-head debate.

His challenger, Marshall Tuck, cited the need for “fundamental, comprehensive change” to improve academic performance that he said has been stagnant for 20 years – a reference to the state’s performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress – and has left 2.5 million students failing to read and write  at grade level. He cast blame on “the same Sacramento leadership” of  “insiders,  politicians and business as usual” that he identified with Torlakson.

As he has done throughout his campaign, Tuck condemned Torlakson’s appeal of a Superior Court judge’s ruling in

Vergara v. the State of California, overturning laws creating tenure in two years, governing dismissals and requiring layoffs by seniority. Those laws, he said, “have led us to a situation where we can’t have an effective teacher in the classroom” and are “crushing the hopes” of the state’s most challenged students. He cited personal frustration in having to tell a great teacher that he would be laid off, while a less effective teacher with more seniority would stay. He said he would drop the Vergara appeal if he were elected. (The case would still proceed, since Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Teachers Association have also filed an appeal.)

Torlakson agreed that when “teachers are not up to it, move them out” and said that he wrote and helped pass a law this year making it easier to fire “ineffective and abusive teachers.” The bill, AB 215, by Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, dealt primarily with teachers charged with abuse, not poor performance. But Torlakson also said, “Teachers need a fair hearing when their job is on the line” and dismissed the Vergara lawsuit as blaming teachers for problems facing schools. The way to improve the workforce, he said, is “investing in teachers, giving them the resources they need.” He pointed to his Blueprint for Great Schools, the product of a task force he created, which makes recommendations for attracting

teachers, then training and retaining them throughout their careers.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan parents group Educate Our State and the Santa Clara County Office of Education co-sponsored the event, Tuck, Torlakson debate union power, lawsuit | EdSource:

The Fight for Public Education: Coming to a School Near You! | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

The Fight for Public Education: Coming to a School Near You! | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity:

The Fight for Public Education: Coming to a School Near You!

Publication Date: 

 Tue, 2014-09-30

Philadelphia's schools opened at the start of this school year in the midst of a funding crisis. While state lawmakers dragged their heels on a proposed cigarette tax to provide money for the city's schools, parents, students and teachers took to the streets for a week of protests to demand the full, fair funding their schools deserve. The Media Mobilizing Project captured the week of protests in this great new video:

9-30-14 Wait What? - Will Foley or Malloy join Visconti in protecting parental rights?

Wait What?:

Common Core Testing – Will Foley or Malloy join Visconti in protecting parental rights?

To date, the only Connecticut gubernatorial candidate on the November 2014 ballot that is publicly committed to protecting the right of parents to opt their children out of the inappropriate and unfair Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Test (SBAC) is petitioning candidate Joe Visconti. With Connecticut public schools wasting more and more taxpayer funds and […] The post Common Core Testing –

11 by jonpelto / 6min 

9-29-14 Wait What? - All Week

Wait What?: Why Connecticut Teachers SHOULD NOT VOTE for Governor MalloyHere is a long but important blog.  If you are a teacher, parents or supporter of public education, please take the time to read it. On Friday night the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Education Association voted, on behalf of their 45,000 members, to endorse Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy. With that move, the CEA […] The

by mike simpson / 4min 

Reading Requires Outside Knowledge | Truth in American Education

Reading Requires Outside Knowledge | Truth in American Education:

Reading Requires Outside Knowledge

Filed in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on September 30, 2014 • 0 Comments

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Daniel Willingham is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and he wrote a piece at Real Clear Education entitled “Common Core and ‘Close Reading’: Effectiveness Questionable without Outside Knowledge” that is worth a read.

He points out that close reading entails rereading the text kids are working with and then dealing mainly with the author’s words in the text.  Both of these he says are good practices (and I agree).

It is the third component of close reading that he has an issue with.  Willingham writes:

…we will view a text as being self-contained. We will only draw conclusions that are defensible via the author’s words. In fact, we will read the text as though we know nothing about the subject at hand; the author’s words will be not only necessary for our interpretation, we’ll consider them sufficient.

It’s that last bit that seems crazy to me.

Rereading? Sure. Paying close attention to the author’s words? Great idea. But pretending that one’s knowledge is not relevant to interpreting a text conflicts with how writers write and with how readers read.

Writers count on their audience to bring knowledge to bear on the text.

….

So the nature of writing and the nature of reading seem contrary to one aspect of close reading, namely, the idea that we can put a fence around a text, and read it only with reference to the contents of the text.

….

Except in very restricted academic settings — that is, among people who like close reading — it’s not obvious to me how this sort of reading will serve students well.

Careful study of language, focus on the author’s words, assumption that rereading pays off: yes. Excluding knowledge outside of the text: no.

Read the rest.

HT: Education in Iowa – Karen W looks at video of a close reading exercise with 4th graders. It’s worth taking a look.Reading Requires Outside Knowledge | Truth in American Education:

Is the Impact of Charters Schools on Achievement a Big Lie? | Cloaking Inequity

Is the Impact of Charters Schools on Achievement a Big Lie? | Cloaking Inequity:

Is the Impact of Charters Schools on Achievement a Big Lie?

I have been called a charter school “lover” and a charter school “hater” in the same week. Are both true? Neither? I think we as a society must be pragmatic on charters. I recently had a conversation with my grandmother, who was a lifelong educator at a middle school in Saginaw, Michigan. She explained to me that based on what she had read in the newspapers and seen on TV— that charters schools had some promise. I think the jury is still out. In this post I will introduce my podcast on the education view on charters, include a new review of charters schools and student achievement released by the National Education Policy Center and then conclude with my comments on the new Edweek blog .

First here is a link to my interview with the Educational View on holding charters accountability for equity. I based my conversation on the post Don’t Trust Charters More than a Sweaty Used Car Salesman (A Citizen Research Template) where I lay out a citizen research template for parents and other stakeholders to study and understand the equity context for any particular charter school or charter chain. Click the link in the tweet below for the five minute broadcast.

Today, NEPC released a review of the CRPE report entitled A Meta-Analysis of the Literature on the Effect of Charter Schools on Student Achievement CPRE argued that,

• Charter schools on average produce results that are at least on par with and, in many cases, better than district-run public schools

• Charter schools are producing higher achievement gains in math relative to their district-run counterparts in most grade levels, particularly in middle school, and gains in reading that are similar to district-run schools in reading

• Charter school effect size has risen for both math and reading over time, though this trend is not statistically significant

• A small and growing body of literature on the relationship between charter school attendance and outcomes apart from achievement finds further evidence of large positive impacts of charter schools on high school graduation, college enrollment, and behavioral issues

The National Education Policy Center commissioned a peer review of Is the Impact of Charters Schools on Achievement a Big Lie? | Cloaking Inequity:

9-30-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet:

What is a STEM occupation?

A recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau said that 74 percent of all people who hold bachelor’s degrees in the four STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and math — don’t have jobs in what are considered to be STEM occupations. So with a big national push to get young people to move into […]

by Valerie Strauss / 8min 

Professor: Why I tell students to become teachers — even though the profession is under assault

Why, given the continuing assault on the teaching profession, would anyone suggest to young people that they consider becoming teachers? Here’s why, from Mark Naison, a professor of African American Studies and History at Fordham University and director of Fordham’s Urban Studies Program. He is the author of three books and over 100 articles on […]

1 by Valerie Strauss / 9min

9-29-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet: Why the kids who most need arts education aren’t getting itThough the benefits of art education are very real (see here for a list of 10), it is one of the big, unfortunate casualties of the high-stakes testing era, with its laser focus on math and English Language Arts — especially in schools with big populations of students who live in poverty. Just how effective […]74 by Valerie S

by mike simpson / 9min