College Education- Who Benefits? | educarenow

College Education- Who Benefits? | educarenow:

College Education- Who Benefits?

Posted on September 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

I continue to be disappointed by the quality of questions the national media is asking around the issue of education. Latest case in point?  The cover of Newsweek’s September 10 edition, which blares, Is College a Lousy Investment?   Such a question assumes that the purpose of a college education is simply to provide an income.  A college education is reduced to being a very personal choice (in that it is a choice that affects only the potential attendee of college) and a very utilitarian, economic choice.  College serves to financially benefit the student.  That is all.  It simply becomes vocational training on steroids.

If we look a little bit deeper into the purpose of an education, we find that we end up with a different question in regards to college financing.

For the sake of my argument, let’s assume two things about a college education’s purpose.

1.  A quality education allows one to come closer to living what has historically 

School Tech Connect: If You're Ready To Pounce

School Tech Connect: If You're Ready To Pounce:

If You're Ready To Pounce

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

I have now received my third text message asking me how I'm going to vote in the House of Delegates.

Friends, relatives, countrymen---- I'm not even in the union. I work in Skokie.

Let me say this, though. I've seen some bold advice around the blogosphere, and I'm sure that there are people ready to pounce on Karen Lewis and the delegates no matter what the outcome. I'll just say that it's one thing to have an opinion, but it's another to have your own job on the line, and it's quite another to lead 30,000 people out 

UPDATE: Diane in the Afternoon 9-15-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Correction: Chicago Teacher Salary Average Is $74,000

by dianerav

It became commonplace in he media to say over and over that the average salary for Chicago teachers is $71,000-$76,000.
I heard this and didn’t question it. I didn’t think it was inappropriate or extravagant as compensation for a 

Who Are the Members of Florida’s Board of Education?

by dianerav

This blogger wondered who was appointed to the Florida state board. This is a powerful board that selects the state commissioner of education and sets policy for the children, teachers, and schools of the state. The board has given the green light to charters, vouchers, online schools, for-profit schools, any alternative that anyone can 

What Pedro Noguera Got Wrong about Chicago Strike

by dianerav

Michael Klonsky in Chicago disagrees with Pedro Noguera’s views in the Nation about the Chicago teachers’ strike. Here he sets the record straight:
Pedro Noguera claims that the CTU, “has not been willing to acknowledge that more learning time and a clear and fair basis for judging teacher effectiveness are legitimate issues that must be addressed.”
I’m a big fan of Pedro but his latest criticism of the union is not only ill-timed, but dead wrong as well. The union doesn’t oppose “more learning time” for students as Pedro Claims. From the start, they supported the idea of a 

Can Great Teaching Overcome Poverty?

by dianerav

Alex Kotlowitz asks this important question in the New York Times on Sunday.
The question is important for several reasons.
First, because the self-proclaimed reformers assert that great teachers can and do overcome poverty. You might say that this slogan is their anti-poverty program. Wendy Kopp, Bill Gates, and Arne Duncan have all said on many occasions that if there is a “great” teacher in every classroom, that will take care of poverty. Or, in a variation, fix the schools first, then fix poverty.
They never explain how a great teacher overcomes homelessness, hunger, poor health, and other conditions 

What’s Missing in Chicago Debate

by dianerav

Pedro Noguera knows that closing public schools and shifting kids to charter schools is not a remedy to the huge economic and social problems of Chicago.
What else is needed?

A NYC Parent Replies to Mike Petrilli

by dianerav

Jan Carr is a NYC public school parent and a children’s book author. I have met her at parent events in NYC.
Last week she posted about the harm done by standardized testing and other of the “reforms” of our time, and especially about the inability of teachers to focus on critical thinking.
At my invitation, Mike Petrilli responded.
That led to a good discussion.
Jan responded too. Here is what ahe said:
Diane, thanks for sending out my blog post. It’s interesting for me to read Mr. Petrilli’s response as well as the 

How Are Teachers in Finland Evaluated?

by dianerav

Amanda Ripley, who usually writes pro-corporate reform articles in TIME, has an article in the Wall Street Journal about how teachers in other nations embrace “reform.”
Her first example is Finland.
That is a curious example for a devotee of today’s carrot-and-stick reforms because Finland would never permit a teacher with five weeks of training to teach. As she notes, they must complete a rigorous four-year college program PLUS a master’s degree. There is no “Teach for Finland.”
Furthermore, there is NO standardized testing in Finland. Ripley doesn’t mention that.
And teachers are not evaluated by the test scores of their students, because

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-16-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Five Things You Should Know About Teachers by dianerav Just received in the email an interesting commentary: *If you’ve been trying to talk politics with teachers lately, you know that many seemingly neutral statements have become political land mines.* *In spite of a few divisive issues, however, teachers still share a lot of common ground that can lead to productive discussions.* *Below you will find five statements almost all teachers agree with. They are also addressed in this 11-minute, * This House ... more »

Democracy breaks out in Chicago. Many surprised, not having seen it before. « Fred Klonsky

Democracy breaks out in Chicago. Many surprised, not having seen it before. « Fred Klonsky:

Democracy breaks out in Chicago. Many surprised, not having seen it before.

by Fred Klonsky

He’s an idiot.
I have negotiated many contracts.
We went out on strike over one.
The membership rejected one that our team brought back.
I never make public judgments about what the union members anywhere decide to do about a bargained contract. Their contract.
The Chicago CTU House of Delegates just voted minutes ago to take time to read the deal and vote on Tuesday.

Chicago Teachers Union | House of Delegates Votes to Continue Strike

Chicago Teachers Union | House of Delegates Votes to Continue Strike:

House of Delegates Votes to Continue Strike

09/16/2012

Some 800 delegates of the Chicago Teachers Union duly elected from each school and workplace convened Sunday afternoon to discuss the framework established during negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Board of Education. Officers presented a 23-page document outlining the most important points of the agreement whose outline has been worked out between the two parties. That tentative agreement is expected to number over 180 pages.

After a civil and frank discussion, the House of Delegates voted NOT to suspend the strike, but to allow two more days for delegates to take the information back to the picket lines and hold discussions with the over 26,000 members throughout Chicago. Teachers and school staff will return to the picket lines of the schools at which they teach at 7:30 a.m. Monday and, after picketing together, will meet to share and discuss the proposal. Citywide members will picket at the Chicago Public Schools Headquarters, 125 South Clark, at 7:30 a.m. and will meet thereafter at a downtown location.

“This union is a democratic institution, which values the opportunity for all members to make decisions together. The officers of this union follow the lead of our members,” President Lewis said. She continued, “the issues raised in this contract were too important, had consequences too profound for the future of our public education system and for educational fairness for our students, parents and members for us to simply take a quick vote based on a short discussion. Therefore, a clear majority voted to take this time and we are unified in this decision.”

The delegates voted to reconvene and decide how to proceed on Tuesday afternoon.

Previous Post: House of Delegates to review new contract language this Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Schools Matter: Rothstein Considers the First Teacher Strike Against Corporate Education Reform's Notion of Accountability

Schools Matter: Rothstein Considers the First Teacher Strike Against Corporate Education Reform's Notion of Accountability:

Rothstein Considers the First Teacher Strike Against Corporate Education Reform's Notion of Accountability

by Jim Horn

From Economic Policy Institute by Richard Rothstein:

Teacher accountability and the Chicago teachers strike

Posted September 14, 2012 at 9:56 am by RICHARD ROTHSTEIN

It was bound to happen, whether in Chicago or elsewhere. What is surprising about the Chicago teachers’ strike is that something like this did not happen sooner.

The strike represents the first open rebellion of teachers nationwide over efforts to evaluate, punish and reward them based on their students’ scores on standardized tests of low-level basic skills in math and reading. Teachers’ discontent has been simmering now for a decade, but it took a well-organized union to give that discontent practical expression. For those who have doubts about why teachers need 

Louisiana Educator: Follow Up on Choice Course Program

Louisiana Educator: Follow Up on Choice Course Program:

Follow Up on Choice Course Program

by Michael Deshotels

Dear Ms Dastugue and BESE Members:

I have received the responses to my questions to BESE about choice course regulations. It is my understanding that President Dastugue directed Ms Pozniak (BESE Executive Director) to answer my questions according to BESE policy as it will be applied to choice courses for the 2013-14 school year.

I was disappointed by the lack of substance and accountability of BESE policy on choice courses as interpreted by Ms Pozniak in her answers to the questions. My major concern is that the application of BESE policy described does not seem to require students to attend a minimum number of hours of instruction in order to 

Not So Hot for Teacher - NYTimes.com

Not So Hot for Teacher - NYTimes.com:

Not So Hot for Teacher

Illustration by Tom Gauld

By ELIZABETH ALSOP

Published: September 14, 2012 Comment

In his State of the Union address in 2011, President Obama made a point of applauding the nation’s teachers and exhorted Americans to do the same. “In South Korea,” Obama reminded us, “teachers are known as ‘nation builders.’ . . . It’s time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect.”

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Out in TV land, however, we’ve been receiving a different message. In the past few years, viewers saw teachers turning tricks (“Hung”), dealing drugs (“Breaking Bad”) and taunting overweight students (“The Big C”). All, of course, while not teaching. In the opening episode of “The Big C,” a student in Cathy Jamison’s summer-school course asks, “Are you going to teach us anything today?”

“Have I ever taught you anything, really?” Jamison counters, before queuing up a DVD 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Arne Duncan's Vision of Community Schools Realized? Dinner Now Served at Schools.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Arne Duncan's Vision of Community Schools Realized? Dinner Now Served at Schools.:

Arne Duncan's Vision of Community Schools Realized? Dinner Now Served at Schools.

by stlgretchen

Parents don't have to figure out dinner menus. What a deal.

What are food stamps for?....one reader asks in this Ann Althouse blog Who Gets Free School Dinner in Madison Wisconsin:

"Unlike the lunch program, eligibility for a free dinner is based on whether the school qualifies for the program based on school poverty rates, rather than the income level of an individual student. So any student participating in an eligible after-school program can eat the dinner meal for free."

Eligible schools for the dinner program must have at least 50 percent of students qualify as low-income. In Madison last year, 18 elementary schools, seven middle schools and East 

British journalist: Chicago teachers’ strike touches on far-reaching issues | The Raw Story

British journalist: Chicago teachers’ strike touches on far-reaching issues | The Raw Story:

British journalist: Chicago teachers’ strike touches on far-reaching issues

By Arturo Garcia
Sunday, September 16, 2012 15:39 EDT

 

Topics: british journalist ♦ chicago public schools ♦ Chicago teachers

 

As Chicago teachers prepared to vote on a tentative agreement to end their weeklong strike, a British journalist appearing on Up With Chris Hayes Sunday said the issues at hand — not only teachers’ pay but evaluation standards, working conditions and government investment — are not just in play in their city.

“This conversation is taking place all over America and actually pretty much all over the western world,” said Gary Younge, a columnist for The Guardian. “There’s a similar conversation going on in my home country of Britain, which is, a withdrawal of education as a public good, something that is free at the point of service, which is good for the public. Instead, [we're seeing] the introduction of for-profit privatization and rote testing, particularly for poor kids. The rich kids get their art, they get their libraries, they get all of that.”

During the discussion, guest host Sam Seder referred to a blog post by one of the teachers taking

Raw Story (http://s.tt/1nvDJ)

There Is No Going Back - Woodbridge, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

There Is No Going Back - Woodbridge, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators:

Looking Ahead

There Is No Going Back

I spent time this weekend visiting a place that has been very significant to me, especially over the last year. I did it to come to terms with the fact that I can’t go ba­ck.

I know they say you can’t go home again. But I found I could go home again when I returned to Massachusetts in the early two-thousands. So I thought I could apply this here. I was wrong.

This visit, my best friend was no longer available to me. The sights didn’t seem as exciting. The food didn’t seem as great. Nothing matched my memories. I was simply visiting a place that used to be where I felt grounded…and now I’m just a visitor.

I share this with you because, as we move forward into whatever the future holds for us as educators and as citizens, as much as we want to…we can’t go back. Our memories are wonderful, our intentions are laudable, but the reality is once things have changed for us there is no going back…because there is no way to recreate the people and circumstances that came 

Walk On

I spent time this weekend visiting a place that has been very significant to me, especially over the last year. I did it to come to terms with the fact that I can’t go ba­ck.

I know they say you can’t go home again. But I found I could go home again when I returned to Massachusetts in the early two-thousands. So I thought I could apply this here. I was wrong.

This visit, my best friend was no longer available to me. The sights didn’t seem as exciting. The food didn’t seem as great. Nothing matched my memories. I was simply visiting a place that used to be where I felt grounded…and now I’m just a visitor.

I share this with you because, as we move forward into whatever the future holds for us as educators and as citizens, as much as we want to…we can’t go back. Our memories are 

Walk On - Woodbridge, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators http://bit.ly/QuMUV2

All Eyes On Chicago « Raginghorseblog

All Eyes On Chicago « Raginghorseblog:

All Eyes On Chicago

September 16, 2012

In early July of 1892 an event took place in the industrial town of Homestead, Pennsylvania that would define labor and management relations across the United States for decades to come.
A violent and bloody battle between Andrew Carnegie’s Homestead Steel Works and the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (an early incarnation of the United Steel Workers),  the Homestead Strike of 1892 was a demarcation, a line in the sand, and a tragedy for the American labor movement.

Orchestrated by Henry Clay Frick, whom a vacationing nominally pro-labor Carnegie placed in charge of operations, Frick was resolved, at any cost, to break the union at 

How reformers (unfortunately) get captivated by experimental technology - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

How reformers (unfortunately) get captivated by experimental technology - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

How reformers (unfortunately) get captivated by experimental technology

By Valerie Strauss

Because teacher evaluation is such an important part of school reform and at the center of the Chicago teachers strike, I have published several pieces on the issue in the last week, here and her e and here. Below is a new historical look on the subject. It was written by Jack Schneider and Ethan Hutt.

Schneider is an assistant professor of education at the College of the Holy Cross and author of “Excellence For All: How a New Breed of Reformers Is Transforming America’s Public Schools.” Hutt is a doctoral candidate at the Stanford University School of Education and has been named “one of the world’s best emerging social entrepreneurs” by the Echoing Green Foundation. A version of this appeared on Larry Cuban’s blog on School Reform and Classroom Practice. Cuban is a former high school social studies teacher (14 years, including seven in Washington D.C.), district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, 

What research really says on teacher evaluation

by Valerie Strauss

The Chicago teachers strike has put the issue of teacher evaluation front and center in the education debate. The popular “value added” method of using student standardized test scores to figure out how effective a teacher is highly controversial; I wrote about it here. Here is a new important look by an education expert, Richard Rothstein.
Read full article >>

Why people look down on teachers

by Valerie Strauss

The Chicago teachers strike has raised a lot of passions about teachers and their unions, the issue taken up here by Corey Robin, an associate professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center.
Read full article >>

Meet Ashley, a great teacher with a bad ‘value-added’ score

by Valerie Strauss

How teachers are evaluated has become one of the big issues in the ongoing strike by Chicago public school teachers as well as in the many debates on school reform being conducted around the country.
Assessment experts say that the method of using student standardized scores to gauge a teacher’s effectiveness is unreliable, but reformers still insist on using this “value-added” method of evaluation. Some reformers, such as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, want as much as half of a teacher’s evaluation to be linked to student test scores.
Read full article >>

Democurmudgeon: Charter and Voucher school success Measured by Enrollment, not Grades!!

Democurmudgeon: Charter and Voucher school success Measured by Enrollment, not Grades!!:

Charter and Voucher school success Measured by Enrollment, not Grades!!

by Democurmudgeon

Almost all the media coverage surrounding charter schools, oddly steers clear of their successes and failures, and focuses mostly on their increased enrollment.  And it’s always deceptively packaged it as an educational “sign of success.”

Make it your own test as well, when you read articles about charter and voucher schools.

A perfect example made its way into Education Week recently. Look for any mention of grades. Click on the 

msnbc tv: Teaching conditions on the line in Chicago strikes

msnbc tv: Teaching conditions on the line in Chicago strikes:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Privateers and Public Education: They Want the Money | Firedoglake

Privateers and Public Education: They Want the Money | Firedoglake:

Privateers and Public Education: They Want the Money

by Glenn W. Smith

Message scrawled on temp classroom, Pershing Jr. High

It’s not hard to pierce the rotten veil of today’s so-called public education reformers. Some corporate hacks see all that money spent on public education and, as is their habit, they set out to get it.
First, they embarrass teachers and schools with ridiculous, destructive high-stakes tests and rigged “accountability” measures. Second, create an awkward, exploitative alliance with home-schoolers and religious-based private schools to advance corporate-owned alternatives: vouchers, charter schools and virtual schools.
Let’s put it plainly. This conservative reform movement has come to bury public education not to save it. It is no more complicated than that. It’s simple, but it’s a hard message to communicate because to most Americans it seems so un-American it can’t be true. But it is true.
Chicago teachers, who have reached a tentative agreement in their dispute with Rahm Emanuel’s privateers,