#StackRanking and Other Immoral Horrors: The Invisible Hands and Invisible Morals of Bill and Melinda Gates | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates

#StackRanking and Other Immoral Horrors: The Invisible Hands and Invisible Morals of Bill and Melinda Gates | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates:

#StackRanking and Other Immoral Horrors: The Invisible Hands and Invisible Morals of Bill and Melinda Gates

Posted on December 21, 2013by Teachers'LettersToBillGates

Dear Bill and Melinda,

I would like to explore the cause and effect of your Microsoft system of stack ranking on the lives of children and teachers.  What happens when your actual policies don’t match your “advertised” ideology?  What brings you both to speak so moralistically and yet act so immorally?   Do your “invisible hands” lead to your invisible morals? How has public education evolved to become so impersonal while you label your reforms as “personalized learning”? Intent is very hard to prove,  but what can explain this paradox?

Why do you force an impersonal, punitive system of stack ranking and what you call “personalized learning” onto “other people’s children“ and teachers in America’s public schools, but not onto your own children?  (Note:  As Pasi Sahlberg explains in Global Education Reform Movement, I realize it is important not to nationalize corporate education reform, but for the purposes of this letter, I will focus on US public schools and society).

There is a very wide achievement gap between your personal moralistic mottoes – your moral WORDS  - and your impersonal immoral ACTIONS. Your actions don’t match your words, Mr. and Mrs. Gates.  Through your words you pretend to give us all “what we want”, what SELLS; the touchy-feely script that leads readers to think you are grounded in morality.  While those of us who are professional educators can agree – you are no expert on education; you are an expert at propaganda. Through your actions you behave immorally and impersonally as pure capitalists.

“Personalized Learning”

Here’s one example of this mismatch of words and actions.  How about these “cubicles for kids“ for impersonal? And yet you call this type of education “personalized learning“?   Is 

12-21-13 Saturday Matinée Special Double Feature News Breakout

Saturday Matinée Special Corporate Reform School Girls News Breakout

Special  Sneak Preview - 

Witch Hunter 

starring Campbell Brown 

 News Break

Coming to a theater near you!

:Variation Found in Rates of Restraint and Seclusion Among Students With a Disability | The Carsey Institute

Publications | The Carsey Institute:  Publication Title:Variation Found in Rates of Restraint and Seclusion Among Students With a DisabilityRegion:NationalPublication Type:Issue BriefPublication Number:67Publication Date:December 27, 2013Publication PDF:Download PDFAbstract:The restraint and seclusion of individuals—practices usually associated with highly restrictive environments—are extreme resp

by mike simpson / 7min 

Math topics that need to be put out of their misery. Part 2: Absolute value | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

Math topics that need to be put out of their misery. Part 2: Absolute value | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: Math topics that need to be put out of their misery. Part 2: Absolute valueThe old math standards, say common core defenders, were “a mile wide and an inch deep.”  I’m inclined to agree with this.  Too many topics and too little time led to teachers having no choice but to teach many topics at a s

by mike simpson / 42min 

Sometimes it’s all about the chairs | Connected Principals

Sometimes it’s all about the chairs | Connected Principals: Sometimes it’s all about the chairsby Ron Sherman • December 21, 2013 • 0 CommentsI can recall the first time I toured my school, being struck by the fact that there was a lot of stuff there.  I mean, a lot.  Storage rooms were filled with unopened manipulatives; curriculum guides from the 1990s, still in the shrink wrap.  Files, books, p

by mike simpson / 1h 

Is California “Common Core Unrest State # 23″? | deutsch29

Is California “Common Core Unrest State # 23″? | deutsch29: Is California “Common Core Unrest State # 23″?December 21, 2013In response to my post, UPDATE: Common Core Unrest in 22 States, I received the following comment:You should include California. It is the sleeping giant that no one is paying attention to and here is why: First, this past summer, California Republican Party overwhelmingly pas

by mike simpson / 2h 

Some Thoughts on Meghan Murphy, Internet Ethics, and the Morality of Quoting |

Some Thoughts on Meghan Murphy, Internet Ethics, and the Morality of Quoting |: Some Thoughts on Meghan Murphy, Internet Ethics, and the Morality of QuotingDecember 21, 2013 in StudentsSo last night, as the internet explosion over Justine Sacco was petering out, I got a series of tweets from Meghan Murphy.Ironically, in light of what follows, I can’t quote them since she’s (I assume unrelatedly) l

by mike simpson / 3h 

China Moon Landing: 'Jade Rabbit' Rover Basks in Lunar Bay of Rainbows | Space.com

China Moon Landing: 'Jade Rabbit' Rover Basks in Lunar Bay of Rainbows | Space.com: China Moon Landing: 'Jade Rabbit' Rover Basks in Lunar Bay of RainbowsBy Leonard David, SPACE.com's Space Insider ColumnistChina's lunar rover Yutu ("Jade Rabbit") is seen by a camera on the country's Chang'e 3 lander after both successfully landed on the moon together on Dec. 14, 2013. It is China's firs

by mike simpson / 3h 

2nd Banana 12-21-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #RealEdTalk #p2 #1u

BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANARECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTSpecial Late Nite Cap UPDATE 12-16-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMThe 2013 Legislative Audit of Louisiana Voucher SchoolsOn December 11, 2013, Louisiana Legislative Auditor (LLA) Daryl Purpera released the 2013 Performance Audit of Louisiana’s voucher program. The purpose of t

by mike simpson / 3h 

Morning Wink 12-21-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSNYC Educator: BREAKING: Bloomberg Says God Wants Bill de Blasio Homeless, Declares Martial LawNYC Educator: BREAKING: Bloomberg Says God Wants Bill de Blasio Homeless, Declares Martial Law: BREAKING: Bloomberg Says God Wants Bill de Blasio Homeless, Declares Martial LawIn a surprise move, Mayor Michael Bloomberg today announced that he had decided to void

by mike simpson / 4h 

NYC Educator: BREAKING: Bloomberg Says God Wants Bill de Blasio Homeless, Declares Martial Law

NYC Educator: BREAKING: Bloomberg Says God Wants Bill de Blasio Homeless, Declares Martial Law: BREAKING: Bloomberg Says God Wants Bill de Blasio Homeless, Declares Martial LawIn a surprise move, Mayor Michael Bloomberg today announced that he had decided to void the recent mayoral election, and declared himself Mayor for Life. Mayor Bloomberg stated he was fully prepared to have his private army,

by mike simpson / 4h 

Edu Orgs Shortcomings | My Island View

Edu Orgs Shortcomings | My Island View: Edu Orgs ShortcomingsDecember 21, 2013 by tomwhitbyCollaborative learning has always been with us. Educators have for ages shared ideas and methods with other educators that they came in contact with on a face-to-face basis. Most educators insist that face to face connections are their best connections. Unfortunately, for some educators, it is their only for

by mike simpson / 4h 

De Blasio Launches Campaign for Universal Pre-School With this Video | janresseger

De Blasio Launches Campaign for Universal Pre-School With this Video | janresseger: De Blasio Launches Campaign for Universal Pre-School With this VideoPosted on December 21, 2013 by janressegerHere is the very lovely little video  that New York City mayor-elect, Bill de Blasio is using to promote his proposal for universal pre-school in New York City and after school programs for all students in

by mike simpson / 4h 

12-21-13 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:You Can Be Sure Florida Ed Policymakers Know All About NY’s Common Core’s Rocky RolloutMost of the politicians who have to face voters are survivalist, so you can be sure Florida’s -like, say, Rick Scott – are tuned into what happened in New York with the roll-out of Comm

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions Education This Week - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:Bill Introduced: S. 1796: STEM Gateways ActA bill to increase the participation of women, girls, and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, to encourage and support students from all economic backgrounds to pursue STEM career opportunities, and for other purposes.3d Bill Introduced: H.R. 3690: STEM Gateways ActTo increase the participation of women, gi

by mike simpson / 5h 

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 12-21-13

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:Woman Caught After 36 Years On The RunCheck this out you guys!Kathlyn Huff, 58, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, was arrested Tuesday, in her driveway, at her home – forcing her to finally face charges from a 1976 incident when she tried to kill her common-law husband by shooting him in the head. US Marshals tracked her across the country until her arrest this week. The wo

by mike simpson / 5h 

teacherken at Daily Kos This Week 12-21-13

teacherken at Daily Kos:teacherken at Daily Kos This WeekTeaching as a relationship of trustParker Palmer has been my guide in many things, especialy in the importance of relationship in teaching.  In his seminal work, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, he describes teaching as a series of overlapping relationships - between teacher and students, among the stu

by mike simpson / 5h 

With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week 12-21-13

With A Brooklyn Accent: With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week The Child Abuse Taking Place in our Classrooms - A Bronx Teacher Reflects on the Toll from Uncontrolled TestingI had a student leave my classroom in an ambulance last year during the middle of a practice test. He was having an asthma attack brought on by panic. He kept saying, "I can't do this." As his teacher, I knew him. I

by mike simpson / 5h 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 12-21-13

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer Sheet‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Phil Robertson: A former teacher with a master’s degree“Duck Dynasty’s” Phil Robertson, now  famously suspended from his family’s popular cable reality television show for making shockingly offensive remarks about blacks and gays in a GQ interview, once taught in Louisiana schools, has a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a mast

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership Society All Week

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:Schooling in the Ownership SocietyMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership SocietyUNO laying low 'til the heat blows overThe Reader's Ben Joravsky is at it again. He's still dogging UNO charter school hustlers who have handily ripped off the taxpayers for more than $98 million, thanks to the largesse of Gov. Quinn, Boss Madigan, and Mayor Emanuel.Ben tells

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?:  Wait What? All WeekFoxes guarding the chicken coop or Hartford politics as usual.With relatively little fan-fare last fall, Board of Education Chairman Matt Poland appointed a 13 member search committee to choose a new superintendent of schools for the Hartford School System. Poland, who is not only appointed to the Board of Education by Mayor Segarra, is also the Director of the Hart

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumYoo Hoo, Seattle Times and OSPI - See You in the New YearI called and left a message for two different people at OSPI today to get a comment about OSPI signing an agreement with the Seattle Times for student and teacher data (it was November 13, 2013 to be exact).  No one called back.I called and talked to Jim Simon, who is the managin

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlinePortelos Update: A Para for the Defense, Part 2The story below is a warning to anyone who might think that taxpayer supported DOE Legal has any interest in the truth.Part 1 is here: Portelos Update: A Para for the Defense, DOE Pulls Race Card, Theresa Europe Sits in to Intimidate Hearing OfficerPORTELOS HEARING DEC. 18, 2013CROSS EXAMINATION by DOE Legal Jordana She

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All WeekLocal Control Is a White People Thing: Ask Asbury ParkIs it wrong of me to feel a little embarrassed when someone catches something reformy going on in New Jersey that I completely missed? Luckily, some Facebook friends hipped me to this pick-up from the always excellent folks at Schools Matter, quoting the Asbury Park Press:ASBURY PARK — Where is the

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Fred All Week 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.: Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher The Stream is showing the Nekritz/Klonsky episode again on Sunday, December 22nd.  The Stream, Al Jazeera’s social media based show, which featured a hot debate between me and Illinois State Senator Elaine Nekritz, will be shown

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: Perdido Street School WeekCarol Burris: Tisch Did Blame Cuomo, But It Was Over APPR Teacher EvaluationsI managed to miss this tweet when I was writing up this morning's post about Andrew Cuomo going Corleone on Merryl Tisch over Common Core.First, let's recap the story:Newsday reported that a principal from a middle school in Red Hook said the following:Karyann (Katie) Zahed

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

THE BECOMING RADICALRadical Scholarshipthe becoming radical  A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by Supporting Common Core Is Supporting Entire Reform MachineSupporting Common Core is supporting either an increase or diversion of education tax dollars for funding CC-aligned textbooks, CC-aligned materials, CC-based high-stakes tests, CC-related teacher inservice and workshops, and expanded analysis

by mike simpson / 5h 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 12-21-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAYMy Favorite Posts In 2013 — Part TwoI regularly publish a list of my personal favorites posts during the year, and it’s usually my last annual “Best” list of the year. You might also be interested in: My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume One, focused on the year 2007 and includes a fair am

by mike simpson / 5h 

This Week's Education Research Report 12-21-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Education Research ReportTHIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORTPreparing for the Common Core: Using Performance Assessment Tasks for Professional DevelopmentPreparing for the Common Core: Using Performance Assessment Tasks for Professional Development presents findings from three school districts in California that piloted performance assessment tasks aligned to the Common Core State Standards. It

by mike simpson / 5h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 12-21-13

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  IT’S TIME TO INVESTIGATE PEARSON IN TEXAS, TOO …but why stop there? California’s nice this time of year!In New York the Pearson Foundation  illegally helped develop products for its corporate parent, including course materials and software.  That’s just as illegal in California  and violates the federal tax co

by mike simpson / 5h 

NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education 12-21-13

NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education:NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public EducationNPE News BriefsWhy No Common Core at the School The Obamas Chose for Their Children? | Diane Ravitch’s blogThis is a description of the philosophy of the lower school the Obamas chose for their children. Here is the academic program. No mention of the Common Core. Sounds like a wonderful

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-21-13 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekPearson's $300 Toll Road to TeachingIf you need some extra holiday cash, you might consider working part-time from home to help Pearson decide who will become teachers and who won't. It's easy--just complete a few online tutorials, and Pearson will send you a bunch of student teaching portfolios, complete with video clips of student teachers and classes with

by mike simpson / 5h 

All Week 12-21-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE Supporting Common Core Is Supporting Entire Reform MachineSupporting Common Core Is Supporting Entire Reform Machine. via Supporting Common Core Is Supporting Entire Reform Machine.by plthomasedd / 1h YESTERDAYUPDATE: Common Core Unrest in 22 StatesOn November 23, 2013, I wrote a post briefly detailing the 17 states in which official

by mike simpson / 5h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 12-21-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGWhy a D.C. Charter School Teacher ResignedCaleb Rossiter resigned as a math teacher at Friendship Public Charter School in D.C. He wrote an open letter to the Board of Trustees of the school explaining why. Here is a selection from his brutally frank letter. “I recently resigned from a position as a ninth grade Algebra 1

by mike simpson / 5h 

YESTERDAY

Daily Kos: Charles M. Blow on Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson

Daily Kos: Charles M. Blow on Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson: Charles M. Blow on Duck Dynasty's Phil RobertsonbyteacherkenFollowis a column well worth reading, in part because Blow, a black man, grew up about 50 miles from where Robertson is based.  He knows the Louisiana white culture, the history of the state with respect to segregation and discrimination (remember, Plessy v Ferguson is a case fr

by mike simpson / 15h 

CASU | CALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION : : Our struggles are one. Our victories are one. *** This site is currently under construction. Please bare with us as we update resources, links, etc. Thank you. ***

CASU | CALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION : : Our struggles are one. Our victories are one. *** This site is currently under construction. Please bare with us as we update resources, links, etc. Thank you. ***: CASU Fall Newsletter ‏ 2013Posted on September 4, 2013 by CASTUDENTUNION •Leave a commentHello all! I hope you’re having a great start to your fall semester! Below are some updates from CASU campuses

by mike simpson / 15h 

OSPI says KUOW data agreement story inaccurate | Education Lab Blog | Seattle Times

OSPI says KUOW data agreement story inaccurate | Education Lab Blog | Seattle Times: OSPI says KUOW data agreement story inaccuratePosted by Linda ShawThe state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) said Friday that a recent story aired by KUOW inaccurately asserted that a data agreement between OSPI and The Seattle Times authorized The Times to receive personally identifiable info

by mike simpson / 18h hide  //  save

Two-week delay in posting spending regulations for new K-12 funding formula | EdSource Today

Two-week delay in posting spending regulations for new K-12 funding formula | EdSource Today: Two-week delay in posting spending regulations for new K-12 funding formulaDecember 20th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John FensterwaldThere’ll be no pre-holiday look at the much-anticipated spending regulations for the Local Control Funding Formula. Instead, the draft rules for California’s new school finan

by mike simpson / 18h 

Nite Cap 12-20-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

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 mark as readChoosing Democracy: The Paucity of Dan Walters' Commentary on School IssuesChoosing Democracy: The Paucity of Dan Walters' Commentary on School Issues: The Paucity of Dan Walters' Commentary on School IssuesThe column by Dan Walters

by mike simpson / 21h