Saturday, January 1, 2011

Update: New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools


From Principals, Ideas for New City Schools Chief - NYTimes.com

From Principals, Ideas for New City Schools Chief - NYTimes.com

Chancellor Black: Please Consider This

Eric Michael Johnson for The New York Times

Clockwise from top left: Edward Tom, Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics; Maxine Nodel, Millennium Art Academy; Philip Weinberg, High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology; Dr. Samona Tait, Bronx Preparatory Charter School; Dr. Gregory Hodge, Frederick Douglass Academy; Lisa Ripperger, Public School 234.

MONDAY is Cathleen P. Black’s first day of school — running them, that is. As Ms. Black, a longtime magazine executive, takes over as chancellor of the New York City school system, we asked some of the city’s most respected principals to give her some advice.

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Many of those interviewed were sharply critical of the city’s formula for grading schools on a scale of A through F, and expressed hope that Ms. Black might steer the focus away from standardized tests. Others begged her to do more listening to parents, teachers and principals. One warning sign: several principals said they were afraid to be quoted. “She’s going to be

The Texas Tribune: Universities Are Challenged as Demographics Shift

As the University of Texas has enrolled more minority students, pressure has emerged to make sure the college culture adjusts and to ensure they graduate on time.


Deborah Loewenberg Ball: The Cost of Education Wars

Deborah Loewenberg Ball: The Cost of Education Wars

The Cost of Education Wars

What's Your Reaction:

America's educational leaders seem to be experts at starting and fighting wars over our children's education, rather than experts in building it.

In the 1980s we fought the reading wars, and in the 1990s, we battled over mathematics: Do students learn to read out of their experience with language or should they be taught phonics? Do reading textbooks do the best job, or is it more effective to get children to read voluminously? In math, we argued about whether "real world problems" should drive the curriculum, and fought about whether it was useful to let students invent their own methods for calculation.

And these wars had costs. American students were, overall, neither learning to read or to do math well enough. The education wars absorbed resources that could have been better deployed in

Dad at the Chalkboard: The New Years Resolution or Why I Happily Lie to Myself.

Dad at the Chalkboard: The New Years Resolution or Why I Happily Lie to Myself.

The New Years Resolution or Why I Happily Lie to Myself.

"To lose those ten pounds...or fifteen...or twenty...or fifty."

"To read more than just the spare magazines in my doctor's office."

"To be a better person by spending time with my annoying ____________ (fill in family members name)."

"To give more to charity and less to the guys at Saturday night poker."

"To stop stalking housewives shopping at the local mall in their pajama jeans."

"To learn a foreign language so I can understand the

School District Moves Slowly to Manage Its Real Estate - The Bay Citizen

School District Moves Slowly to Manage Its Real Estate - The Bay Citizen

School District Moves Slowly to Manage Its Real Estate

Despite being one of the largest financially struggling landowners in the city, the San Francisco Unified School District has largely failed to actively manage its holdings, leaving a number of valuable properties idle for years. Decades of declining enrollment led the district to acknowledge in 2007 that roughly 20 percent of its holdings had little or no educational use. It also designated 10 vacant or underused properties as surplus and concluded that selling them would net an estimated $134 million, plus millions more in property tax revenue. But interviews and records show that the district has moved slowly since then to sell or lease the properties. None of them have been sold. Last year, the district cut its real estate department director, who had been in charge of overseeing the

The Answer Sheet - Goofy: Teachers are people too

The Answer Sheet - Goofy: Teachers are people too

Goofy: Teachers are people too

By Valerie Strauss

Because so much in school reform seems goofy to me, here's Goofy in a short 1952 film about being a teacher.

Happy New Year.

By Valerie Strauss | January 1, 2011; 3:00 PM ET
Categories: Teachers | Tags: being a teacher, goofy