Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-22 #soschat #ReclaimingReform


Setting The Record Straight On Teacher Evaluations: Scoring and the Role of Standardized Exams | Edwize

Setting The Record Straight On Teacher Evaluations: Scoring and the Role of Standardized Exams | Edwize:Setting The Record Straight On Teacher Evaluations: Scoring and the Role of Standardized Examsby Leo Casey(This is the first of two posts on the new teacher evaluations, focusing on the overall scoring of the evaluations and the role of standardized exams. The second post will take up the question of appeals.)The 2010 law that established a new framework for the evaluation of New York educators ... more »

Geezer Teachers - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Geezer Teachers - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:Geezer Teachersby Nancy FlanaganIt went by so fast on my Twitter feed this morning that I can't even remember whose tweet it was--but the gist was this: "Career teachers" are becoming a thing of the past. Ouch.Is that true? Certainly seems so, if the modal number of years' teaching experience in public schools is one-point-something.In 1987-'88, the most common level of experience among the nation's 3 million K-12 public ... more »

Common Core Standards Cost Exceeds RTTT Stimulus Funds | Truth in American Education

Common Core Standards Cost Exceeds RTTT Stimulus Funds | Truth in American Education:Common Core Standards Cost Exceeds RTTT Stimulus Fundsby James BellStates and Localities Projected To Shed Lots of Dollars for the National StandardsThe Obama Administration spent an unprecedented $4.35 billion in Stimulus money to create an incentive for states to join the Common Core Standards and compete in the Race to the Top competition.All but five states (Virginia, Texas, Nebraska, Alaska, and Minnesota) jumped on the Common Core bandwagon, ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Literature Standards Provide Less Common Understanding

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Literature Standards Provide Less Common Understanding:Common Core Literature Standards Provide Less Common Understandingby AnngieYou would think that with the word "common" in its title, Common Core standards would be concerned with providing students across the country education on common (meaning -shared) resources. But a look at the Common Core Standards for language arts reveals that they actually move students away from classic literature that has been studied for generations and provides commonality to our experience, ...more »

All Education Matters: Do You Believe That Were You Misled or Misinformed about IBR (Income Based Repayment) by Your Lender?

All Education Matters: Do You Believe That Were You Misled or Misinformed about IBR (Income Based Repayment) by Your Lender?:Do You Believe That Were You Misled or Misinformed about IBR (Income Based Repayment) by Your Lender?by Cryn JohannsenThis past June, when the Texas heat was hotter than a blazing furnace, a borrower named Amy reached out to me about her student loans. Amy was struggling with her payments, and believed that defaulting was imminent. She was hot with anger and ... more »

The Hunger Strike: Weapon of Choice for the Oppressed | The Dissenter

The Hunger Strike: Weapon of Choice for the Oppressed | The Dissenter:The Hunger Strike: Weapon of Choice for the OppressedBy: Kevin Gosztola Wednesday February 22, 2012 10:03 am Tweet9 The above comes from VisualizingPalestine.org. The site creators say it uses “creative visuals to describe a factual rights-based narrative of Palestine/Israel.” In this case, we have a brilliant graphic showing past heroes for social justice who have gone on hunger strike and what happens to the human body as they carry ... more »

This Week In Education: Thompson: Charter Fines & Expulsions Create Dysfunctional System

This Week In Education: Thompson: Charter Fines Expulsions Create Dysfunctional System:Thompson: Charter Fines Expulsions Create Dysfunctional Systemby john thompsonRecent coverage on excessive disciplinary actions in charter schools in the Chicago Catalyst and the Washington Post should prompt soul searching for educators in both charter and neighborhood schools. One of the original purposes of charter schools was pushing the educational status quo to think anew. Traditionally, attendance and behavior were the third rail of school politics, and urban schools were especially ... more »

Student who jumped off high school roof was bullied, parents say - latimes.com

Student who jumped off high school roof was bullied, parents say - latimes.com:Student who jumped off high school roof was bullied, parents sayFebruary 22, 2012 | 9:01 am 62Days after their 15-year-old son died after jumping off of a third-story building at his high school, the parents of Drew Ferraro said they learned by reading his journal that he had been bullied by classmates in the last months of his life."There was name-calling, pushing down the hall, pulling his backpack, ... more »

“Mutual matching” off the table in Oakland - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

“Mutual matching” off the table in Oakland - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:“Mutual matching” off the table in OaklandTuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 10:48 pm in initiativesTony SmithNo CommentsThere will be no mutual matching in OUSD this spring. Without the support it needed from the Oakland Education Association, the OUSD administration says it’s run out of time to reach an agreement with union leaders and implement changes to its teacher transfer policies for the upcoming ... more »

Support PURE! » Chicago parents’ letter to the Board of Education on longer day

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Chicago parents’ letter to the Board of Education on longer day:Chicago parents’ letter to the Board of Education on longer dayby adminFebruary 22, 2012Dear Members of the Chicago Board of Education,Parents from community groups across the city have joined forces to help inform the Chicago Board of Education on what we view as necessary changes to the school day at CPS. Parents are concerned that Chicago Public Schools has set forth ... more »

‘Bake Sale Ban’ Rhetoric Swells Over Obama School Snacks Rules - Bloomberg

‘Bake Sale Ban’ Rhetoric Swells Over Obama School Snacks Rules - Bloomberg:‘Bake Sale Ban’ Rhetoric Swells Over Obama School Snacks RulesBy Stephanie Armour - Feb 21, 2012 9:01 PM PTLinkedInGoogle +1PrintQUEUEQEnlarge imageStudents eat lunch near vending machines at Jones College Prep High School in Chicago. Photo: Tim Boyle/Getty ImagesSpecial-education students at Tooele High School in northwest Utahwho rely on weekly bake sales to pay for field trips and supplies may have to go without.Federal regulators, fresh off a contentious nutritional ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Prescience of Rev. Calvin Morris

School Tech Connect: The Prescience of Rev. Calvin Morris:The Prescience of Rev. Calvin Morrisby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Just to review...The administration came up with a plan to "turnaround" x number of neighborhood schools. They had a series of hearings marked by overwhelming opposition. Today, the board is going to approve all but one of those "turnarounds," and the one exception is still a very vague concept, and even it scatters an entire class of freshmen in a school where freshman applications are ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Little Evan Stone of Educators 4 Excellence Influences Governor Cuomo

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Little Evan Stone of Educators 4 Excellence Influences Governor Cuomo:Little Evan Stone of Educators 4 Excellence Influences Governor Cuomoby noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)I have had it. Enough of the kvetching, the bellyaching, the whining, the blaming. We are directing out anger, out outrage, our concern over the new evaluation system at the wrong people. Governor Andy, Uncle Mike, Mulgrew, Randi, they are all just pawns of some bigger entity, a bigger force.We must bequeath our anger, our collective ... more »

Reformy Platitudes & Fact-Challenged Placards won’t Get Connecticut Schools what they Really Need! « School Finance 101

Reformy Platitudes Fact-Challenged Placards won’t Get Connecticut Schools what they Really Need! « School Finance 101:Reformy Platitudes Fact-Challenged Placards won’t Get Connecticut Schools what they Really Need!by schoolfinance101For a short while yesterday – more than I would have liked to – I followed the circus of testimony and tweets about proposed education reform legislation in Connecticut. The reform legislation - SB 24 – includes the usual reformy elements of teacher tenure reform, ending seniority preferences, expanding and promoting charter schooling, ...more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Debunking turnaround claims of "unimaginable success"

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Debunking turnaround claims of "unimaginable success":Debunking turnaround claims of "unimaginable success"by Mike KlonskyAs hundred of protesters gather outside of CPS headquarters this morning to try and prevent the handing over of 10 more schools to AUSL, a private turnaround company, a new study is released which debunks claims made by the mayor and his CPS spin squad about the supposed overwhelming success of turnarounds.Turnaround schools have become a central piece of Arne Duncan's Race To The ... more »

Daily Kos: Education as "Politically Contested Spaces"

Daily Kos: Education as "Politically Contested Spaces":Education as "Politically Contested Spaces"byplthomasEdDFollowShare2 PERMALINK1 COMMENTSteve Strieker in The Answer Sheet confronts ths current state of education from the specific events of his home state:"In Gov. Scott Walker’s Wisconsin, teaching has been relegated from professional status to political fodder."He then builds to this conclusion:"In Walker’s Wisconsin, education is not a profession. It is politics...."With the current attack on public education, however, our next generation of professional educators will have t... more »

Obama Proposal May Address Growing Education Gap - Student Loan Ranger (usnews.com)

Obama Proposal May Address Growing Education Gap - Student Loan Ranger (usnews.com):Obama Proposal May Address Growing Education GapRecently, the New York Times reported on the growing education gap between low-income and affluent students. One study cited found that since the 1960s, the gap in standardized test scores has grown by about 40 percent.And the gap isn't limited to primary and secondary education. A separate University of Michigan study, also cited in the article, found that since the late 1980s, the ... more »

Chartering Equity: Using Charter School Legislation and Policy to Advance Equal Educational Opportunity | National Education Policy Center

Chartering Equity: Using Charter School Legislation and Policy to Advance Equal Educational Opportunity | National Education Policy Center:Chartering Equity: Using Charter School Legislation and Policy to Advance Equal Educational Opportunity Share6by Julie Mead, Preston GreenFebruary 21, 2012Guided by the assumptions that charter schools will be part of our public educational system for the foreseeable future; that charter schools are neither inherently good, nor inherently bad; and that charter schools should be employed to further goals of equal educational opportunity, including...more »

Modern School: Battle Lines Drawn: CTU Wants 30% Raise—What About You?

Modern School: Battle Lines Drawn: CTU Wants 30% Raise—What About You?:Battle Lines Drawn: CTU Wants 30% Raise—What About You?by Michael DunnHuck/Konopacki Labor CartoonsChicago Public Schools (CPS) is imposing a longer school day next year and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has responded with a request for 30% raises over the next two years, the Chicago Tribune reported last week. Their proposal also calls for reducing K-5 class sizes from 28 to 23 students and shrinking middle and high school class ... more »

TIME FOR LIE DETECTOR TESTS « Teachers Fight Back

TIME FOR LIE DETECTOR TESTS « Teachers Fight Back:TIME FOR LIE DETECTOR TESTSby alkleenI had another dream. (I’ve been dreaming a lot lately). I dreamt that I ruled the U.S. as a dictator with unlimited powers. I had my military police round up every person in the country who has been bashing teacher unions. I rounded up all the people who said that teacher unions are partly responsible for the current “education crisis”. I detained any person who bashed the ... more »

Sh*t TFA'ers Say

This video was actually produced internally at Teach For America for cheap yuks. Apparently, they're proud of their superficial, jargon-y gloss on the problems of inner-city poverty and education.

Grumpy Educators: Value Added Measurement: Wanted Professional Palm Reader

Grumpy Educators: Value Added Measurement: Wanted Professional Palm Reader:Value Added Measurement: Wanted Professional Palm ReaderWant to bet on a horse? Put your trust in a bookie whose job it is to predict winners after studying potential to win based on breeding, training, and standings in recent races. Want to invest in the stockmarket? Put your trust in a stockbroker whose job it is to predict companies that show signs of being a good investment, with potential growth, and a stable ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-21 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

Teacher Contracts, Evaluation Policies, and Termination « PWC Education Reform BlogBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-31 minutes agoTeacher Contracts, Evaluation Policies, and Termination « PWC Education Reform Blog:Teacher Contracts, Evaluation Policies, and TerminationFebruary 21, 2012 — pwceducationreformThe VA General Assembly is considering a number of bills that affect education. One is HB576, which deals with teacher contracts, evaluation policies, and reasons for terminating a teacher, among other things.Current LawCurrently teachers are hired for what is called a ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Crane Deal

School Tech Connect: The Crane Deal:The Crane Dealby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Very mixed feelings about the apparent deal to keep Crane as a neighborhood high school. The one thing I know for sure is that I have faith in the Crane Coalition's judgment. I guess my questions are these: is it still a neighborhood school for kids who aren't interested in health careers? If I'm a poet or an astronomer, will those doors still be open to me? And what does it ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Smartest Guy in the Room

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Smartest Guy in the Room:The Smartest Guy in the Roomby Melissa WestbrookOver at Publicola, the jousting goes on. Firing back at the letter that WEA President, Mary Lindquist, wrote yesterday, Knight-in-Shining Armor, Nick Hanauer writes a long reply.What is somewhat funny is he agrees with her on all the reasons why a "lifelong Democrat and committed progressive" shouldn't want Rob McKenna as governor. But then he says that "McKenna is on the right track and ... more »