A Big Education Ape Nite Cap
Camika Royal Speaks Out « Diane Ravitch's blog: Camika Royal Speaks Out by dianerav The other day I blogged about a TFA leader who spoke at the opening ceremonies of the TFA summer institute in Philadelphia. Before my blog was posted, the Youtube video was taken down. Just a few hours ago, I received a tweet saying that Dr. Camika Royal had posted an article at Huffington Post. The article contained an explanation of what happened as well as the text of the video. In the Youtube video, Dr. Camika Royal was speaking to the recruits. She said some amazing things that were distinc... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Cory Booker Brings Reforminess To The Nation: Cory Booker Brings Reforminess To The Nation by Duke *Politically savvy teachers are my kryptonite! * If you had any doubt that the Democratic party is getting all reformy, this should put those to rest: Newark Mayor Cory Booker is among a raft of Democratic Party leaders chosen to draft the party platform for the next four years, according to a report in the the National Journal. The four-year tradition involves party leaders drafting a series of priorities or "planks" such as job creation, developing more renewable en... more »
Policy to Performance Grantees Named - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Winners of Grants to Help Adult Education Students Go to College SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced 10 school districts were awarded $750,000 in Policy to Performance Pilot Project grants. P2P was established to help adult education students transition to higher education. "California's demand for a highly educated workforce continues to grow, and we must keep up," Torlakson said. "As part of my Blueprint for Great Sch... more »
Who Will Be the Next Outstanding Young Educator? — Whole Child Education: Who Will Be the Next Outstanding Young Educator? by Klea Scharberg [image: ASCD OYEA] Each year, ASCD awards $10,000 to up to two educators under the age of 40 in recognition of their significant accomplishments. ASCD needs your help in saluting the next generation of teachers and administrators who demonstrate outstanding leadership. Each ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award (OYEA) winner educates the whole child; demonstrates leadership; improves student engagement, achievement, and learning; and makes con... more »
School Discipline Alternatives Explored In Harkin Hearing: School Discipline Alternatives Explored In Harkin Hearing by Joy Resmovits During Elijah's early years in school, Debbie Jackson, his single mother, routinely came home to hear messages of his screams on her answering machine -- and no other word from administrators. The blood-curdling voicemails sometimes came as often as three times a day. "It was a nightmare," Jackson said. "I no longer recognized my son." Elijah was screaming because he was an unruly kid, and his teachers tried to get him in line through seclusion and ... more »
Schools Matter: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene *Although the bungalows are used for after school programs, art classes, festivals and special education speech therapy space, according to the number of enrolled students at Micheltorena, the bungalows have been deemed empty and available for tenancy by any charter that requests them. — Lulu Wilson* [image: Communities & Families ... more »
What Kind of Teaching Do Students in Poverty Need? « Diane Ravitch's blog: What Kind of Teaching Do Students in Poverty Need? by dianerav In response to today’s ongoing discussion about teaching and specifically what kind of teaching is right for urban students, this comment came from Ira Shor. Shor teaches at the City University of New York. He has written extensively about critical pedagogy. Our discussion began with the proposition that poor kids need a tightly disciplined environment, some would say a “boot camp” or “no-excuses” pedagogy. Others disagreed. Shor gives his view... more »
Occupy Education California holds outdoor classroom-style events - The Daily Californian: Occupy Education California holds outdoor classroom-style events [image: ride illustration] The group known as Occupy Education California, which orchestrated the 99 Mile March for Education and Social Justice held in early March, is planning to hold outdoor classroom-style events in public parks around the Bay Area in July. According to Elizabeth de Martelly, a UC Berkeley graduate student and one of the events’ organizers, these events are designed to raise public awareness about issues co... more »
My Friends in Louisiana « Diane Ravitch's blog: My Friends in Louisiana by dianerav *Corporate Reformer* Readers may notice that I often post about what is happening in Louisiana. There are several reasons for this. One is that Louisiana is truly an important site for what is now called school reform. It became important after Hurricane Katrina wiped out most of the public school system, and New Orleans became a closely-watched experiment in privatizing public education. Corporate reformers frequently refer to New Orleans as their shining example of the good that will come as a r... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Factual knowledge is worthless: Factual knowledge is worthless by Charlie Mas I read an article by Esther Dyson in a 1992 edition of WIRED magazine about where to find value in the information economy. The article was so good that I still have it. It turns out that in an information economy, information itself is essentially worthless. The rules of supply and demand remain the same, and, thanks to the internet, there is a grotesque surplus of information. So where is the value and how can we educate our children to prosper in the 21st century? I ... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Steve Perry Is Awesomer Than You!: Steve Perry Is Awesomer Than You! by Duke Just ask him: At the tip of the educational iceberg, Perry believes that Gov. Scott Walker's move to break up unions - including the state teachers union - will improve educational outcomes for all children. I'm sure that statement just sent shivers up the spine of most educators in Wisconsin, especially when you consider that Walker also cut $800 million from public education budgets. But Perry's tell-it-like-it-is approach is refreshing. "Before you say Walker cut $800 million, you first ... more »
Illinois pension news. Here comes the judge. « Fred Klonsky: Illinois pension news. Here comes the judge. by Fred Klonsky Mike Madigan, Tom Cross, Pat Quinn and Ty Fahner may have plans to kill public employee pensions and retiree benefits including health insurance and cost of living adjustments They have one little problem. The law. The law suits have now begun. There will be more. Five retired state employees are suing over a new law that allows Illinois to begin charging some state retirees for health insurance.The State Journal-Register reports the retirees are members of the... more »
What It Takes to Teach in an Urban School « Diane Ravitch's blog: What It Takes to Teach in an Urban School by dianerav As I said in an earlier post, I am not sure if the teaching techniques and curriculum should be tailored to urban students, whether this is a form of racism or sensitivity. I’m listening and learning from teachers who know far more than I do. I worry about the danger of segregated schools and segregated learning styles. But I have heard the horror stories for years about teachers who couldn’t control their classrooms and about disruptive students and students wh... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Reforminess: Impossible: Reforminess: Impossible by Duke One of my guilty pleasures is the Food Network's *Restaurant: Impossible*. Jacked-up chef Robert Irvine comes into a lousy restaurant, yells a lot at the owner and staff, redecorates, and comes up with a new menu. The show always ends with a grand re-opening featuring lots of tears, happy costumers, and redeemed owners thanking Irvine for saving them from themselves. It's my personal experience that people and institutions, including restaurants, very rarely change overnight. So I read this article about wh... more »
Commentary: Hite appointment is not a cause for celebration. | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Commentary: Hite appointment is not a cause for celebration.by Ron Whitehorne on Jul 11 2012 Posted in Blogger commentary - COMMENTS (0)PRINT - EMAIL[image: ""] Tags: - budget cuts - data - parent organizing - student activism - unions - William Hite - LEADERSHIP The appointment of William Hite as our new superintendent has won praise from many in education circles. His performance in meetings with stakeholders, his credentials as an educa... more »
AFT Executive Council Recommends a Resolution Against High-Stakes Testing | Scathing Purple Musings: AFT Executive Council Recommends a Resolution Against High-Stakes Testing by Bob Sikes Saying that “America’s public school accountability system must be re-examined and rebuilt,” the executive counsel of the American Federation of Teachers has recommend its own resolution against “the current test-and-punish accountability model.” All children deserve a rich, meaningful public education that prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and challenges that await them as t... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: What Rahm's 1-percenters worry about...: What Rahm's 1-percenters worry about... by Mike Klonsky The early headline in this morning's Sun-Times reads: *Is City Violence Hurting Tourism?* By 10 a.m. the mayor's overstaffed spin department was doing damage control. Go online now and the new headline reads: *Official backs down from claim crime hurting city’s tourism effort*. But Fran Spielman's story remains the same. M*ayor Rahm Emanuel’s office swung into full damage-control mode Wednesday after Chicago’s convention and tourism chief was quoted as sa... more »
Schools Matter: The Disturbing State of Education: SC to Follow Template from LA and TN: The Disturbing State of Education: SC to Follow Template from LA and TN by P. L. Thomas Two news articles from South Carolina capture the state of education currently: Zais: Put failing schools in single district Charleston County school leaders promise to leverage local control into improvements at Burke, North Charleston High SC State Superintendent of SC Zais exhibits many of the flawed patterns driving claims about public schools and arguments for policy and reform: • Zais has no experi... more »
NYC Educator: Let's Make a Deal(?): Let's Make a Deal(?) by NYC Educator In the spirit of being reasonable, Bloomberg and Walcott have conceded they may need to follow the law after all. This is a huge step for Mayor4Life, who actually managed to change a law twice affirmed by voters so he could buy himself a third term. After all, what's the point of having all that money if you actually have to follow rules clearly intended for the little people? Nonetheless, after having one's ass handed to one twice in a row, one begins to wonder whether the third time is a charm. Given the ver... more »
What Is the Boston Consulting Group? « Diane Ravitch's blog: What Is the Boston Consulting Group? by dianerav There is a new scandal in New York City. It seems the New York City Housing Authority paid $10 million to the Boston Consulting Group to write a report that is not available to the public that paid for it. According to the article in the *New York Daily News*, the report was commissioned by someone at the Housing Authority who used to work for the Boston Consulting Group. Now, readers of this blog may recall that the Boston Consulting Group was paid over $1 million in pri... more »
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Parents describe Chicago Board of Education disrespect: Parents describe Chicago Board of Education disrespect by admin Today’s Chicago Sun-Times editorial by 19th Ward Parents leader Becky Malone describes in infuriating detail the disrespect that parents and others experience every time they go to a Chicago Board of Education meeting to speak up for their children’s education: “On many occasions we have gotten into line by 6 a.m. to wait for two hours hoping to get the golden ticket that would allow us an audience with the ... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Virtual Rip-Off: Virtual Rip-Off by Duke Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... The questions about virtual charter schools continue to pile up. One proposed charter is especially troubling, because it looks to more than double its costs to the taxpayers for no apparent reason. NJ Spotlight reports on the application: A fourth school that K12 is involved with, the New Jersey Virtual Charter School, an online high school for at-risk students in Monmouth County, is asking the state for another year to recruit students before it... more »
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Stockton, California* Education Headlines *Thursday, July 12, 2012* Lodi and Galt school districts could face more cutsIf the November tax initiative is passed, the state budget and education funding will remain as is. If the initiative fails, up to $460 per student per year will be withheld from Lodi Unified, or about $12.3 million. Galt high school district hires Michael Roberts as new superintendentMichael Roberts has been chosen as the new superintendent of Galt Joint Union High School District and will earn $139,382 annually. ... more »
The Common Core Standards: I Remain Agnostic « Diane Ravitch's blog: How to Create Throwaway Teachers by dianerav A teacher writes in response to the Match guide for teaching: *As a teacher of 23 years, I find this is absolutely an appalling disregard for the professionalism of the profession of education. It is also a very scary notion for teacher preparation. These authoritative, autocratic beliefs are not what makes for good teaching and classroom management. Teaching in the manner described above will elicit fear in students, not learning. When individuals (including kids) ... more »
Shanker Blog » A Chance To Help Build Grassroots Democracy In China: A Chance To Help Build Grassroots Democracy In China by Han Dongfang *Our guest author today is Han Dongfang, director of China Labor Bulletin. You can follow him on Weibo in Chinese and on Twitter in English and Chinese. This article originally appeared on the China Labor Bulletin, and has been reprinted with permission of the author.* The first of February this year was a historic day in the Chinese village of Wukan. Several thousand villagers, who had chased out their corrupt old leaders, went to the polls to d... more »
Another Republican Touts the Florida Education Way; Meanwhile Another Report Shows Why They’re Wrong | Scathing Purple Musings: Another Republican Touts the Florida Education Way; Meanwhile Another Report Shows Why They’re Wrong by Bob Sikes Former House Speaker Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park) became the second power republican legislator to celebrate Florida’s test-dominated education system. Cannon takes to the pages of the *Orlando Sentinel *this morning: Florida received some good news recently. Education Week reports that Florida’s African-American and Hispanic students are mo... more »
Continuing the Discussion of Gifted Education: Continuing the Discussion of Gifted Education by Rick Last week’s post began an important conversation about gifted education. Let it continue. Project Bright Idea is showing that gifted education works for all children. The moral of the story is: “Treat students as if they are gifted and they will show up as gifted.” Take a look at the video and see what you think. Popout “All students can learn gifted behaviors?” “All kids can be taught to be smart?” Do you agree? PS and BTW: My publisher tells me that “The Genius in Every Child: E... more »
Should States Be Sued for Providing Low-Quality Schools?: Should States Be Sued for Providing Low-Quality Schools? by Sam **How’s this for a summer blockbuster – the American Civil Liberties Union is suing the state of Michigan in general, and one local school district in particular, for violating the “right to learn” of all Michigan children, a right that is guaranteed under an obscure state law stating that any “pupil who does not score satisfactorily on the 4th or 7th grade . . . reading test shall be provided special assistance reasonably expected to enable the pupil to bring ... more »
Is This a Good Guide for Teaching? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Is This a Good Guide for Teaching? by dianerav I am a historian, I have spent years (decades) studying and writing about American education. I know my limitations. Aside from teaching graduate students in courses about the history of education and controversies in current education policy, I have not been a classroom teacher. That may be why I respect classroom teachers so much. I can’t do what they do. I would not know how to control students who are bored and don’t want to be there. I would not be able to teach a classro... more »
Democurmudgeon: Poor Republican Public School Teachers, Victimized by All.: Poor Republican Public School Teachers, Victimized by All. by Democurmudgeon Poor Republican teachers, it all start out so innocently: *Thousands pack(ed) a convention center, Barack Obama T-shirts, videos celebrating the health care law … But this Obama love fest in Washington (saw) nearly 9,000 gathered were teachers in town for the National Education Association's weeklong annual convention.* Get out the crying towel, here come the “victimized” Republican teachers comments: *Edweek: For the Republican ... more »
An Exchange with a Reader about Charter Schools « Diane Ravitch's blog: An Exchange with a Reader about Charter Schools by dianerav [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] An exchange with a reader this morning: *Diane, I thank you for calling attention to the challenges of public schools working well with public charter schools. (when i say public charters, i’m referring to those I’m familiar with where the local school district is the authorizor and the transparency and accountability measures are in place).**As a strong supporter of teachers, i’m surprised ... more »
U.S. News Discusses Best High Schools Rankings at Ed Department Meeting - Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings (usnews.com): U.S. News Discusses Best High Schools Rankings at Ed Department MeetingJuly 12, 2012 RSS Feed Print [image: computer, ranked high schools, rankings, government, data] Government data quality issues affected a small number of ranked high schools. Soon after the *U.S. News* 2012 Best High Schools rankings were published in May 2012, it became clear that there were errors in the 2009-2010 enrollment data used in the calculations. The data came from the U.S. D... more »
About Those Minnesota Charter Schools « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] About Those Minnesota Charter Schools by dianerav Joe Nathan, who was a leading figure in the development of the charter movement, has spiritedly defended charters on this blog. He points to charters in Minnesota to show that the original ideals of the movement survive there. Unlike New York City, for example, where the charters are aggressively entrepreneurial, glory in pushing public schools out of their space, spend more than the neighborhood public school, and cro... more »
Community colleges move closer to rationing enrollment | EdSource Today: Community colleges move closer to rationing enrollment ** July 11th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Kathryn Baron Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services With so many students vying for a shrinking number of classes at community colleges, theCalifornia Community Colleges Board of Governors is on its way to offering priority registration as a way of motivating students to develop and pursue an educational goal. At a public hearing in Sacramento this week, the Boar... more »
Arne Duncan To Report College Completion Rates Rise By Half A Percentage Point: Arne Duncan To Report College Completion Rates Rise By Half A Percentage Point by Joy Resmovits [image: poc.college] The number of Americans with college degrees is inching up slowly, with about 100,000 more students holding post-secondary degrees in 2010 than the year before, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan plans to tell the National Governors Association's annual gathering in Williamsburg, Va., on Friday. â�œEvery capable, hard-working, and responsible student should be able to afford to g... more »
Why Do Kids Hate Math? Probably Because of Incoherent Curriculum | Truth in American Education: Why Do Kids Hate Math? Probably Because of Incoherent Curriculum by Shane Vander Hart *USA Today* had an article entitled, “Why Kids Hate Math?” A friend of TAE, Niki Hayes, responded saying the column’s author, Patrick Welsh who teaches at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, VA, missed the larger point of why kids struggle in math: The huge elephant in the room with failing math students is the incoherent curriculum that has been produced since the advent of the 1989 National Co... more »
Attention Grows About “Education Reformer's” Faux Technique to Push Up Test Scores - Wait, What?: Attention Grows About “Education Reformer’s” Faux Technique to Push Up Test Scores by jonpelto The CTMirror ran a story yesterday about how some school districts have figured out that if you shift lower performing students to a Modified Assessment Test instead of the Connecticut Mastery Test, you test scores will go up, and people will think that you are” improving the quality of education” in that community. Readers will recall that about four months ago, we examined how Hartford’s ... more »
The Innovative Educator: Common Core State Standards - The precursor to testing the crap out of kids: Common Core State Standards - The precursor to testing the crap out of kids by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen) Educators are becoming more and more familiar with and learning about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). What they might not realize that CCSS is really code for constantly testing the crap out of kids. As a result those who designed them publishers and politicians reap the rewards. The politicians have pretty charts and numbers they can use as talking points and... more »
Is Khan Academy a real ‘education solution’? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: Is Khan Academy a real ‘education solution’? By Valerie Strauss The Khan Academy has been in the education news lately but it’s not the kind of publicity that its founder, Salman Khan, would have chosen if given a choice. The academy is a nonprofit organization started by Khan, a former hedge-fund manager, that offers free lessons in math and other subjects via videos posted on the Khan Academy Web site. Last month, two associate professors from Grand Valley State Salman Khan, founder of the Khan... more »
solidaridad: Robert D. Skeels, a Social Justice Schoolboard Candidate: Robert D. Skeels, a Social Justice Schoolboard Candidate by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene [image: Robert D. Skeels, a Social Justice Schoolboard Candidate] From my official LAUSD Campaign website: Robert D. Skeels, a Social Justice Schoolboard Candidate My name is Robert D. Skeels. Over the course of many years as an education activist and a social justice writer, I've witnessed many grave injustices perpetrated by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on our community. Sadly, a primary reason for this i... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Private Public Meeting: Private Public Meeting by Charlie Mas There will be a public meeting tomorrow evening at which Seattle Public Schools will present, jointly with the Downtown Seattle Association, a study showing the need for a downtown elementary school. The District has made no announcement of this meeting, but KOMO News reported it. Here's the entire story by KOMO News Communities Reporter Michael Harthorne: Facing overcrowding and growing numbers of children living downtown, Seattle is considering building anew elementary school in north d... more »
SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Republicans sell off public schools - Thom Hartmann: Republicans sell off public schools - Thom Hartmann by Duane Campbell Popout
Modern School: Incompetent Administrators, Not Unions, Keep Molesters in the Classroom: Incompetent Administrators, Not Unions, Keep Molesters in the Classroom by Michael Dunn “The standard here is low—reasonable suspicion. The obligation is mandatory reporting, not mandatory investigation on your own.”—Alison Filo, Deputy District Attorney in San Jose, California, quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle. Filo’s comments were in reference to the recent filing of charges against Lyn Vijayendran, principal of O.B. Whaley Elementary School in Santa Clara County, for failing to report ... more »
Louisiana Educator: Spin on Voucher Applications: Spin on Voucher Applications by Michael Deshotels Lance Hill of the Southern Institute for Education and Research has a slightly different take about the success of the new Jindal voucher program than that of the *Baton Rouge Advocate*. State Superintendent John White and the Education Department announced yesterday in a press release that over 10,300 applications for vouchers had been received this year. This was presented as a major success of the program. Last year, there were about 2,000 vouchers that had been limited to the ... more »
Teachers Working with Teachers: The Fragility of School-wide PLCs (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Teachers Working with Teachers: The Fragility of School-wide PLCs (Part 2) by larrycuban Some elementary grade-level teams and secondary academic departments grew into school-based communities —even before the phrase “professional learning communities” was invented. Exemplars come from the alternative schools of the 1970s, the Effective Schools movement in the 1980s, and the Coalition of Essential Schools in the 1990s. For example, Deborah Meier founded ... more »
Tony at the Red Line Tap. « Fred Klonsky: Tony at the Red Line Tap. by Fred Klonsky “School budgets,” I say to Tony as I grabbed the stool. “Is that the topic of the day?” “Yes,” I said. Two tattooed Loyola students walked in and sat on the far end of the bar and ordered a couple of PBRs. One got up, walked over to put some noise on the juke box. I say “juke box,” but maybe they’re called something else these days. “White Rabbit,” said Marty from behind the bar. “What?” “White Rabbit. That’s the name of the band.” “How can you tell?” asks Tony. “Because I’m not old, like you two *ja... more »
How Standardized Testing Damages Education (Updated July 2012) | FairTest: How Standardized Testing Damages Education (Updated July 2012) [image: Home] Submitted by fairtest on August 28, 2007 - 11:04am - fact sheets - k-12 *HOW STANDARDIZED TESTING DAMAGES EDUCATION* *How do schools use standardized tests?* The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) era has seen an unprecedented expansion of standardized testing and test misuse. Despite ample evidence of the flaws, biases and inaccuracies of standardized exams, NCLB and related state and federal policies, such as Race to the Top (... more »
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-24-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
