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Monday, February 25, 2013

Diane in the Evening 2-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:







Good News from Indiana–MAYBE!

Many people signed a petition calling on the Indiana legislature not to dilute the powers of newly elected state superintendent Glenda Ritz.
This just in:
“Both of the bills mentioned in this petition, HB1309 and HB1251, died in the legislature! As did a few others that diminished the power and job of the elected Supt. of Public Instruction and/or the DOE – some without a hearing.


Forget the Oscars, Here Are the Bunkum Awards

Each year, the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado presents its annual Bunkum awards.
These are awards that acknowledge the very worst think tank reports of the year.
Be sure to review previous winners of this not exactly coveted dishonor.
Drum roll, please!
The “Three’s a Harm” award goes to…(open the envelope)…the Friedman Foundation!
Here is a quote from the 

Will Teachers Take Control of Their Profession?

This is one of the most positive and optimistic posts I have read in a long time.
David Cohen, an NBCT teacher in Palo Alto, California, describes models where teacher leadership has worked and is creating new paradigms for teacher improvement and compensation, not tied to test scores.
Do yourself a favor and read about the places where teachers are remaking the profession. As David predicts, “A change is gonna come,”

More on the UNO Scandal in Chicago

Fred Klonsky sheds new light on the UNO scandal in Chicago.
How did Juan Rangel get $98 million to build new charter schools?
If Chicago schools are overcrowded, why is CPS planning to close 129 schools?

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Untold Story of NYC’s Charter Success Story by dianerav Last week, the New York City media and the Department of Education exulted in a new CREDO study showing that charter schools outperform public schools in New York City. But, as usual, no one bothered to look behind the curtain. Bruce Baker shows in this post that NYC charter schools enroll significantly fewer students who are English language learners and others who might pull down their scores. This crea... more »