Thursday, March 21, 2013

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-21-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

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Lancaster, Pa, Rejects Charter to Teach Business to K-4

The Lancaster school board unanimously rejected a charter for the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School.
The school wanted a charter for K-12 but intended to open only with K-4.
The charter sponsors plan to appeal to a state board, which can overturn the local decision.
Earlier articles noted that this charter is part of the Gulen network, the nation’s largest charter chain, which is 


British Tech Expert: Thumbs Down to Amplify

The Brits have reason to be suspicious of Rupert Murdoch’s entry into the education business. They still have fresh memories of the murdered Millie Dowling, whose cell phone was hacked by Murdoch reporters, as well as the larger hacking scandal, which reached into government and Scotland Yard.
This technology expert explains why he does not like Amplify.


Are You As Smart as a 5th Grader in Virginia?

A teacher in Virginia said this about her state’s standards:
“I teach in Virginia where we do not use Common core. Our standards are actually harder than common core.
“Here is the problem with both: these standards are not developmentally appropriate for children. I am teaching my LD (special ed.) students things like: order of operations (PEMDAS) and prime and composite numbers. I have found very few adults who know what composite numbers are, including West Point and Harvard grads. Do you know what a stem and leaf plot is? Do you know what a compression wave is? Do you know the difference 


Louisiana Proposes Pay for Performance for Gifted Students

State commissioner of Education John White has outdone himself this time.
He puts forward one goofy plan after another, like sending children to schools that teach creationism and calling it “reform.”
But now he has an even nuttier idea: He wants to tie the funding for the state’s gifted high school students to 


Indiana: Who Is Pushing for and against Common Core

Indiana voters booted out State superintendent Tony Bennett because of a strange coalition: Democrats who disliked his all-out assault on teachers and public education, allied with Republicans who disliked his fierce advocacy for the Common Core.
Now the struggle against the Common Core continues in that state, as advocates like the rightwing Stand for Children run an advertising campaign to support the actionable standards, while locals continue to oppose them.


Tennessee Is Abandoning Public Education

A reader in Tennessee comments on the steady advance of privatization in that state, starting with Memphis, then moving to other urban areas. And when the Legislature passes a voucher bill, the stage will be set to decimate public education and leave it as a remnant of what was once known as the portal to opportunity in America. Thanks to Governor Haslam, his compatriots in the Legislature, and Kevin Huffman, one of TFA’s finest products. Doing it “for the kids,” no doubt. Shameful. Shameful.
The reader writes:
“Memphis and actually the entire state of Tennessee is “all in” as it pertains to turning over our schools to private interests for profit. Memphis schools are being systematically dismantled. They are now run by a lawyer.


The Futility of Closing Schools in Chicago

The Chicago Public Schools will close about 50 elementary schools. This is the largest mass closure of public schools in U.S. history. The official announcement will be out imminently.
Approximately 90% of the children who will lose their public school are African American.
Ironically, the decision was made public soon after the release of a report saying that school closings did not 

Raleigh, NC, Editorial Opposes Anti-Teacher Proposal

North Carolina is one of the red states with a super-majority of Republicans in control of he legislature.
So Republicans can do anything they want, as they control state government.
The editorial today in the Raleigh News Observer defends teachers. The editorialist sharply rebukes Phil Berger’s punitive, mean-spirited education “reforms.” That’s welcome news.
The editorialist points out that the predictable consequence of letter grades will be to stigmatize schools, not improve them.
What’s more, he defends teachers. Picking on teachers is a favorite ploy of the state’s politicians. Given that 

Diane in the Evening 3-20-13 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: Ten Ways to Tell If You Are a Transphormer by dianerav EduShyster has developed a list of 10 signs of a real, true Transphormer. You know, the ones who are so motivated to arrange the lives of other people’s children that they can’t wait to get their parents’ okay. The ones who are so gripped by a sense of urgency that they feel called to close schools in poor communities and fire the staff without a moment’s delay, even though the students and parents beg them not to do it. Gary Rubinstein: TFA Propaganda V... more »