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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

7-17-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

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Any Bad-Ass Teachers Out There Want to Make Some Noise July 25?
Matt Taibbi described the Wall Street investment bank, Goldman Sachs, as  ”a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.”  On July 25, some of Goldman’s fellow squid, along with another handful of New York City’s 70 billionaires and a few dozen of […]



Peace Education and the #commoncore. Friends?
I was invited to speak on a panel at a Peace education summit at American University’s School of International Service. Along with two panelists from the Office of the State Superintendent of DC, who spoke about recent anti-bullying legislation, my role was to give a broader perspective on the Common Core State Standards. In order […]


The “Best and the Brightest” Point the Way Toward Test-Driven Reform
It is hard to tell which is more revealing. Is it more shocking that 21st century school reform has degenerated into an un-funny knock-off of “Cheaper by the Dozen,” the spoof of the embarrassing scientific management policy known as “Taylorism?” Or is it more disturbing that the essence of accountability-driven reform is illuminated by “The […]


Class Size Matters Action Alert On Esea
No Excuses! Call your representatives.The message is here and it’s clear, concise andstrong. Action Alert Dear folks: For the first time in 12 years, a bill is expected to come to the floor of Congress to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as NCLB.  The Student Success Act, introduced by Rep. Kline, […]


PAA DEMANDS End to High Stakes Testing and Privatization
***For Immediate Release*** July 17, 2013 Contacts Dora Taylor, (Seattle) President, PAA -206-841-9613 Pamela Grundy (Charlotte) -704-806-0410 Julie Woestehoff (Chicago) – 773-715-3989   It’s time for lawmakers to listen to parents! National parent group reaches out to Congress on ESEA, demanding less testing and privatization and more proven, effective reforms   As the U.S. House […]


“Disillusioned with Teach For America”
“It is difficult to identify exactly when I started to get disillusioned with Teach For America,” explains Wendy Heller Chovnick, a former Teach for America corp member and manager. ”I would say that it was a three-year long process that occurred while I was on staff.” What prompted her change of mind? Chovnick details how her […]




7-16-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Great Op-Ed on the Common Opposition to Common Corp StandardsBy Rob Jenkins at the Newton Citizen in Newton County, GA: Any time conservatives and liberals in this country agree on anything, it’s time to stop the presses, glance up to see if pigs happen to be zooming by overhead, and check the temperature in you-know-where. It may also be time to pay attention. One