Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Nite Cap 10-13-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP


TODAY

How New York’s education commissioner blew it — principal
How New York’s education commissioner blew it — principal: How New York’s education commissioner blew it — principalBY VALERIE STRAUSSOctober 13 at 6:45 pmJohn King (http://www.nysed.gov/)New York Education Commissioner John King recently started a series of forums co-sponsored with the New York State PTA to talk about the Common Core State Standards — but things didn’t go as planned. At the Pough
NYC Public School Parents: King's claim that parents are being "manipulated" by special interests; does he deserve to stay in office?
NYC Public School Parents: King's claim that parents are being "manipulated" by special interests; does he deserve to stay in office?: King's claim that parents are being "manipulated" by special interests; does he deserve to stay in office?Commissioner King announced he was pulling out of already-scheduled PTA forums, after parents and teachers had freely vented their frustrat
Not for the Faint of Hart | Ward 8 DC Teacher
Not for the Faint of Hart | Ward 8 DC Teacher: Not for the Faint of Hartby ACINTRONJR • SEPTEMBER 14, 2013Working at Charles Hart Middle School is not for the faint of heart. It’s not for the weak, nor the lazy, nor the timid. Chronic poverty is a common struggle for our students. They come to school carrying “bags” that most adults would find difficult to hold for even one day. It’s a challenging
Is Learning to Read Natural? | the becoming radical
Is Learning to Read Natural? | the becoming radical: IS LEARNING TO READ NATURAL?I need to offer as few clarifications since my recent post on how the teaching of reading has been historically corrupted by the influence of reading programs. The motivation of the clarification comes from a comment posted by KenS.*First, my literacy teaching for the past thirty years does rest on a controversial con
Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble's Speech at the 2013 Value Voters Summit
Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble's Speech at the 2013 Value Voters Summit: Jack Kimble's Speech at the 2013 Value Voters SummitIt's a pleasure to be here today.  I am proud of my values and they have always informed my policy decisions.   I developed these traditional values during my amazing upbringing, which you can read about in Profiles in Courageousness, which I will be selling after my presentat
Take the Test Event: Denver, October 19th | United Opt Out National
Take the Test Event: Denver, October 19th | United Opt Out National: TAKE THE TEST EVENT: DENVER, OCTOBER 19THInformation from Students4OurSchools.org:Where?Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library – 2401 Welton St, Denver, CO, 80205When?Saturday, October 19 at 3:00 pmWhy?Are you an adult interested in finding out how you would score on one of today’s public school standardized tests?  Sig
10-13-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Growth Boundaries QuestionsI note some running threads through the various regions and their threads on growth boundaries. For example, there seems to be confusion over how JAMS will open. Could you write one single burning question (per commenter) that you are either confused about OR seems in direct contradiction to the comments made by parents/community.  I will
NYC Public School Parents: Teachers: do you agree with Malcolm Gladwell that class sizes below 25 are TOO small?
NYC Public School Parents: Teachers: do you agree with Malcolm Gladwell that class sizes below 25 are TOO small?: Teachers: do you agree with Malcolm Gladwell that class sizes below 25 are TOO small?On WNYC radio, Brian Lehrer is asking teachers to call in on Monday morning, and comment on Malcolm Gladwell's claim that classes shouldn't be too small  -- such as 25 students and below, since individ
Bill Gates, Commish King, PTA and Special Interests: Follow the Money | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates
Bill Gates, Commish King, PTA and Special Interests: Follow the Money | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates: Bill Gates, Commish King, PTA and Special Interests: Follow the MoneyPosted on October 13, 2013by Teachers'LettersToBillGates Dear Bill and Melinda,Commish King has a big PR problem in New York where your Common Core tests didn’t go down so well.Clearly this video below shows — middle class whi
10-13-13 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: One More Time: Why Isn't Diane Ravitch On My TV?Pick up the dead tree version of the NY Times today, and you'll see that Diane Ravitch's new book, Reign of Error, has been on the bestseller list for two weeks. And it will be there next week as well. Michelle Rhee's Radical never made the NY Times bestseller list - a feat Ravitch has now accomplished three times. And yet Michelle Rh
10-13-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Over Eva Invasion, Bergtraum ChLdr Warns of Security Dangers of Co-LocationJohn Elfrank-Dana is joined by fellow teachers, former students and others in opposing another Eva Moskowitz Success Academy land grab in lower Manhattan this time. He warns of the dangers of putting kindergarten kids in a high school, especially in a high traffic area that suffered the 9/11 attack and rema
Students Last: The King's Dictionary
Students Last: The King's Dictionary: The King's DictionaryThe King's Dictionary has altered the meaning ofseveral terms. New York - The reigning Commissioner of Education for the State of New York, John King, has released the following dictionary of terms that he would like distributed at any other town hall meetings he deigns to attend.accountability: fireability, what the King is abovechild: le
New Banksy Street Art Transformed Into Free Cooper Union Student Protest Propaganda |
New Banksy Street Art Transformed Into Free Cooper Union Student Protest Propaganda |: New Banksy Street Art Transformed Into Free Cooper Union Student Protest PropagandaOctober 13, 2013 in StudentsWithin hours of its appearance on a downtown Manhattan sidewalk, the latest street art installation by rogue British artist Banksy was transformed by an anonymous, unauthorized collaborator into a visua
Morning Wink 10-13-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAY10-13-13 Schools MatterSchools Matter: Value-Added Testing and the Masking of InequalityThis article was previously posted at The Answer Sheet on October 4.This post is comprised largely of excerpts from The Mismeasure of Education that have been re-arranged to answer this question: “Will value-added testing do as little for the nation as it has for T
10-13-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Value-Added Testing and the Masking of InequalityThis article was previously posted at The Answer Sheet on October 4.This post is comprised largely of excerpts from The Mismeasure of Education that have been re-arranged to answer this question: “Will value-added testing do as little for the nation as it has for Tennessee?”By Jim Horn and Denise WilburnAs White House staff, congress
10-13-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Is Commissioner John King Now A Liability To The Education Deform Movement?CNY Teacher posts that NYSED Commissioner had a difficult week.On Thursday, he got beaten up pretty badly at a state PTA-sponsored town hall meeting on the Common Core in Poughkeepsie, as parents attacked him over his education reform agenda, problems with the Common Core standards, the inBloom data p
Report: In racially-diverse suburbs, charter schools getting whiter | Minnesota Public Radio News
Report: In racially-diverse suburbs, charter schools getting whiter | Minnesota Public Radio News: Report: In racially-diverse suburbs, charter schools getting whiterby Tim Post, Minnesota Public RadioOctober 13, 2013 ST. PAUL, Minn. — A growing number of charter schools with mostly white students are opening in racially diverse Twin Cities suburbs, according to a new University of Minnesota repor
MY TURN | Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee politicizing school reform | TuscaloosaNews.com
MY TURN | Michelle Rhee politicizing school reform | TuscaloosaNews.com: MY TURN | Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee politicizing school reformSheila Hocutt Remington is an award-winning government and economics teacher with 42 years of experience at Brookwood High School in Tuscaloosa CountyPublished: Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.Last Modified: Friday, October 11, 2013 at 10:11 p.m.THE A
Diane Ravitch's 'Reign of Error': an in-your-face defense of public education - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Diane Ravitch's 'Reign of Error': an in-your-face defense of public education - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Diane Ravitch's 'Reign of Error': an in-your-face defense of public education'The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools'"Public education is not broken. It is not failing or declining. Our urban public schools are in trouble because of the concentrat
State education chief suspends LI Town Hall meeting
State education chief suspends LI Town Hall meeting: State education chief suspends LI Town Hall meetingPublished: October 12, 2013 10:48 PMBy JOAN GRALLA  joan.gralla@newsday.comPhoto credit: Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan | Dr. John B. King, Jr., State education commissioner, speaks at an event at Hofstra University. (Feb. 2, 2012)New York's education commissioner said Saturday he had called off Lo
The Pursuit of a Just and Sustainable Place | Dissident Voice
The Pursuit of a Just and Sustainable Place | Dissident Voice: The Pursuit of a Just and Sustainable Placeby Ron Jacobs / October 13th, 2013Cities are where most humans live, with more people moving to them every day. As anyone who has lived in a big city knows, existence in urban environments is a challenge. This challenge is greater the less money one has. Like everything else, the advent and gr
10-13-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Teaching Reading and Children: Reading Programs as “Costume Parties”Teaching Reading and Children: Reading Programs as \”Costume Parties\”. via Teaching Reading and Children: Reading Programs as “Costume Parties”.by plthomasedd / 13min All Week 10-12-13 @ THE CHALK FACE@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE Reformy NY Education Commish gets taken to the
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Important updates on Illinois retiree health insurance and eligibility audits. Our message is breaking through.The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability will be meeting in Springfield on October 23rd. The Commission has oversight over changes to Illinois state retiree health
Does Student First deserve a seat at the policy table? | @mcleod
Does Student First deserve a seat at the policy table? | @mcleod: Does Student First deserve a seat at the policy table?OCTOBER 13, 2013 BY SCOTT MCLEOD 0 COMMENTSIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to this blog via e-mail or my RSS feed. I also am on Twitter. Thanks for visiting!In August I blogged about the intersection of money, politics, and educator evaluation here in Iowa. Today, r
Teaching Reading and Children: Reading Programs as “Costume Parties” | the becoming radical
Teaching Reading and Children: Reading Programs as “Costume Parties” | the becoming radical: TEACHING READING AND CHILDREN: READING PROGRAMS AS “COSTUME PARTIES”Well into my 30s and during my doctoral program, I was finally afforded the opportunity to read carefully the work of John Dewey. This late scholarship on my part is an indictment of teacher certification, but it is also a window into the
‘There’s an insidious prejudice against older teachers’
‘There’s an insidious prejudice against older teachers’: ‘There’s an insidious prejudice against older teachers’BY VALERIE STRAUSSOctober 13 at 10:09 amPrnce Charles, patron of Teach First, at Georgetown University in 2011 (By Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post)It’s not just in the United States where veteran teachers are feeling a bit unwanted in the push for young recruits from programs such as Te
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Dr. Joseph Ricciotti: How CCSS Ruins KindergartenDear Diane, As an outgrowth of reading your new book, “Reign of Error” and reading your blog, I have written the op-ed piece below to the Connecticut Post. Thank you for all you do in your support of public education. Regards, Joe Ricciotti The Developmental Inappropriateness of the
10-13-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: New Study Says That Half Of “Evidence-Based Practices” In Writing Instruction Not “Signaled” By Common CoreOne day after I posted the last in a three part Education Week Teacher series on teaching writing in the context of the Common Core Standards, a study was released suggesting that over one-half of “evidence-based pract
Teaching to the Wrong Tests | InterACT
Teaching to the Wrong Tests | InterACT: Teaching to the Wrong TestsOCTOBER 13, 2013tags: AB 484, ccss, CST, test prep, testingby David B. CohenCalifornia students are thankfully done with the old Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, and for better or worse, are moving on to the Common Core aligned Smarter Balanced assessments. The change results from the passage of AB 484 in this pas
Outrage grows over sixth grader's death due to asthma - Philly.com
Outrage grows over sixth grader's death due to asthma - Philly.com: Outrage grows over sixth grader's death due to asthmaThe death of a West Philadelphia sixth grader last month from asthma complications continued to spark outrage Friday even as the Philadelphia School District clarified actions staff at Bryant Elementary School took the day the girl became ill.Much of the anger stems from the lac
A Culture of Trust | Connected Principals
A Culture of Trust | Connected Principals: A Culture of TrustOctober 13, 2013By dkerrSo as I was taking part in last week’s Middle School curriculum leaders meeting, I was once again struck by the importance and necessity of a positive school climate and culture. We were all busy and engaged in providing meaningful feedback through a critical friends protocol, when it occurred to me that the trust
In Controversy and Success, Tutoring Company Dominates | The Texas Tribune
In Controversy and Success, Tutoring Company Dominates | The Texas Tribune: In Controversy and Success, Tutoring Company Dominatesby Morgan SmithOctober 13, 2013 Comment Republish Email Tweet RecommendEnlargephoto by: Douglas YoungThis is the third story in a series on how the state spent millions tutoring its poorest students — and has little to show for it. Find the first story here and the seco

YESTERDAY

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress
Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Issue: EducationIssue's ViewsToday:17Past Seven Days:117All-Time:59,627   Most Recent Has Become Law   Back to All IssuesView Hot Bills By Issues AreaSee Bills for Previous SessionsLatest BillsH.J.Res.84 - Head Start for low-income children billMaking continuing appropriations for Head Start for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes.House Passed Oct 10,
Emanuel needs 'every damn dime' of $5 million campaign fund, CTU says - Chicago Sun-Times
Emanuel needs 'every damn dime' of $5 million campaign fund, CTU says - Chicago Sun-Times: Emanuel needs 'every damn dime' of $5 million campaign fund, CTU saysOctober 11, 2013 12:55PM00Share251Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis and Mayor Rahm Emanuel | Sun-Times filesRELATED STORIESRahm Emanuel has $5M in campaign fund 1.5 years before electionUpdated: October 11, 2013 1:53PM The Chicag
The PUBLIC ENEMY Rainbow National Tour rolls on! | Bill Ayers
The PUBLIC ENEMY Rainbow National Tour rolls on! | Bill Ayers: The PUBLIC ENEMY Rainbow National Tour rolls on!Please come out if you can and join me and Bernardine Dohrn in a conversation about Movement Building: Where do we go from here, chaos or community??Wednesday, October 16th7:00 pm – People’s Book Cooperative804 E. Center StreetMilwaukee, WIThursday, October 17th5:30pm – 6:30pm: Pre-event
Leading Innovative Change Series – A New Staff Experience | Connected Principals
Leading Innovative Change Series – A New Staff Experience | Connected Principals: Leading Innovative Change Series – A New Staff ExperienceOctober 13, 2013By George CourosI wanted to try my hand at writing a series of blog posts on “Leading Innovative Change.” As I am looking at writing a book on the same topic, I thought I would put some ideas out there and hopefully learn from others on these to
SES IS (WAS?) A MESS:Tutoring Company Draws Fire as State Pulls Back Services - NYTimes.com
Tutoring Company Draws Fire as State Pulls Back Services - NYTimes.com: THE TEXAS TRIBUNEBy MORGAN SMITH When two of Marcos Sifuentes’s children received free laptops from a tutoring program through their San Antonio middle school, the family signed up for wireless access at home for the first time. Mr. Sifuentes added an Internet hot spot to his cellphone plan so they could continue their lessons
Cuban Newspaper Criticizes Teachers Charging for Tutoring | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com
Cuban Newspaper Criticizes Teachers Charging for Tutoring | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: Cuban Newspaper Criticizes Teachers Charging for TutoringPublished at 5:03 pm EST, October 12, 2013Cuban Communist Party daily Granma complained Friday that some salaried teachers are breaking the law by charging fees for individual tutoring.“Charging for that work is an illicit exercise upon which limits mus
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: I Suffer from FOEA- Fear of Education Acronyms!
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: I Suffer from FOEA- Fear of Education Acronyms!: I Suffer from FOEA- Fear of Education Acronyms!I didn't always fear acronyms. Acronyms like PEMDAS, RARE, SWAP, are good acronyms. Their sole job? To help my students remember, like all good acronyms do.But alas, acronyms have become something for teachers to fear. Whenever, there is a new acronym introduced into e
Malala Yousafzai meets Barack Obama, asks for drone strikes to end | The Raw Story
Malala Yousafzai meets Barack Obama, asks for drone strikes to end | The Raw Story: Malala Yousafzai meets Barack Obama, asks for drone strikes to endBy George ChidiSaturday, October 12, 2013 18:00 EDT Malala Yousafzai may have missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, but she did get a chance to talk to the president about education, human rights … and drone strikes in Pakistan.Obama invited
Coop Goes to High School Part 6 – In Front of the Lights | Lefty Parent
Coop Goes to High School Part 6 – In Front of the Lights | Lefty Parent: Coop Goes to High School Part 6 – In Front of the LightsOctober 12th, 2013 at 15:15Me on the right in Lord of the FliesReturning from a week of something completely different, my junior year spring break trip with my school Russian club to the Soviet Union, I was about to plunge into a new developmental phase after a recent t
The argument over fair funding continues; some look to N.J. for a better way | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
The argument over fair funding continues; some look to N.J. for a better way | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: The argument over fair funding continues; some look to N.J. for a better wayby Dale Mezzacappa on Oct 11 2013 Posted in Latest newsAcross the river in New Jersey, the neediest school districts have more money per student to spend, not less, than their nearby and generally better-off
NYC Educator: King John's Epic Fail
NYC Educator: King John's Epic Fail: King John's Epic FailToday I went to a Bar Mitzvah. It was a big party at a Holiday Inn. My wife and I were at table 6. We all sat down, and there were 4 or 5 elderly people at our table. One of Holiday Inn's crack employees informed us that there were not enough seats, and that furthermore, this was not, in fact, table 6. It was table 5 and someone had switche
HuffPost: Ravitch “Hooray!” – Rhee “Phffft” | Reclaim Reform
HuffPost: Ravitch “Hooray!” – Rhee “Phffft” | Reclaim Reform: HuffPost: Ravitch “Hooray!” – Rhee “Phffft”Posted on October 12, 2013by Ken PrevitiWhat is going on with education today? Two authors tell the story.Diane Ravitch combines data and empathy.Michelle Rhee combines hype and profit.Diane Ravitch possesses knowledge and practical solutions.Michelle Rhee possesses celebrity status and scare t