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Friday, September 27, 2013

Want to Destroy Public Schools? Education Nation’s Got an App for That! | educationalchemy

Want to Destroy Public Schools? Education Nation’s Got an App for That! | educationalchemy:

Want to Destroy Public Schools? Education Nation’s Got an App for That!

Posted: September 26, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Seriously?
Everybody. Stop the presses! It’s here!
The solution to all of the social, economic, and pedagogical ills that have been plaguing our “failing” schools for decades! What is it you ask? Why Common Core apps, silly! 
Yes, now we can re mediate for the needs of ALL learners, especially those in schools with crumbling infrastructures, haunted by racist school- to- prison pipelines, failing economies, high unemployment rates, and rampant dropout rates. Who knew it could be accessed all in the palm of your hand? Or the latest iPad, I should say.
Don’t believe me? Just join me the next riveting round of Education Nation coming soon to a neighborhood near you, where you can listen to the greatest scholarly and educational minds of our century (millionaires and movie stars) expound upon their deep knowledge of “what works best” for school children. Here, they will dazzle you with tales of their own teaching experiences working with the most challenging students, their independent scholarly findings 

E. D. Hirsch Sees His Education Theories Taking Hold - NYTimes.com

E. D. Hirsch Sees His Education Theories Taking Hold - NYTimes.com:

Culture Warrior, Gaining Ground

E. D. Hirsch Sees His Education Theories Taking Hold




CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A generation after he was squarely pummeled as elitist, antiquated and narrow-minded, the education theorist E. D. Hirsch Jr. is being dragged back into the ring at the age of 85 — this time for a chance at redemption.
Michael Nagle for The New York Times
Teachers in Brooklyn training in a curriculum from E. D. Hirsch’s Core Knowledge Foundation.
Andrew Shurtleff for The New York Times
Mr. Hirsch.
Invitations to speak have come from Spain, Britain and China. He has won a prestigious education award. Curriculums developed by the Core Knowledge Foundation, which Mr. Hirsch created to disseminate his ideas, have recently been adopted by hundreds of schools in 25 states and recommended by the New York City Department of Education for teachers to use in their classrooms.
Not since 1987, when he first published “Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know,” whose list of 5,000 essential concepts left even Ph.D.’s a little dumbstruck, has Mr. Hirsch been so in demand.
“This is a redemptive moment for E. D. Hirsch, after a quarter-century of neglect by people both conservative and liberal,” said Sol Stern, an education writer and senior 

Four decades of failed school reform - The Washington Post

Four decades of failed school reform - The Washington Post:

Four decades of failed school reform

Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post - English teacher Pat Welsh looks back on the fads that came and went

Patrick Welsh retired in June after 43 years teaching English at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria.
Erika Dietz was overwhelmed when she started teaching English at T.C. Williams High School two years ago. Not because the 24-year-old struggled to connect with students or to handle the workload. Relentless, yet also patient and charming, she quickly became one of the most popular teachers at the Alexandria school, and in June 2012 she received a state-funded Titan Transformer Award for “outstanding work toward the goal of transformation” of T.C.
What bothered her was everything that went along with that goal: the consultants, the jargon, the endless stream of new reform initiatives. “It felt like every buzzword or trend in education was being thrown at us at once,” she told me over the summer, shortly after moving to Texas. “When something didn’t work right away, it was discarded the next year or even midyear.”
  • (Courtesy of Alexandria Public Schools/ Courtesy of Alexandria Public Schools ) - Superintendent Morton Sherman brought in a parade of highly paid consultants and introduced so many educational philosophies that he sowed massive confusion. He resigned last month.
(James A. Parcell/ ) - T.C. Williams High School was named one of the \"Nation's Outstanding Secondary Schools\" by the U.S. Department of Education in 1982. Now it is on the list of “persistently lowest achieving” schools.
Her frustrations echo those of other teachers at T.C. and across the country caught up in the politics of education reform. Those politics played out this past week in Florida

Diane Ravitch: Unless Teachers Write the Tests, They Won't Improve Anything | New Republic

Diane Ravitch: We Need More Teacher-Designed Tests | New Republic:

Unless Teachers Write the Tests, They Won't Improve Anything

Ezekiel Emanuel argues that more tests make students smarter, a proposition which is not as simple as it sounds. The validity of his claim comes down to such questions as "who writes the tests," "how quickly are the results reported," and "how are the scores used."
In short, we need fewer standardized tests. For the purposes Emanuel desires, today's standardized tests are useless. All are normed on a bell curve, and the results reflect the student's family income with uncanny accuracy. The SAT has become a measure of how much a student's family is able to pay for tutoring. Like all repetitive test preparation, practicing for the SAT raises test scores, but it doesn't mean the student is better educated or likelier to retain the material that was engorged for the test.
What he really admires, and appropriately so, are the regular weekly tests that he took in high school chemistry. His chemistry teacher Mr. Koontz knew what he had taught. He tested the students on what they had learned. He knew by the end of the day or over the weekend which students were keeping up and which ones were falling behind. He could act on that knowledge immediately to make sure that students understood what he thought he had taught and to explain it again to those who did not. He also learned whether to adjust his style of teaching to communicate the concepts and facts of chemistry more clearly to students. Mr. Koontz used the tests

With A Brooklyn Accent: How to Avoid What Works Best in Motivating Students

With A Brooklyn Accent: How to Avoid What Works Best in Motivating Students:

How to Avoid What Works Best in Motivating Students


In all the literature coming out of the US Department of Education, why is it I never see reference to the one thing I know that works in motivating students, but especially students in high needs communities- individual attention from a teacher, coach, arts instructor, school counselor or librarian that goes well above and beyond the call of duty and lasts for years? I know from personal experience that this works. And I also know there is no short cut using testing, technology and scripted teaching that is a substitute for it. Then why isn't it mentioned, must less promoted?. Because to have this work, you need teachers whose careers last more than a few years, who live in the communities they work in and have the cultural capital to connect with the young people they teach. And finding and supporting such teachers would go against every single education reform which is currently being 

Nite Cap 9-27-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change


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

School board member accused of possible wrongdoing in foreign student recruitment
School board member accused of possible wrongdoing in foreign student recruitment: SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ACCUSED OF POSSIBLE WRONGDOING IN FOREIGN STUDENT RECRUITMENTIf there's new money to be made -- particularly from China -- someone is going to find a way to exploit it.What the hell is going on in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District? A recent investigation in the school's international
Diane Ravitch Visiting California | InterACT
Diane Ravitch Visiting California | InterACT: Diane Ravitch Visiting CaliforniaSEPTEMBER 27, 2013tags: California, diane ravitch, Stanfordby David B. Cohen Video clip from Diane Ravitch’s talk in Sacramento, 1/20/12.For readers in California, there are several upcoming opportunities to hear Diane Ravitch at public events.Friday, 9/27 – SacramentoSaturday, 9/28 – BerkeleyMonday, 9/30 – StanfordTues
Complaint Against Science Standards Filed in Federal Court | Truth in American Education
Complaint Against Science Standards Filed in Federal Court | Truth in American Education: Complaint Against Science Standards Filed in Federal CourtFiled in Next Generation Science Standards by truthed on September 27, 2013 • 0 Comments225(Topeka, KS) On September 26 Citizens for Objective Public Education, Inc. (COPE) filed suit in federal court against the Kansas State Board of Education and the
Student hackers lead L.A. schools to halt major iPad initiative
Student hackers lead L.A. schools to halt major iPad initiative: Student hackers lead L.A. schools to halt major iPad initiativeBy Valerie Strauss, Published: September 27 at 4:23 pmE-mail the writer0CommentsMore(David Paul Morris / Bloomberg)The $1 billion initiative by the Los Angeles public schools district to give an iPad to all 650,000 students and teachers for home use has hit a snag that, i
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: How did this guy get hired by Arne Duncan? He had a guy.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: How did this guy get hired by Arne Duncan? He had a guy.: How did this guy get hired by Arne Duncan? He had a guy.Jesus Alanis sentenced to 20 years in Stateville. How did this child molester/pornographer land a high-paying job working for Arne Duncan at the top of the Chicago Public Schools system? That's an easy one.The same way Arne Duncan got his own job. He had 
9-27-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Leonie Haimon Goes to School and Finds Tweedie Implementation of Common Core Is a Disaster MovieSo, amongst all the inherent faults of the Common Bore, we have the totally inept Walcott-led Tweedies showing once again that they would find getting out of a paper bag a significant challenge.Heeeeere's Leonie:I toured school yesterday where majority of students are ELLs, either in du
No More Help With Homework? | NEA Today
No More Help With Homework? | NEA Today: No More Help With Homework?September 27, 2013 by egraham  Filed under Featured News, Top Stories, UncategorizedLeave a CommentBy Cindy LongAccording to research, half of parents struggle to help their kids with homework, but many educators would rather have their students figure it out on their own and have parents help them develop good study and research
Cali Education Headlines Friday, September 27, 2013
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: L.A. Unified reports 71 iPads are missingEducation HeadlinesFriday, September 27, 2013San Diego County teachers caught cheating on state testsThree San Diego County schools are among more than two dozen in California to get stripped of their state test rankings over allegations that teachers blatantly cheated or violated protocols for adminis
Common Core rollout in Louisiana a 'train wreck,' state Democrats say | NOLA.com
Common Core rollout in Louisiana a 'train wreck,' state Democrats say | NOLA.com: Common Core rollout in Louisiana a 'train wreck,' state Democrats sayAfter a notable silence on Louisiana's implementation of Common Core, the state Democratic Party has come out swinging, calling the rollout "a train wreck" and criticizing the state for not providing educators with the tools they need to b
NYC Public School Parents: Almost a quarter of a million students sitting in classes so large they violate the union contract
NYC Public School Parents: Almost a quarter of a million students sitting in classes so large they violate the union contract: Almost a quarter of a million students sitting in classes so large they violate the union contractYesterday, Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, along with Manhattan Borough President Stringer (who will also be our next City Comptroller) and Cl
Joel Klein Claims "K-12 Isn't Working" -- But the Facts Prove Him Dead Wrong | Alternet
Joel Klein Claims "K-12 Isn't Working" -- But the Facts Prove Him Dead Wrong | Alternet: Joel Klein Claims "K-12 Isn't Working" -- But the Facts Prove Him Dead WrongDespite dramatic improvements in educational achievement over 30 years, reformers insist on the rhetoric of America's "failing schools." Here's why they're wrong.Photo Credit: Rubenstein via Wikimedia Comm
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Good news, rich people
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Good news, rich people: Good news, rich peopleThere are still openings for your extra-special child at the new, 9-story, Oman-based Gem Academy (and a gem it is) downtown on S. Water St. And if you apply now, tuition is only about $30K. Caviar lunch is extra.Rahm Emanuel is at it again. His game plan is to blame every school budget cut, every teacher he fires and sch
Choosing Democracy: Jose Montoya, activist, poet, artist, teacher, ally, friend
Choosing Democracy: Jose Montoya, activist, poet, artist, teacher, ally, friend: Jose Montoya, activist, poet, artist, teacher, ally, friendJose Montoya, Sacramento poet, activist and  artist. RIP. –  Ally, Friend, Teacher.Stephen MagagniniJose Montoya, one of the most influential and inspirational figures in California Chicano history, died Wednesday, Sept. 25 . He was 81. One of Sacramento’s poe
Brown vetoes bill to add more accountability on new school funding SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Brown vetoes bill to add more accountability on new school fundingBy Kimberly BeltranFriday, September 27, 2013In a signal to school officials that the Brown administration is unlikely to burden districts with additional compliance requirements tied to the new Local Control Funding Formula, the governor on Thursday vetoed legislation that would have
Morning Wink 9-27-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYCorporate Education Reform Hit Man is paid school-foundation consultant - Our Colorado News: Lone Tree Voice: NewsHigh-profile speaker is paid school-foundation consultant - Our Colorado News: Lone Tree Voice: News: Corporate Education Reform Hit Man  is paid school-foundation consultantDouglas County School Board president says donations fund outside
Corporate Education Reform Hit Man is paid school-foundation consultant - Our Colorado News: Lone Tree Voice: News
High-profile speaker is paid school-foundation consultant - Our Colorado News: Lone Tree Voice: News: Corporate Education Reform Hit Man  is paid school-foundation consultantDouglas County School Board president says donations fund outside expertsFormer U.S. Secretary of Education Bill Bennett’s Sept. 25 address in Lone Tree was paid for as part of a five-figure consulting agreement through the Do
Advice on affirmative action - The growing reach of K12 - Duncan to HBCU’s: ‘I apologize’ - Michigan back on track for Common Core? - POLITICO Morning Education - POLITICO.com
Advice on affirmative action - The growing reach of K12 - Duncan to HBCU’s: ‘I apologize’ - Michigan back on track for Common Core? - POLITICO Morning Education - POLITICO.com: Advice on affirmative action - The growing reach of K12 - Duncan to HBCU’s: ‘I apologize’ - Michigan back on track for Common Core?0 PrintText Size-+resetBy LIBBY A. NELSON | 09/27/13 9:36 AM EDTDRIVING THE DAY: ADVICE ON A
New Guidance Supports Voluntary Use of Race to Achieve Diversity in Higher Education | U.S. Department of Education
New Guidance Supports Voluntary Use of Race to Achieve Diversity in Higher Education | U.S. Department of Education: New Guidance Supports Voluntary Use of Race to Achieve Diversity in Higher EducationSEPTEMBER 27, 2013Contact:   (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Today, the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice released new guidance that provides colleges and universities with information about the
Is the power of parent talk enough to close the school readiness divide? | Hechinger Report
Is the power of parent talk enough to close the school readiness divide? | Hechinger Report: Is the power of parent talk enough to close the school readiness divide?By Sara NeufeldThis story also appeared at:CHICAGO — As a mother, pediatric surgeon Dana Suskind understands the gravity of her responsibility when a parent entrusts her to cut open a baby’s head. She does so, as part of a delicate, tw
9-27-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Connecticut: Poverty in the state with the highest per capita incomeConnecticut Children living in Poverty CT 2001          10.2% live in poverty (82,000) CT 2012:        14.8% live in poverty (117,000) According to an study conducted by Connecticut Voices for Children, the independent research and advocacy organization, “At the start of the Great Recession, Connecticut experienced the
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Noel Hammatt: What If “Failing Schools” Aren’t?Noel Hammatt is an independent researcher and former board member of the Baton Rouge public school board. He is one of the best-informed and most courageous researchers in a state where truth is to be found not in official statements, which are political, but in the work of bloggers an
9-27-13 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.: A TRS member tries to get answers about his pension.Ask TRS Communications Director Dave Urbanek about a report in the Sun-Times that Cabrera Capital and Martin Cabrera made $2 million in commissions from TRS and you a boiler-plate email response and a hostile challenge on the phone. Cabrera recently
9-27-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Want to Hang with the Seattle Education Elite?But you don't have a ballgown for the Alliance's annual Black and Orange Masquerade Ball?  (This year with masks: Don't forget your mask! Creativity and mystery encouraged!)Relax, you're in luck.   The Alliance needs volunteers to be runners for their auctions (and, if you are good-looking, modeling the auction items on
9-27-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter:   Why SAT scores have declined.Sent to the Christian Science Monitor There are two possible reasons for the decline of SAT scores ("As college-prep test scores falter, how the US can respond," Sept. 26).One possibility, suggested by FairTest, is that the massive invasion of high-stakes tests that began with No Child Left Behind has not worked. Another, according to an ana
9-27-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: September’s Infographics & Interactives Galore — Part TwoThere are just so many good infographics and interactives out there that I’ve begun a new semi-regular feature called “Infographics & Interactives Galore.” You can see others at A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Infographics and by searching “infographics”
You always know just what to say | Gary Rubinstein's Blog
You always know just what to say | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: You always know just what to say Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a change in strategy in the way many ‘reformers’ have been presenting themselves publicly.  It seems that they have begun to realize, especially with the release of the new Ravitch book, that the public is wising up to their antics and starting to get very frustrated by
9-27-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Bloomberg Says He's Cleaned Up NY's Air Like Nobody ElseFrom the Times:Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said on Thursday that his administration’s efforts at reducing air pollution had resulted in New York City’s having the best air quality in more than 50 years. Sulfur dioxide levels have dropped by 69 percent since 2008, and the level of soot pollution has dropped by more than 2
9-27-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Mr. Nielsen Goes “Old School”; Hates ItI feel bad. I kind of lost it with one of my science classes the other day.  I didn’t freak out.  I didn’t actually lose my cool.  I just had to change the lesson midway through and go all “old school” on their butts.  That’s how the cool people used to say it.  I think. […]16 by Kris Nielsen / 8h 9-26-13 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: To
Michigan House Passes Common Core Implementation with Local Opt-Out | Truth in American Education
Michigan House Passes Common Core Implementation with Local Opt-Out | Truth in American Education: Michigan House Passes Common Core Implementation with Local Opt-OutFiled in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on September 27, 2013 • 0 Comments2Here we see the problem inherent with a full-time legislature.  The Michigan House and Senatepassed an omnibus bill
Striking video: Parent forced out of education forum by officer
Striking video: Parent forced out of education forum by officer: Striking video: Parent forced out of education forum by officerBy Valerie Strauss, Published: September 27 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer1CommentsMoreHere’s a video showing what happened in Towson, Md., last week when parent Robert Small of Ellicott City interrupted Baltimore County School Superintendent Dallas Dance and complained abou
Interview: Diane Ravitch, Author Of 'Reign Of Error' : NPR
Interview: Diane Ravitch, Author Of 'Reign Of Error' : NPR: Diane Ravitch Rebukes Education Activists' 'Reign Of Error'by NPR STAFFThe Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schoolsby Diane RavitchHardcover, 396 pages purchasenonfictionhistory & societyMore on this book:NPR reviews, interviews and moreDiane Ravitch, former Assistant Secretary of Education, spent

YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 9-26-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMJonathan Kozol Reviews New Ravitch Book for NY Times Sunday Book ReviewJonathan Kozol Reviews New Ravitch Book for NY Times Sunday Book Review The NY Times has posted on-line Jonathan Kozol’s marvelous and original book review of Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error. The review is slated to appear in print in Sunday’s book review sec
Flawed exams support phony school accountability | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
Flawed exams support phony school accountability | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Flawed exams support phony school accountabilityView Larger Joel PageJesse Grace scans shipments and they arrive Wednesday, July 24, 2013 at the Measured Progress test processing facility in Dover, N.H.Previous PostsDawg fans on campus: Fewer going to games. Are they studying instead? September 26, 2013How did your dist
9 Things You Should Never Say To Teachers | toteachornototeach
9 Things You Should Never Say To Teachers | toteachornototeach: 9 Things You Should Never Say To Teachersby Rebecca KleinIt hasn’t been an easy go for teachers lately. In major cities like Chicago and Philadelphia, thousands of teachers were laid off this past summer. Meanwhile, the state of North Carolina recently ended teacher tenure and eliminated extra pay for teachers with masters degrees.Sev
Bring Back Social Studies – From the Pages of The Atlantic | Mr. D's Neighborhood
Bring Back Social Studies – From the Pages of The Atlantic | Mr. D's Neighborhood: Bring Back Social Studies – From the Pages of The AtlanticThe beginning of the end: President Bush signing NCLB at Hamilton H.S. in Hamilton, Ohio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Even if you’ve said it a thousand times, it doesn’t hurt to say it again.Mr. D’s much more industrious little sister, Dr. D (yep, she finished t
Success for Our Students Starts with Breakfast | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights
Success for Our Students Starts with Breakfast | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Success for Our Students Starts with BreakfastBy Kelli Windsor on September 26, 2013By Kelli Windsor, Communications Manager for State Programs, Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry CampaignAs kids head back to school, educators are focused on how to best ensure students succeed in the classroom and
D.C. education officials defend test-scoring decision that yielded gains in both math and reading, - The Washington Post
D.C. education officials defend test-scoring decision - The Washington Post: D.C. education officials defend test-scoring decisionOPT-OUT/REFUSAL GUIDES FOR EACH STATEOpt-Out/Refusal Guides for each State | United Opt Out National:  District education officials defended their decision to score the city’s 2013 standardized tests in a way that yielded gains in both math and reading, arguing Thursday
Commission considers performance tests for administrators in training | EdSource Today
Commission considers performance tests for administrators in training | EdSource Today: Commission considers performance tests for administrators in trainingSeptember 26th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John FensterwaldFive years ago, California became the first state to mandate that all candidates for becoming a teacher demonstrate that they have the skills needed for the classroom.Soon, it will be a
Can’t we just read? Parents United for Responsible Education
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Can’t we just read?: Can’t we just read?Recent trips to the local Barnes and Noble with my mom to replenish her store of mystery novels have been working my nerves, already frazzled by the takeover of testing.Take a look at the new subject headings on the book carrels.I shared my frustration at a recent More Than a Score meeting and the rea
Concentration Camps in America | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News
Concentration Camps in America | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Concentration Camps in AmericaBy Danny Weil on September 26, 2013 10:55 pm / no comments First he tried to have inmates pay for their own meals (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/sheriff-joe-arpaio-inmates-meals_n_2806388.html).  That was back in March of this year.In Arizona, Mari
Nite Cap 9-26-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
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 CAPTODAYMerrow takes a Jab at Ravitch. #NotTooHeroic | Continuing ChangeMerrow takes a Jab at Ravitch. #NotTooHeroic | Continuing Change: Merrow takes a Jab at Ravitch. #NotTooHeroic My response to John Merrow, article:http://takingnote.learningmatt