Monday, March 3, 2014

Morning Wink 3-3-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-3-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Julia Sass Rubin: School Performance Measures Are Poor Measures of School PerformanceJulia Sass Rubin here analyzes “school report cards” in New Jersey. This analysis was published last year but is as valid now as it was last May. Rubin writes: “Comparing schools to those with similar demographics is a good idea that highlights tha
3-3-14 Wait What? All Week
Wait What?: Malloy administration’s farce of a hearing on Common CoreThe development and implementation of the Common Core and its related Common Core testing scam is one of the most important issues facing American public education. The Common Core was developed in relatively secrecy and forced upon the states by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.  Some of the people who developed the Co
3-3-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Why school isn’t for children anymore — teacherDawn Neely-Randall, a 24-year veteran teacher in Ohio,  has watched with alarm the rising influence of standardized testing on public education in recent years. In an e-mail, she said she is “weary” of the “testing abuse inflicted” on her students and profession. Neely-Randall wrote the following piece a few days ago about what she s
3-3-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Alan Morrison: Another Indiana Amway/Walmart PlayerBy Doug MartinAfter Indiana House District 42’s Republican Alan Morrison appeared at a crackerbarrel session in the small town of Clinton over the weekend, someone noted on facebook that “Morrison was very condescending and argumentative to some of the citizens, especially to a couple of local school teachers.”   This is no surpris
3-3-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Practice Pronunciation With Tongue-Twisters AND Learn About Dinosaurs!Practice pronunciation with “tongue-twisters” and learn about the dinosaurs at the same time with my latest New York Times post for English Language Learners. A student interactive and teaching ideas are included. I’m adding this post to The Best Sites Fo
3-3-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Today is the first day of early voting. I won’t be voting for Kirk Dillard.Today is the first day of early voting in Illinois. After some coffee and breakfast I will head over to the library on Milwaukee Avenue and vote for Will Guzzardi in the 39th State Representative District. I promised to do that
3-3-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": Student-Led Conferences: “Instead of Mrs. Haug telling us what we learned, we tell her what we learned.”Teachers switching format of parent conferences is an article in St. Louis Today sharing how teachers in one school began moving their parent-teacher conferences into student-led ones. I’m adding it to The Best Resources
3-3-14 Ed Notes Online Week
Ed Notes Online: Video Inspiration: Karen Lewis and John Kuhn @ Network for Public Education Conf, Austin, TXfrom Vincent Precht at http://vimeo.com/87984834by ed notes online / 10h 3-2-14 Ed Notes Online WeekEd Notes Online: Portelos on SCI LiesIf you had sat through the 23 day3020a trial and listened to the evidence, there were many "break out laughing" moments at the farce the DOE was
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-3-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Meet the ®eformers: TED MITCHELL + DAVID WELCHTHE EDUCATION OF TED MITCHELL | Written by Gary Cohn/CAPITAL & MAIN | INVESTIGATING POWER & POLITICS |  http://bit.ly/1oiNdlI 28 Feb 2014-CALIFORNIA EXCLUSIVE  ::  The nomination of Californian Ted Mitchell to the number two position at the U.S. Department of Education is the latest indication that p
Doing a Snow Job On Educators: The V.A.M. Sham As It Relates to the Weather
V.A.M.: Value Added Measure: Doing a Snow Job On Educators: The V.A.M. Sham As It Relates to the WeatherOriginally, there was a large storm predicted for NYC today.  The meteorologists kept scaling down numbers until the storm diminished into something that could not even close schools on Long Island, let alone in Manhattan. Since I find some value in the Tao, I will simply go with the flow; but,
3-3-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Putting Common Core In PerspectiveA commenter at the Newsday story reporting Cuomo is going to run his own pro-CCCSS ads:CC is part of a world-wide corporate globalization initiative to dumb down teachers, currricula and students and turn them into scared, uncreative, unimaginative, test- taking drones. The de-skilling of teachers and students will turn them into lower-paid,
EmpowerED 2014 – Elevating Student Power in Los Angeles
EmpowerED 2014 – Elevating Student Power in Los Angeles: EmpowerED 2014 – Elevating Student Power in Los Angeles“If you had the power to change the education system, what would you do?”This is my favorite question to ask students that I mentor in Los Angeles. Their responses are wonderfully imaginative, ranging from broader curriculum to outdoor classrooms. However, when I ask them what is stoppin
Michelle Gunderson: Administrator's Pledge on Ethical Treatment of Students Who Opt Out - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Michelle Gunderson: Administrator's Pledge on Ethical Treatment of Students Who Opt Out - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Michelle Gunderson: Administrator's Pledge on Ethical Treatment of Students Who Opt OutBy Anthony Cody on March 3, 2014 8:16 AMOn Saturday I shared a report from Chicago teacher Michelle Gunderson about the decision by the faculty at two Chicago elementary schools
Learning from the Past: The Economy and School Reform Then and Now* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Learning from the Past: The Economy and School Reform Then and Now* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Learning from the Past: The Economy and School Reform Then and Now*There is hardly any work we can do or any expenditures we can make that will yield so large a return to our industries as would come from the establishment of educational institutions which would give us skille
Teachers as Trustees, Part 2 | InterACT
Teachers as Trustees, Part 2 | InterACT: Teachers as Trustees, Part 2MARCH 3, 2014tags: guest post, Kirby-Gonzalez, school boardby ACT Guest Blog PostsInterACT Guest Blog Post by Sarah Kirby-GonzalezInterACT features many blog posts on the topic of teacher leadership, but very few teachers are able to view the field from the perspective of elected office – especially one held concurrently with the
Russ on Reading: Dispatches from the Front 2
Russ on Reading: Dispatches from the Front 2: Dispatches from the Front 2Notes from Day 2 of the Network Of Public Education ConferenceDay 2 of the Network for Public Education Conference in Austin, TX began with people lining up in the aisles of the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium to get Diane Ravitch to sign their copy of Reign of Error. Poor Anthony Cody struggled to get people into their seats to
Public Education, Public Obligation, and the Distribution of Opportunity | janresseger
Public Education, Public Obligation, and the Distribution of Opportunity | janresseger: Public Education, Public Obligation, and the Distribution of OpportunityPosted on March 3, 2014 by janressegerA just society would distribute opportunity fairly and, in the case of K-12 education, give each child the chance to realize her or his promise.  While our society has never fully realized this ideal, w
Eli Broad appoints head of philanthropic education efforts | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC
Eli Broad appoints head of philanthropic education efforts | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Eli Broad appoints head of philanthropic education efforts After more than a decade of directly overseeing $1 billion in education reform grants from his non-profit foundation, philanthropist Eli Broad is grooming a replacement.He's hired Bruce Reed, a high profile Washington political operative who spent decades
CURMUDGUCATION: 11 Essential Questions from the Network for Public Education
CURMUDGUCATION: 11 Essential Questions from the Network for Public Education: 11 Essential Questions from the Network for Public EducationAt the wrap-up from last weekend's Network for Public Education conference in Austin, TX, the leaders of the national pro-public education (I realize that alignment should be obvious from the title, but these days you can't assume these things) issued a call for
Pink Hula Hoop. Worse than a crime. Racism. | Bob Braun's Ledger
Pink Hula Hoop. Worse than a crime. Racism. | Bob Braun's Ledger: Pink Hula Hoop. Worse than a crime. Racism.Rice with Quintana and CaputoState Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex) said he believes  the story of “Pink Hula Hoop” is astory about crime. That’s the quaint name given to the convoluted way in which rich and politically-connected people and wealthy organizations raised mostly public money to buy—
New All-Digital Curriculums Hope to Ride High-Tech Push in Schoolrooms - NYTimes.com
New All-Digital Curriculums Hope to Ride High-Tech Push in Schoolrooms - NYTimes.com: New All-Digital Curriculums Hope to Ride High-Tech Push in SchoolroomsBy MOTOKO RICHMARCH 3, 2014English language curriculums built entirely on a digital platform — replacing written textbooks, worksheets or printed study guides — are about to enter the market from several companies, with promises that they will
NYC Educator: Epic Fail at UFT Leadership
NYC Educator: Epic Fail at UFT Leadership: Epic Fail at UFT LeadershipI've been speaking to heads of other locals, and they're pretty shocked when they hear we've gone over five years without a raise. They tell me if that happened where they are, they'd have been voted out. Of course, where they are, it's not customary for over 80% of their members to sit out elections.Now of course Unity-New Acti
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESCTU Pres. Karen Lewis asks NPE conferees, "If you support the [test-boycotting] teachers at Saucedo & Drummond, stand up and say aye."Diane Ravitch "A for-profit public school is an oxymoron." -- Speech at NPE ConferenceMark WoodsI’m not even sure where to begin. But let’s start with the music, P.E. and art

YESTERDAY

Teachers For Social Justice: edTPA Boycott: UIC Grad Students Follow Parents and Teachers’ Lead
Teachers For Social Justice: edTPA Boycott: UIC Grad Students Follow Parents and Teachers’ Lead: edTPA Boycott: UIC Grad Students Follow Parents and Teachers’ LeadMARCH 2, 2014 LEAVE A COMMENT(Saucedo teachers and parents boycotting the ISAT  - photo by John Kugler) Chicago's Students United for Education Justice (SUEJ) letter of support for Saucedo and Drummonds(photo by Greg Goodman) March 1, 20
Schooling in the Ownership Society: IFT leader claims ALEC leader Dillard as his champion -- "A strong voice for teachers." Really?
Schooling in the Ownership Society: IFT leader claims ALEC leader Dillard as his champion -- "A strong voice for teachers." Really?: IFT leader claims ALEC leader Dillard as his champion -- "A strong voice for teachers." Really?Dillard (left) and Rauner. They're both worse. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) represents the most reactionary, anti-people, anti-teach
NYU Prof Says American Education a “Hoax” - Higher Education
NYU Prof Says American Education a “Hoax” - Higher Education: NYU Prof Says American Education a “Hoax”March 2, 2014 | Category: News,Subfeature | :     inShare        by Jamaal Abdul-AlimDiane RavitchINDIANAPOLIS ― American education has been besieged by an onslaught of “hoaxes” that threaten to undermine traditional public schools and demoralize teachers.That’s the message that New York Universi
CALL TO ACTION | Opt Out Orlando
CALL TO ACTION | Opt Out Orlando: CALL TO ACTIONPosted on March 2, 2014 by Opt Out Orlando — Leave a commentCALL TO ACTIONParents united for ALL children!!!There is a confluence of significant events happening in Florida and throughout the country now.  In the last few weeks alone: The documentary “Standardized” continues to be shown nationwide and has been opening the eyes of parents and embolden
One Teacher's Perspective: Walker's Act 10 Devalues Teaching in Wisconsin
One Teacher's Perspective: Walker's Act 10 Devalues Teaching in Wisconsin: Walker's Act 10 Devalues Teaching in WisconsinWisconsin Teacher Value Not Adding UpMy first teaching contract 19 years ago at a Midwest Catholic high school grossed $15,000. My retirement benefits consisted of a whopping $500 401K. Cutting into my take-home pay was a $1500 annual premium for an inadequate health insurance p
3-2-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: The Witch of Wall Street May Go to CourtFederal Judge Orders Michelle Rhee Suit to Go Forward, will Broaden to Concealment and Fraud ClaimsA US federal judge has denied a Motion to Dismiss by former DC Public School Chancellor Michelle Rhee in a wrongful termination lawsuit over the mass firings of DC Public School teachers back in 2009. Case to be amended to add concealment and fr
CURMUDGUCATION: Distance Learning & Best Ravitch Line from NPE Conference
CURMUDGUCATION: Distance Learning & Best Ravitch Line from NPE Conference: Distance Learning & Best Ravitch Line from NPE ConferenceIn the midst of show weekend with my students here in PA, it was interesting to try to follow the Network for Public Education Conference in Austin this weekend. I have two initial takeaways from the experience.Distance Learning Is Even Worse Than Phone SexI f
Dillard gains backing from state's two major teachers' unions - chicagotribune.com
Dillard gains backing from state's two major teachers' unions - chicagotribune.com: Dillard gains backing from state's two major teachers' unionsEmailPinterest0Republican gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard speaks at a press conference announcing the endorsement of the Illinois Education Association in the 2014 campaign for the GOP nomination for Governor. IEA president Cinda Klickna, left, joins
Nite Cap 3-2-14 #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 CAPThe Network For Public Education | NPE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGSThe Network For Public Education | PRESS RELEASE – NPE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:  NPE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGSMarch 2, 2014 NPE NewsPRESS RELEASEPress Conferen
The Network For Public Education | NPE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS
The Network For Public Education | PRESS RELEASE – NPE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS:  NPE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGSMarch 2, 2014 NPE NewsPRESS RELEASEPress Conference to be held in the Thompson Conference Center at 3:30 pm, Sunday, March 2.AUSTIN, TX The Network for Public Education (NPE) closed out its first National Conference here with a call for Congressional hearings to investigate
Modeling the Education They Want To Be: The Great Chicago Teachers Union Transformation
Modeling the Education They Want To Be: The Great Chicago Teachers Union Transformation: Modeling the Education They Want To Be: The Great Chicago Teachers Union TransformationSunday, 02 March 2014 00:00By Eleanor J Bader, Truthout | Book Reviewfont size   Print Email(Book cover via Verso Books)Micah Uetricht's "Strike for America: Chicago Teachers Against Austerity" relates the stirring
Don’t Sit for Testing-Stand Up for Teachers and Children | United Opt Out National
Don’t Sit for Testing-Stand Up for Teachers and Children | United Opt Out National: DON’T SIT FOR TESTING-STAND UP FOR TEACHERS AND CHILDRENDo you want to know how to tell the difference between a testing “reformer” and a testing resistor?Easy…. Reformers are paid (and handsomely) to be spokespersons for Pearson, Achieve, PARCC, and the myriad of other corporate interests that have hatched Common
Don’t Sit for Testing-Stand with Chicago | educationalchemy
Don’t Sit for Testing-Stand with Chicago | educationalchemy: Don’t Sit for Testing-Stand with ChicagoDo you want to know how to tell the difference between a testing “reformer” and a testing resistor?Easy…. Reformers are paid (and handsomely) to be spokespersons for Pearson, Achieve, PARCC, and the myriad of other corporate interests that have hatched Common Core standards and the new rounds of te
Karen Lewis & John Kuhn on Vimeo @ #npeconference
Karen Lewis & John Kuhn on Vimeo: Karen Lewis & John Kuhn Karen Lewis & John Kuhn from Vincent Precht on Vimeo.
Reform Laws Needed - Gulen Charter Schools
Reform Laws Needed - Gulen Charter Schools: Reform Laws Neededto prevent abuses such as occur at Gulen charter schoolsThis page gives model legislation for charter schools, based on the careful consideration of loopholes that Gulen charter schools and other charter schools have exploited and abused.Lobbying organizations such as ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) and the NAPCS (Natio
Mitch Albom and the N-Word | educarenow
Mitch Albom and the N-Word | educarenow: Mitch Albom and the N-WordPosted on March 2, 2014 | Leave a commentThis morning’s Detroit Free Press has an interesting article from Mitch Albom,“Examining the NFL’s Debate for Penalties for N-Word.” In the article, Mitch writes of his discomfort with the NFL’s new rule fining the on-field use of the N-word, while decrying any use of the N-word.There’s lot
Read Across America Tour Rolls Into Oklahoma | NEA Today
Read Across America Tour Rolls Into Oklahoma | NEA Today: Read Across America Tour Rolls Into OklahomaMarch 2, 2014 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, NEA's Read Across America, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Brenda ÁlvarezAfter covering almost 800 miles of ground, NEA’s Read Across America Cat-a-Van Tour 1 capped off a week’s worth of reading celebrations on Friday in Oklahoma with two school v
3-2-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Research Findings From Learning at Home: Families’ Educational Media Use in America”Q & A With Lori Takeuchi: Research Findings From Learning at Home: Families’ Educational Media Use in America is from the Harvard Family Research Project. Here’s the part most useful to educators: How can practitioners support families
Marie Corfield: Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. Is My Hero Of The Day!
Marie Corfield: Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. Is My Hero Of The Day!: Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. Is My Hero Of The Day!Thank you, Congressman Donald Payne, Jr.! We need more like this!Good news: as the battle between Superintendent Anderson and the parents, community and teachers of Newark escalates, more elected officials in NJ are realizing that Cami and Christie aren't doing “a heckuva job” in reformy New
CURMUDGUCATION: "If not CCSS, then what?"
CURMUDGUCATION: "If not CCSS, then what?": "If not CCSS, then what?"If not the CCSS, then what?This refrain comes back and back and back again, echoing this morning over the interwebs all the way from the NPE conference in Austin. Today it's Randi Weingarten, but it could just as easily be Dennis Van Roekel (well, if he ever went to anything or spoke to anybody outside of NEA P
Dear President Obama: The Problem's Poverty, Not Absentee Dads | Crooks and Liars
Dear President Obama: The Problem's Poverty, Not Absentee Dads | Crooks and Liars: Dear President Obama: The Problem's Poverty, Not Absentee DadsBy Melinda D. Anderson March 1, 2014 6:00 am 86Share2 166Share1 262“My Brother's Keeper” is no substitute for jobs, housing, and access to quality education and training, and it won’t have any meaningful impact on the appalling racism and conditions in th
from the Reformish Lexicon | Bob Shepherd | Praxis
from the Reformish Lexicon | Bob Shepherd | Praxis: from the Reformish Lexicon The idle FoolIs whipt at school.–from the first textbook published in the Americas, The New England Primer; motto of the Reformish movement in K-12 Education (“Back to the future. I mean way, way back.”)Work on the Reformish (or Rheeformish) Lexicon is proceeding apace thanks to the intrepid work of a great many researc
3-2-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: “Mythbusters” Music Video: “It’s Time For Science!”Check out this fun Mythbusters music video, made by Melody Sheep:by Larry Ferlazzo / 23min Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 3-1-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLarry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE
3-2-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week
Jersey Jazzman: Chris Cerf's Final Spin: Mt. OliveSo yesterday was the first day of the rest of Chris Cerf's life: the former NJ Education Commissioner left his post to take a job at Amplify, the Rupert Murdoch-owned company run by former NYCDOE Chancellor (and Cerf's former boss) Joel Klein. Amplify sells tablet computers designed, among other things, to help districts prepare their students for
Union Issues Education Policy | Video | C-SPAN.org
Union Issues Education Policy | Video | C-SPAN.org: Union Issues and Education PolicyRandi Weingarten talked about issues facing organized labor and teachers unions in 2014. Topics included implementation of Common Core educational standards, teacher testing and assessment, the minimum wage, health care, and the American Federation of Teachers' role in the 2014 midterm elections.C-SPAN Radio’s Nan
CURMUDGUCATION: Selling Is Not Doing
CURMUDGUCATION: Selling Is Not Doing: Selling Is Not DoingIn yesterday's New York Times, Suzanne Mettler provided one more explanation of why school choice doesn't-- and won't-- work.Mettler is looking at how college has become the "great unleveler," an education system that reinforces a caste system instead of breaking down walls. That's in no small part because the percentage of househ
3-2-14 The Answer Sheet 3-1-14
The Answer Sheet: Your kid is being bullied at school — but not in the way you thinkHow bad is the standardized testing obsession in public education? Really bad, says James Arnold, the former superintendent of Pelham City Schools in Pelham, Ga., in the following post. A version of this appeared on his blog.   By James Arnold Are you defined by a test? If you were born before 1985, chances are the
Pile of Old Books vs. Citizens as Critical Participants in the Great Education Debates | Cloaking Inequity
Pile of Old Books vs. Citizens as Critical Participants in the Great Education Debates | Cloaking Inequity: Pile of Old Books vs. Citizens as Critical Participants in the Great Education DebatesFor a scholar, hiding research behind journal pay walls and subscriptions is safety. As comfortable and warm as cuddling up with a blanket and a book in front a fireplace on a cool fall evening. Should facu
Ain't Gonna Teach to the Test No More - CPS ISAT Boycott
CPS students are among the most over-tested in the nation.Standardized tests waste valuable classroom time and cost school districts millions of dollars.Despite the fact that CPS admits the ISAT is not longer tied to any relevant procedures or consequences, it will still be making students grades 3-8 take this entirely unnecessary test March 3-14.CPS parents are organizing in record numbers to opt
Morning Wink 3-2-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSClick Here to Watch Live!schoolhouseliveThe Best of Public Educationon twitter: #NPECONFERENCE3-2-14 Wait What? All WeekWait What?: Connecticut to end non-credit remedial courses at public collegesNo really….  A Connecticut law passed in 2012 made it illegal for Connecticut public colleges to provide non-credit remedial courses starting in 2014. Long time