Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, August 23, 2014

All Week 8-23-14 @ THE CHALK FACE


@ THE CHALK FACE : 
All Week @ THE CHALK FACE 

About the radio show
Join Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar 
LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST 
on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. 

Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. 
You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursday at 7PM EST.
Visit the @ the Chalk Face radio main page for more information on the show and syndication.




“Reframing” California Common Core for a Better Public Sale
The Frameworks Institute is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the images of other nonprofits with the goal of hooking the public regarding the target nonprofit’s agenda: Changing the conversation on social issues FrameWorks designs, conducts and publishes communications research to prepare nonprofit organizations to expand their constituency base, to build public will, and to further public under
Elizabeth Green’s Portrait of the Potential Benefits of Academic Teacher Education Programs
Elizabeth Green, author of the outstanding Building a Better Teacher, recalls that she attended affluent high schools but she didn’t have a surplus of engaging teachers. She still must have had far better teachers than I had in the 1950s and 1960s. I’m also likely to look differently at the question of whether we now […]

AUG 20

The AstroTurf Lament: Common Core in Two 2014 Public Opinion Polls
In August 2014, both Education Next and Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup published public opinion polls on education and that included questions regarding the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). EdNext polled approximately 5,000 individuals, and PDK/Gallup, 1,000 individuals. (Some of EdNext‘s questions were asked in two versions, and the sample was split into two halves, or approximately 2,500 respondents
Elizabeth Green Tackles the Question; Are Teachers Born or Made?
It’s hard to believe that there will ever be an answer to the question of whether teachers are “born” or “made.” As with the question of whether comedians or poets are born or made, the way that the question is phrased, and its context, will determine the answers. As with the case with other timeless […]
This bears repeating: ” I Am The Seed She Planted”
This bears repeating: ” I Am The Seed She Planted”. via This bears repeating: ” I Am The Seed She Planted”.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face

AUG 19

Why the Jindal Loss Was Expected Regarding La.’s PARCC Injunction
On August 19, 2014, District Judge Todd Hernandez ruled that the Jindal administration’s suspension of the Louisiana state testing contract was to be temporarily lifted until the pro-Common Core (CCSS) full case against Jindal and his administration goes to court. (For backstory, click here.) I was surprised at the judge’s ruling because the Louisiana Department of […]
How Amanda Ripley’s The Smartest Kids in the World Falls Short
Amanda Ripley’s The Smartest Kids in the World is primarily concerned with what we can learn from other countries, and several of those lessons are very valuable. It also has a very few pages that are jammed-packed with inaccurate, un-footnoted statements about standardized testing in America. My sense is that Ripley feels compelled to offer […]

AUG 17

To Amanda Ripley: A Second TIME Article on Rhee is Long Overdue
Michelle Rhee has failed as a test-driven education reformer. Rhee taught for three years (1992-95) in Baltimore as part of Teach for America (TFA). By her own admission, her first year was terrible. She taped students’ mouths and made them bleed, and she dropped a student off after a field trip at an unverified residence. […]
David Berliner @ the Chalk Face offers some words of wisdom.
I paraphrase, check the audio: If you’re going to be a profession of sheep, then you’ll be run by wolves. Great conversation.Filed under: @TCF Radio Episodes Tagged: at the chalk face, berliner, education reform, NEPC, teacher evaluation, vam

AUG 16

Updates for La. Common Core/ PARCC Lawsuits– Including Fresh Spin from John White
The State of Louisiana is currently involved in three lawsuits over the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and/or the CCSS testing consortium assessments belonging to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). Here is a brief update of the entire affair: Lawsuit One Update On August 13, 2014, Judge Todd Hernandez denied the […]
The NEA should have listened. It’s too late.
The Washington Post has a feisty profile of the new NEA president, Lily Eskelsen GarcĂ­a: What would she do if she were still teaching and an administrator told her to do something in class to improve student’s standardized test scores so that her test-based evaluation would be better?  “I would totally ignore them,” she said. ” ‘Go […]