Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Nite Cap 8-21-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT



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




No Teacher Is An Island |
No Teacher Is An Island |:No Teacher Is An Island This week in The Shanker Blog, authors lan Daly (Professor, University of California San Diego) and Kara Finnigan (Associate Professor, the University of Rochester) published a piece titled: No Teacher Is An Island: The Role Of Social Relations In Teacher Evaluation.They discuss, as largely based on their research and expertise in social network an
The Trouble With “The Trouble With Tenure” | InterACT
The Trouble With “The Trouble With Tenure” | InterACT: The Trouble With “The Trouble With Tenure”AUGUST 21, 2014tags: Bruni, due process, Johnston, ny times, teaching quality,tenureby David B. CohenFrank Bruni, writing in the New York Times on Aug. 18, 2014, cobbles together a series of assumptions and quotations to join the trendy but under-informed chorus speaking out regarding “The Trouble With
8-21-14 Living in Dialogue - Starve the Testing Beast:
Home | Living in Dialogue: Starve the Testing Beast: Chicago Teachers Show Us How to Organize a Test BoycottBy Michelle Gunderson. We have a saying in the testing resistance movement – don’t feed the beast, starve the data monster. When parents opt their children out of testing they are taking a strong stance against having their children’s data used as a mechanism to sort students, punish teacher
School Reformers’ Pledge of Good Conduct | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
School Reformers’ Pledge of Good Conduct | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: School Reformers’ Pledge of Good ConductSchool reformers now (and in the past) are (and have been) divided among themselves. So often, they seek similar goals–students who are literate, can think clearly, have requisite skills and knowledge to enter and finish college or start a career,  and  contribute
Choosing Democracy: The U.S.'s Classist Educational System - And California's
Choosing Democracy: The U.S.'s Classist Educational System - And California's: The U.S.'s Classist Educational System - And California'sAmerica's education system is unequal and unfair. Students who live in wealthy communities have huge advantages that rig the system in their favor. They have more experienced teachers and a much lower student-teacher ratio. They have more modern facilities, more u
Duncan Listens to Gates, Offers One Year Delay on New Test Consequences | Living in Dialogue
Duncan Listens to Gates, Offers One Year Delay on New Test Consequences | Living in Dialogue: Duncan Listens to Gates, Offers One Year Delay on New Test Consequences After five years at his post, Secretary Duncan indicates he is now “listening to teachers on testing.” His statement, released this morning, offers a thorough repudiation of teaching to the test, but little substance regarding federal
8-21-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?:  Wait What? Pelto/Murphy 2014Malloy misleads teachers, parents, public school advocates and taxpayers – again!Pelto Media Statement in Response to Governor Malloy’s Press Release:  GOV. MALLOY: MILLIONS IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING WILL ASSIST STRUGGLING SCHOOL DISTRICTS Malloy misleads teachers, parents, public school advocates and taxpayers – again! Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy and his Comm
Cami’s Newark enrollment plan collapses in the heat | Bob Braun's Ledger
Cami’s Newark enrollment plan collapses in the heat | Bob Braun's Ledger: Cami’s Newark enrollment plan collapses in the heatThe implementation of the deeply flawed “One Newark” student-dispersal program all but collapsed yesterday as the state administration’s highly paid bureaucrats kept hundreds of angry and frustrated  parents and children waiting in un-airconditioned school rooms or outside i
8-21-14 Jersey Jazzman - The Myth of The Burned-Out Senior Teacher: Part II
Jersey Jazzman: The Myth of The Burned-Out Senior Teacher: Part IIIn my last post, I questioned the idea of the senior, burned-out teacher being a major policy concern, simply on the basis of the fact that there really aren't that many senior teachers to begin with.But what does the literature say about relative teacher effectiveness late in a career? What do we know about teachers who enter the l
ACT Report for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
ACT Report for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Issues Statement on 2014 ACT® ReportSACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today issued the following statement upon the release by ACT of its annual report, The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2014."It is heartening to see that today's ACT report shows California
8-21-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Gaps in the Garfield CaseThis is a lengthy post and has new information so I urge you to read to the end. Gaps abound in the Garfield case.  You can see this just from the Times' story this morning on last night's School Board election.  (And welcome Times to this story - very late to it, no?)Some have suggested that the Times article is slanted?  I would say it is
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Schools play a big role in the Ferguson story. It's a teachable moment in time.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Schools play a big role in the Ferguson story. It's a teachable moment in time.: Schools play a big role in the Ferguson story. It's a teachable moment in time.Fergson teachers would rather be with their students in their classrooms. Instead, they spend the day picking up debris, including tear gas canisters, from local streets. SELMA, Alabama -- A sixth grade teache
FBI Tracks Charter Schools | PR Watch
FBI Tracks Charter Schools | PR Watch:FBI Tracks Charter SchoolsBy Ruth ConniffThere’s been a flood of local news stories in recent months about FBI raids on charter schools all over the country.From Pittsburgh to Baton Rouge, from Hartford toCincinnati to Albuquerque, FBI agents have been busting into schools, carting off documents, and making arrests leading to high-profile indictments."The
Why Charter Schools Have High Teacher Turnover - CityLimits.org
Why Charter Schools Have High Teacher Turnover - CityLimits.org: Why Charter Schools Have High Teacher TurnoverWhile some statistics are disputed, the high rates of teacher attrition at charter schools raise questions about whether even the most successful ones can maintain quality amid the churn.By Helen Zelon  | Wednesday, Aug 20, 2014High-quality teachers are integral to academic achievement, e
States Escaping No Child Left Behind Can Get More Time On Teacher Evaluations
States Escaping No Child Left Behind Can Get More Time On Teacher Evaluations: States Escaping No Child Left Behind Can Get More Time On Teacher EvaluationsFor years, the Obama administration has made tougher teacher evaluations a centerpiece of its education agenda, giving states incentives to grade educators partially in accordance with students' standardized test scores. But on Thursday, U.S. S
8-21-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Week In Web 2.0In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth blogging about, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” (you might also be interested in The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education In 2013). I also sometimes include tech tools that might not exactly
8-21-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning Read: LAUSD teachers censure student tracking programMorning Read: LAUSD teachers censure student tracking program L.A. Unified teachers decry new student tracking system Los Angeles Unified spent about $112 million on an online student tracking program a decade ago but dumped it two years ago in
Arne Duncan Listening to Teachers on Testing? | ED.gov Blog
Listening to Teachers on Testing | ED.gov Blog: Listening to Teachers on TestingAs teachers gear up for a new school year, I want to offer two thoughts. One is a message of celebration and thanks. The other is a response to a concern that has come up often in many conversations with teachers and families, and which deserves an answer.First, the thanks. America’s students have posted some unprecede
State review faults Missouri education department’s handling of CEE-Trust contract | The Kansas City Star
State review faults Missouri education department’s handling of CEE-Trust contract | The Kansas City Star: State review faults Missouri education department’s handling of CEE-Trust contractMissouri’s education department stumbled several ways when it hired CEE-Trust a year ago to propose a complete overhaul of the Kansas City Public Schools, a state auditor’s report said Tuesday.The state’s contra
8-21-14 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: More Bad Polling News For CCSSWhile we're making note of how Common Core is tanking in the Education Next and PDK/Gallup polls, let's pull out one other poll from earlier in the summer. This one also us ed the word "plummets," which has become a serious contender for leading the Common Core Headline Word Bank.Conducted and released in June of 2014, the Rasmussen Reports n
Shanker Blog » The Thrill Of Success, The Agony Of Measurement
Shanker Blog » The Thrill Of Success, The Agony Of Measurement: The Thrill Of Success, The Agony Of MeasurementPosted by Matthew Di Carlo on August 21, 2014The recent release of the latest New York State testing results created a little public relations coup for the controversial Success Academies charter chain, which operates over 20 schools in New York City, and is seeking to expand.Shortly afte
8-21-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: George Schmidt on Karen Lewis for Mayor - and More; Randi Offers Karen a million bucks if she runsAFT President Randi Weingarten said she'd give $1 million to Chicago teachers union chief Karen Lewis if she ran against Mayor Rahm Emanuel....Chicago Sun-TimesThe cynic in me says, what better way to get rid of a potential rival? A million bucks will be a drop in the bucket against R
State OKs 10% pay cut to ease DPS deficit | The Detroit News
State OKs 10% pay cut to ease DPS deficit | The Detroit News: State OKs 10% pay cut to ease DPS deficitState education officials have approved a plan by Detroit Public Schools to slash pay 10 percent districtwide to help erase the district’s $127 million deficit.State Superintendent Mike Flanagan announced Wednesday he approved the district’s updated five-year deficit elimination plan for the dist
An Interview With Dr. Yohuru Williams on Corporate Education Reform: 'We Aren't Buying It." | M. Shannon Hernandez
An Interview With Dr. Yohuru Williams on Corporate Education Reform: 'We Aren't Buying It." | M. Shannon Hernandez: An Interview With Dr. Yohuru Williams on Corporate Education Reform: 'We Aren't Buying It." Teachers from across the nation stood in solidarity on July 27, 2014, using their voices to speak out about many of the issues plaguing the nation's public education system. The mood
Some Predictions as the New School Year Arrives… | Taking Note
Some Predictions as the New School Year Arrives… | Taking Note: Some Predictions as the New School Year Arrives…by JOHN MERROW on 21. AUG, 2014 in 2014 BLOGSWith the arrival of the new school year, what can we expect?  Here are 6 predictions and a big question.Prediction #1. More school districts will back away from relying  heavily on standardized test scores to hold teachers accountable. It seem
8-21-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: New PDK/Gallup Poll Shows 60 Percent of Public Opposed to Common CoreWe'll be posting from the new 2014 PDK/Gallup poll of public attitudes toward the public schools.  Here's the one that caught my eye first:by Jim Horn / 2min hide  //  saveNew York's High Stakes Test Data of "Diminished Usefulness" Due to Opt Out NumbersNew York parents and students who opted out of the
Fatuous Pablum | EduShyster
Fatuous Pablum | EduShyster: Fatuous Pablum David Kirp says that teaching isn’t a business—and that makes a lot of people really mad…EduShyster: Let me try to break this to you gently. Your recent New York Times piece,Teaching Is Not a Business, didn’t win you a lot of friends on Twitter. In fact, one of your detractors referred to your entire oeuvre as*fatuous pablum.*David Kirp: Wow—I seem to ha
Morning Wink 8-21-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSThe Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.OrgThe Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.Org: The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across CountryEDUCATE! CHARTER SCHOOLS, CORRUPTION, EDUCATION, FBI By Ruth Conniff, www.truth-out.orgAugust 21st, 2014  Powe
The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.Org
The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across Country | PopularResistance.Org: The Theft Of Education: FBI Raiding Charter Schools Across CountryEDUCATE! CHARTER SCHOOLS, CORRUPTION, EDUCATION, FBI By Ruth Conniff, www.truth-out.orgAugust 21st, 2014  Powered by TranslateThe Charter School Racket Is Attracting Attention of the FBI Investigating Charter-School FraudThere’s been a flood
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-21-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Schneider: When Are Common Core Polls AstroTurf?Mercedes Schneider analyzes the recent polls on Common Core and spies an effort to rescue the CCSS from the wreckage. The bottom-line, she says, is that the development of Common Core was top-down, not state-led. “Here’s the reality: CCSS was conceived, organized, produced, monitored,
NYC Educator: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership
NYC Educator: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership: Revive NYSUT Leadership Takes Care of Revive NYSUT Leadership It was inspiring to a lot of people when the Revive NYSUT ticket appeared last year. Naturally, there were frustrations with NYSUT, and a few people I respect explained some of them to me. In fact, when I first saw them, I thought it might be a good idea. Like
8-21-14 Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet: A shocking statistic about the quality of education researchIn 1968, an article in Kappan magazine titled “The Need for Replication in Education Research” by education Professor Robert H. Bauernfeind said: The principle of replication is the cornerstone of scientific inquiry. This principle holds that under similar conditions, one should obtain similar results. Replication has long b
8-21-14 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.: Jersey Jazzman. The myth of the burned-out older veteran teacher. We get better with age.- Jersey Jazzman is a teacher and education blogger. Non-teacher David Boies is absolutely convinced that we are plagued by old, bad, burned-out teachers; that’s why we need to get rid of tenure, see, and replace
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 8-21-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: L.A. Unified Teachers Decry New Student Tracking SystemSome L.A. Unified schools face packed classes, roaming students as new $20-million student database falters By Stephen Ceasar, LA Times | LA Times http://lat.ms/1ljiKbJ "We don't have anything to gain from exaggerating -- we want the problem fixed," says teachers union President Alex Caput
8-21-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: An Appropriate Rumination on Tenure and Due Process By A. Scapegoat When I became a teacher,  I was kind of appalled by seniority and tenure for the reasons most are, but  came to understand why it was needed when we lost a very strong by the book leader who was scary but only if you were screwing up. And we all do because we have to be professionals who are also caregivers p
8-21-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Campaign To Drive Down Confidence In Public Schools A SuccessThe headline in the PDK/Gallup poll released yesterday was how much support Common Core has lost with both the general public and parents of children of school age.But we shouldn't lose sight of these poll findings either:The wide-ranging survey also showed that trust in the nation’s public school system has evapor
Common Core Chaos, Loss and Betrayal | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
Common Core Chaos, Loss and Betrayal | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsCommon Core Chaos, Loss and BetrayalPosted on August 21, 20149Recently I was interviewed by WAFB about the latest developments in Louisiana’s Common Core lawsuit saga and the recent court loss. You can see the full story here:http://www.wafb.com/story/26328975/common-core-debate-con
Don’t Turn Kindergarteners Into Test-Taking Minions | Truth in American Education
Don’t Turn Kindergarteners Into Test-Taking Minions | Truth in American Education: Don’t Turn Kindergarteners Into Test-Taking MinionsFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on August 21, 2014 • 0 CommentsAn excerpt:Channel 9′s Lori Brown found out that the state is requiring districts to develop tests for every subject taught in kindergarten.The state law requires Orange County
Am I Wrong For Thinking We Could Be Something For Real? - The Jose Vilson
Am I Wrong For Thinking We Could Be Something For Real? - The Jose Vilson: Am I Wrong For Thinking We Could Be Something For Real?This afternoon, I happened upon a situation that most New Yorkers don’t. I found myself walking into the ocean with maybe 50 people over a half-mile stretch of beach to my left and my right. The more I walked into the ocean, the less people I saw around me. I didn’t eve
School Discipline Policies are Where the Anger Begins for Too Many Black Americans | Life at the Intersections
School Discipline Policies are Where the Anger Begins for Too Many Black Americans | Life at the Intersections: SCHOOL DISCIPLINE POLICIES ARE WHERE THE ANGER BEGINS FOR TOO MANY BLACK AMERICANSAUGUST 20, 2014 BRETT DICKERSONFerguson, Missouri protest, Aug 16th, Credit: CBS NewsWhat we are seeing in Ferguson, Missouri and in other cities is, in part, a direct outgrowth of misguided school suspensi
empathyeducates – A White Sheriff, His Black Son; Kitchen Table Conversations About Race
empathyeducates – A White Sheriff, His Black Son; Kitchen Table Conversations About Race: A White Sheriff, His Black Son; Kitchen Table Conversations About RaceBeyond Ferguson there are countless race-related conversations. We are also talking about the police. When the two come together…Well, what do you think? A White Sheriff, His Black Son…What might the two say when they sit down to dinner? Ra

YESTERDAY

Back To Schools White People Cannot See
Back To Schools White People Cannot See: Back To Schools White People Cannot SeeAs we face a new Back-to-School season under the pall of the recent tragedy in Ferguson, Missouri, there new considerations that can’t be ignored.Of the many heartfelt, well thought-out, and clearly written responses to the ongoing travesty happening in that town, one of the most insightful was “Dear White People: The
The AstroTurf Lament: Common Core in Two 2014 Public Opinion Polls | deutsch29
The AstroTurf Lament: Common Core in Two 2014 Public Opinion Polls | deutsch29: The AstroTurf Lament: Common Core in Two 2014 Public Opinion PollsAugust 20, 2014In 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
Badass Teachers Association - Wizard of Oz by Love Light - BATs - YouTube
BATs - YouTube: Badass Teacher (BAT) AssociationWELCOME TO THE BAT CAVEBadass Teacher Association Web SiteSurprise announcement!!!! BATs will be conducting a National Teacher's Congress in DC in 2015!! We will vote on the date and we will swarm the Capitol!!!! STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO!! BATsby TheBadassTeachers21 videos3,030 views1 hour, 17 minutesInformation about the Badass Teacher Association c
How the Common Core Lost Teacher Support | Peter Greene
How the Common Core Lost Teacher Support | Peter Greene: How the Common Core Lost Teacher SupportToday's big headline from the new Education Next poll is "Teachers No Longer Love CCSS."Support for the Core among teachers dropped like a stone, from 76% in 2013 to 46% in 2014. That's a lot of love lost. Now, as we move from the "Holy schneikies!" phase into the "Got some spl
It's Not Just About the Test: A Teacher Talks About the Classroom - WNYC
It's Not Just About the Test: A Teacher Talks About the Classroom - WNYC: It's Not Just About the Test: A Teacher Talks About the ClassroomMonday, August 25, 2014 - 04:00 AMBy Beth FertigSharePrintEmailEnlargeMath teacher Jose Vilson, who is Dominican and Haitian, believes teachers should pay more attention to their students' cultural backgrounds(Tafari Stevenson-Howard)Jose Luis Vilson has been b
NEA President-elect, Supt. Torlakson and CA’s Educators Kick Off Degrees Not Debt Campaign - California Teachers Association
NEA President-elect, Supt. Torlakson and CA’s Educators Kick Off Degrees Not Debt Campaign - California Teachers Association: NEA President-elect, Supt. Torlakson and CA’s Educators Kick Off Degrees Not Debt CampaignContacts: Staci Maiers, NEA Communications 202-270-5333 cell, smaiers@nea.org; Claudia Briggs, CTA Communications 916-296-4087 cell, cbriggs@cta.org; Becky Zoglman, CTA Communications
Common Core gets AWFUL review in new study | The Daily Caller
Common Core gets AWFUL review in new study | The Daily Caller: Common Core gets AWFUL review in new studyBad news for supporters of national education curriculum: States with education standards most closely aligned to Common Core fared worse on math tests than states with their own standards, according to a new study.The study, conducted by the Brookings Institution, compared standardized test sc
Nite Cap 8-20-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT
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 Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-District Charter | Cloaking InequityThe Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-District Charter | Cloaking Inequity: The Gem on the Hill: How to Create a Community-Based In-Dist