Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 1-23-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


Nite Cap UPDATE

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“Why I Want To Give Up Teaching”…the Common Core Standards
This was recently posted in the Hartford Courant by Elizabeth A. Natale who teaches English and language arts at Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford, CT. Why I Want to Give Up Teaching Surrounded by piles of student work to grade, lessons to plan and laundry to do, I have but one hope for the new […]

Get Schooled: Do school boards, good, bad or indifferent, really impact student achievement?
When I was a young reporter, my colleagues and I dreaded the education beat. Schools produced little front page news, and school boards rivaled library and zoning boards in their aridity. It was not unusual to see a reporter nodding off during a lengthy school board discussion on bus schedules, maintenance ...
Americans More Accepting of Interracial Couples and Marriages
Mildred and Richard Loving were a mixed-race couple from Virginia who were arrested by local law enforcement in July 1958 for violating the then state’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which prohibited White-Black marriages. To add insult to injury they were told that they had to leave the state for a minimum of nine years in order to avoid prosecution and imprisonment. For the next several years th
Native Americans Taking Stand for Education Against California’s Humboldt County Schools
  Abby Abinanti, a Chief Judge for the Yurok Tribal Court and a California Superior Court Commissioner, says that “no country can go forward with its students not successfully educated.” The principal and superintendent of Loleta Elementary School in California’s Humboldt County grabbed a Native American student by the ear and asked, “See how red it’s getting?” The school secretary said students b
Which Way Forward? President Obama and Higher Education
On Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama met with more than 140 education officials from public and private colleges and universities, corporations, foundations and nonprofit groups to talk about college opportunity. Organized by White House economic adviser Gene B. Sperling, the event drew pledges from the group for new and additional initiatives that reinf


The Suggestions of the New NY Education Reform Commission
In April, 2012, The New NY Education Reform Commission was created by Governor Andrew Cuomo.  The members of the committee are a diverse group ranging from high profile ‘reformers’ like Waiting For Superman hero Geoffrey Canada to low profile ‘reformers’ like Waiting For Superman villian Randi Weingarten.  They released two reports recently, a 92 page ‘Education Action Plan’ and a 70 page ‘Final A


It’s That Time Of Year Again: Here’s How My Ninth-Graders Evaluated The Class & Me
My ninth-grade English class last year was a tough one, as you can see from my report on how they evaluated me a year ago — which happened to be reprinted in The Washington Post. This year, happily, though my two mainstream ninth-grade English classes are not without their challenges, things are much better and similar to previous years. And you can see all of my previous year’s evaluations at Th


TAKE ACTION: Let’s talk about what women are paid
Want to make a difference? All it takes is a phone, an ear, and a few minutes. Today, American women are still paid only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men (with mothers and women of color experiencing increased wage hits). Nine out of ten American workers don’t have paid family leave (maternity/paternity leave), and nearly 40 million people don’t have a single paid sick day. Plus – right now,
ICYMI: Brain Foods for Kids Webinar
Did you know we really are what we eat? Food can be a real-life superhero for our kids’ growing brains! In case you missed it, MomsRising teamed up with PCC Natural Markets and their Nutrition Educator, Marilyn Walls, for a super-charged webinar on brain foods for kids! Check out the recording of the webinar here to get caught up on the ins-and-outs, the tips and tricks on great brain foods for ki

Erased Answers on Tests in Philadelphia Lead to a Three-Year Cheating Scandal
Answer keys were passed to students. Principals doctored answer sheets. At some schools, teachers and administrators gathered to change test answers. The episode in Pennsylvania has again raised questions about standardized testing.    
Cuomo Sweetens Pre-K Deal: ‘Whatever’ Mayor Needs
After Mayor Bill de Blasio rebuffed his proposal of $1.5 billion for prekindergarten education, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo offered New York communities a blank check.    

School districts on their own to pick best math textbooks until 2017, state says
State officials wlll come up with an approve list of math teaching materials for districts to use in 2017. In the meantime, they will improve their process for vetting books, digital resources and other modern teaching tools.

Get ready for Common Core, data privacy bills
Colorado so far has escaped the level of Common Core standards controversy that’s flared up in other states — but that may change. Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, confirmed to Chalkbeat Colorado Thursday that she’s planning to introduce a bill that would delay rollout of the Common Core Standards and the PARCC online tests so that both could be studied. Marble said she’s still looking for a Dem


Jersey Jazzman: Jazzman Extracurricular Activities
Jersey Jazzman: Jazzman Extracurricular Activities: Jazzman Extracurricular ActivitiesLet's get this out of the way:This brief about One Newark -- the controversial plan to restructure the Newark Public Schools -- is coauthored by me. I am one of the authors of the brief. And I'm not Bruce Baker.So there you have it. Frankly, I don't think it's a big deal... but it seems like some others do.I have
1-23-14 Schools Matter 1-22-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: 1-22-14 Schools Matterby Jim Horn / 16min Children's Authors Beg Obama for Relief from Testing InsanityWish in one hand, and spit in the other; see which one fill up first.  From MSNBC, of all places:Famed author and poet Maya Angelou and 120 other children’s book authors are challenging President Obama’s national education policy over what they call an “overuse and abuse” of stand
New Report: An Empirical Critique of “One Newark” « New Jersey Education Policy Forum
New Report: An Empirical Critique of “One Newark” « New Jersey Education Policy Forum: New Report: An Empirical Critique of “One Newark” « New Jersey Education Policy Forum Our new report is too long to post in its entirety in blog form.The report can be downloaded here: Weber.Baker_OneNewark_Jan24_2014Below is the executive summary of the report:Executive SummaryOn December 18, 2013, State Superi
Paul Vallas shares the blame for the $1.5 Billion penalty that taxpayers will have to pay | Reclaim Reform
Paul Vallas shares the blame for the $1.5 Billion penalty that taxpayers will have to pay | Reclaim Reform: Paul Vallas shares the blame for the $1.5 Billion penalty that taxpayers will have to payPosted on January 23, 2014by Ken PrevitiPaul Vallas shares the blame for a new $1.5 Billion penalty that taxpayers will have to pay. Also, Vallas is still causing economic damage to New Orleans and Louis
Terrorism of Noble Network of charter schools - Substance News
Terrorism of Noble Network of charter schools - Substance News: Terrorism of Noble Network of charter schools - Substance News'...We’ve seen an alarming number of students being admitted to the hospital with depression, severe anxiety, and increasingly with actual suicide attempts all directly tied to these schools’ discipline, academic, and retention policies...' Teacher exposes Noble's bullying
Nite Cap 1-23-14 #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 CAPsolidaridad: 8th Annual A.R.E. Conferencesolidaridad: 8th Annual A.R.E. Conference: 8th Annual A.R.E. ConferenceWORKSHOP PRESENTATION PROPOSALAPPLICATION FORM8th Annual A.R.E. ConferenceSaturday, March 1st, 2014C.K. McClatchy High SchoolSacrament
solidaridad: 8th Annual A.R.E. Conference
solidaridad: 8th Annual A.R.E. Conference: 8th Annual A.R.E. ConferenceWORKSHOP PRESENTATION PROPOSALAPPLICATION FORM8th Annual A.R.E. ConferenceSaturday, March 1st, 2014C.K. McClatchy High SchoolSacramento, CASUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, January 31st, 2014Email Application to: Sacra.ARE@gmail.comCONFERENCE TITLE20 Year Effort: Raza Educators Building Liberated SpacesWORKSHOPS·       Critical Peda

Jersey Jazzman: Jazzman Extracurricular Activities

Jersey Jazzman: Jazzman Extracurricular Activities:



Jazzman Extracurricular Activities


Let's get this out of the way:

This brief about One Newark -- the controversial plan to restructure the Newark Public Schools -- is coauthored by me. I am one of the authors of the brief. And I'm not Bruce Baker.

So there you have it. Frankly, I don't think it's a big deal... but it seems like some others do.

I have not been "anonymous" for a good long while; I am pseudonymous. There is a difference. I don't deny who I am, I don't try to hide who I am, and I don't lie when people ask me: "Are you Jersey Jazzman?"

I write under a pseudonym here because I really try to separate what I do on the blog with my top priority (aside from my family): teaching music in a New Jersey public school. It's my best attempt to separate those two worlds. But now I'm publishing policy work under my own name. I think it's only fair that you, my readers, know when I link to my own work.

Also: I'm going to be writing soon at some other venues. Readers there -- and here -- deserve to know that JJ is this other guy.

This blog continues under a pseudonym. Agree, disagree... I really don't care. The ideas speak for themselves.

Any questions? Good. Let's keep going...
- See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2014/01/jazzman-extracurricular-activities.html#sthash.2OEldGyE.dpuf

1-23-14 Schools Matter 1-22-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:











1-22-14 Schools Matter
Children's Authors Beg Obama for Relief from Testing Insanity
Wish in one hand, and spit in the other; see which one fill up first.  From MSNBC, of all places:Famed author and poet Maya Angelou and 120 other children’s book authors are challenging President Obama’s national education policy over what they call an “overuse and abuse” of standardized testing. They say the focus on testing hurts children’s imaginations and has a negative impact on children’s lo


1-22-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common CoreStan Karp, at Rehinking Schools, knows how to get to the heart of the matter and has a way with words. Thanks for providing us teachers with some good reading on a snow day."Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common Core"Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common Core  January 22, 2014  |  This is a revised versi