Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, August 8, 2014

What is important and how it has changed

What is important and how it has changed:






Due warning - this is personal.  And yet it is appropriate for me to offer here for several reasons.
First and foremost we are a community whose members share many things besides our activism and commitment to electoral politics and social and moral issues.
Second, I have been a highly visible member of this community for a number of years.  I am finding that how I participate is changing, and I feel obligated to explain that to this community which has supported and encouraged me in what I have written here, now over a period exceeding a decade.
Third, how I understand and perceive now is what actually fuels my political activities of all sorts - and for me the nature of politics is very broad.
If you are not interested, perhaps viewing me as being self-indulgent or self-obsessed, no reason for you to continue reading, although of course you are still free to do so and to post the appropriately critical or dismissive comments.
Perhaps this will speak to few, perhaps to none, perhaps to more than I can anticipate.
It is what it is.
So if interested, please follow below the fold.
There have been many things in the past few years that have perhaps finally come to a crucial and cumulative point, perhaps very late in life (I am now 68) but not too late to make a difference.
For reference - I tried retiring from teaching in June 2012.  That left me very much at loose ends as I explored other options to occupy my energy.  It also however briefly jeopardized the most important thing in my life, my relationship with Leaves on the Current.  We had started to work through that, I had returned to teaching in a challenging environment, when we found out about her cancer.  That first night of January 27, 2013 was the longest night of both of our What is important and how it has changed:

8-8-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:









George Schmidt on HISTORY AND HISTORY'S DISTORTIONS
Chicago's George Schmidt is one of the founders of CORE, involved in the CTU for decades and an activist against high stakes testing long before that issue came on anyone's radar -- he was fired as a teacher for publishing the horrible CASE tests - which were discontinued after his expose. His newspaper, Substance, has been a force in Chicago schools for almost 4 decades. I learned about the exist




8-6-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: #AFT14 Convention Video - Common Core Debate - Mulgrew is Going to Punch Someone in the FaceHas anyone speaking against the common core said they don't WANT standards? .... Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater? The baby is in the bath water... Pia Payne-Shannon, Minneapolis Teacher opposing common core in rousing speech at AFT conventionI extracted a 12 minute sliver from o

Nite Cap 8-8-14 #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




empathyeducates – 3 Facts that Poverty-Deniers Don’t Want to Hear
empathyeducates – 3 Facts that Poverty-Deniers Don’t Want to Hear: 3 Facts that Poverty-Deniers Don’t Want to HearBy Paul Buchheit | AlterNet. August 3, 2014Any thinking person should be able to recognize the hardships of poor families.Three-quarters of conservative Americans say poor people have it easy.The degree of ignorance about poverty is stunning, even for people far removed from the realit
Education Roundup for Week Ending August 8, 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Education Roundup for Week Ending August 8, 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): Education Roundup for Week Ending August 8, 2014SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today issued this week's roundup of education-related announcements of public interest.Public Comment Period Underway for New Science StandardsThe public is invited to view and comment on the first draft of the 
Kill the teachers or the state will bleed to death? – Propaganda 101 | Reclaim Reform
Kill the teachers or the state will bleed to death? – Propaganda 101 | Reclaim Reform: Kill the teachers or the state will bleed to death? – Propaganda 101Posted on August 8, 2014by Ken PrevitiThe assault on active and retired teachers extends to threatening them all. No joke. No satire. Pure threat via lies and propaganda in a major media outlet.Teachers in all of Illinois are threatened today wi
NYC Educator: The "Cold, Twisted, Sick Hands" of UFT Unity
NYC Educator: The "Cold, Twisted, Sick Hands" of UFT Unity: The "Cold, Twisted, Sick Hands" of UFT UnityUFT President Michael Mulgrew claimed he'd "punch" anyone in the face and "push" them "in the dirt" if they tried to take away his standards with their "cold, twisted, sick hands."The "cold, twisted, sick hands" I see, however
Coop’s Youth Part 2 – Summer of Love & Respite | Lefty Parent
Coop’s Youth Part 2 – Summer of Love & Respite | Lefty Parent: Coop’s Youth Part 2 – Summer of Love & RespiteAugust 8th, 2014 at 12:43I felt the profoundest sense of relief when the last bell rang ending the last day of my first year at Tappan Junior High School. All us students spilled out onto the big front lawn on the south side of the school overlooking Stadium boulevard, a part of the
How Would A Child with Autism Read this Common Core Aligned Test Question? | Missouri Education Watchdog
How Would A Child with Autism Read this Common Core Aligned Test Question? | Missouri Education Watchdog: How Would A Child with Autism Read this Common Core Aligned Test Question?inShareCan a lawnmower “speak to you”?I’ve heard from mothers of children with autism and read in accounts from autistic adults such asTemple Grandin that these children (and adults) have difficulty in thinking abstractl
8-8-14 The Whole Child Blog — How Did You Reflect and Recharge This Summer?
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: How Did You Reflect and Recharge This Summer?Summer for educators is often a time to look back on the past year—and look forward to the coming one. What worked, what didn't, and what will you change? Educating the whole child and planning for comprehensive, sustainable school improvement requires us to be "whole educators" who take the time t
The Real Campbell Brown has a credibility problem - The Real Campbell Brown
The Real Campbell Brown has a credibility problem - The Real Campbell Brown: The Real Campbell Brown has a credibility problemA registered Republican with no background in education, she is running a political campaign that will harm teachers, kids, and struggling families. She is funded by Wall Street conservatives who will profit directly from her efforts to demonize teachers, dismantle public s
8-8-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?: Wait What?  Pelto/Murphy 2014Malloy Tells Voters To Judge Him On His Record – Welcomes DebatesWell, we can now all agree on something! This year’s gubernatorial campaign is about judging Dannel “Dan” Malloy on his record and choosing a leadership team that will help set the course for the next four years. To successfully perform that duty, the voters of Connecticut need the truth about
8-8-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Friday Open ThreadI'm at the BEX Oversight Committee meeting this morning; I'll let you know if anything news-worthy gets said.What's on your mind?by Melissa Westbrook / 1h 8-7-14 Seattle Schools Community ForumSeattle Schools Community Forum: Gates to ConnectEDU: Where's Our Dough?When we last left this story, ConnectEDU, a company that had an interactive program
8-8-14 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: Beverly Hills teachers to be highest paid in LAMorning Read: Beverly Hills teachers to be highest paid in LA Beverly Hills teachers poised to be highest paid in L.A. county Beverly Hills teachers are on track to become the highest paid in L.A. County as a result of an innovative bargaining a
8-8-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin 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 Thursd
Officials: Charter schools leading to school re-segregation | www.wftv.com
Officials: Charter schools leading to school re-segregation | www.wftv.com: Officials: Charter schools leading to school re-segregationORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Education leaders say the so-called school choice movement is leading to a re-segregation of public schools.As state funding for charter schools is rapidly increasing, Eyewitness News learned that in Orange County most charter schools lack eco
How will charter schools deal with their corruption scandals? - The Washington Post
How will charter schools deal with their corruption scandals? - The Washington Post: How will charter schools deal with their corruption scandals?Charter schools were originally conceived as centers of experimentation and innovation where educators could try new approaches quickly on a small scale with a minimum of paperwork. Many charters have lived up to that promise, but that same openness that
Mayor Kevin Johnson’s perpetual money machine keeps on raking in big-dollar donations - Bites - Opinions
Sacramento News & Review - Mayor Kevin Johnson’s perpetual money machine keeps on raking in big-dollar donations - Bites - Opinions - August 7, 2014: Mayor Kevin Johnson’s perpetual money machine keeps on raking in big-dollar donationsThe stronger the mayor, the bigger the checksSo demolition of the Downtown Plaza has begun. Honestly, Bites is not sorry to see it go. Years ago, while the city
8-8-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Ed Delaney's Corporate ED Funders: SERIOUS ALERTby Doug MartinWhen Indiana Senate Democrat Ed Delaney and his daughter never returned emails I sent to them when I was shopping for a lawyer for Hoosier School Heist, I figured Delaney didn’t need my business or my money, but now I know there is more to the story.    Although Delaney has been a friend to public education so far, we be
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Corks pop on Clark St. with a bump in reported test scores
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Corks pop on Clark St. with a bump in reported test scores: Corks pop on Clark St. with a bump in reported test scoresThey're jumping for joy and popping the corks down on Clark St. Why? Test scores for students in grades 2-8 reportedly showed some improvement in both reading and math. However, only seventh- and eighth-graders met national reading averages. About 51.
Morning Wink 8-8-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS8-8-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherFred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: The fight for union democracy you won’t read about in the Post.A month after, finally and suddenly the Mulgrew “punch you in the face” story has made the national news. The Daily News. The N
8-8-14 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.: The fight for union democracy you won’t read about in the Post.A month after, finally and suddenly the Mulgrew “punch you in the face” story has made the national news. The Daily News. The New York Post. The right-wing Daily Caller and Breibart. Why? Because Mulgrew’s bellicose threats to the rank-and
8-8-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): “Education as Great Equalizer” Deforming Myth, Not RealityIn the Seinfeld episode “The Hamptons,” viewers watch yet another clash between the essentially soulless main characters as they interact with the very white and privileged “real world” surrounding them in the sit
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-8-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Peter Greene: New York’s Curriculum Guides Prove that CCSS Is UnnecesaryAlthough Peter Greene teaches in Pennsylvania, he decided to review New York state’s curriculum guides about the Common Core standards. He pulls them apart and shows that they tell teachers to do what they were already doing, or they make demands that have no e
8-8-14 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: EXCLUSIVE: Newark Teachers Union's Joe Del Grosso, In His Own WordsI really didn't think I'd be interviewing Joe Del Grosso yesterday.When I reached out to my contacts in the Newark Teachers Union, I was looking for a response from them regarding the news, first reported by the estimable Bob Braun, that a Newark parent group, PULSE, was pushing a federal investigation of the state-
8-8-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: All My Ed Week Posts On Teaching ELLs — In One Place!My latest Ed Week post brings together all my pieces from the past three years on teaching English Language Learners — in one place! Here’s an excerpt:by Larry Ferlazzo / 9h 8-7-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLarry Ferlazzo’s W
8-8-14 Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet: ‘Nothing But Tears’ baby shampoo (because ‘it’s never too early’ to toughen up kids for school)From the hilarious newspaper The Onion, a story with this headline: Johnson & Johnson Introduces ‘Nothing But Tears’ Shampoo to Toughen up Newborns. This tweet from the satirical newspaper says it all:   Because it’s never too early to grow the hell up! Guaranteed Kindergarten Ready! Ex
8-8-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Teach for Life
With A Brooklyn Accent: Teach for LifeMy improbable initiative-- defund Teach for America and start a campaign called Teach for Life which encourages talented, idealistic young people to become teachers and STAY in the classroom. Such a campaign would treat teaching as the most important profession in the society, not something talented people leave after a few years to pursue careers in law, busi
8-8-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: Fwd: Common Core is the Most Dangerous Domestic Spying Program : Freedom OutpostEven the Department of Education, though, admits that privacy is a concern, and that some of the data gathered may be "of a sensitive nature."  The information collected will be more than sensitive; much of it will also be completely unrelated to education.  Data collected will not only
8-8-14 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: A Bad CCSS ELA Lesson ExemplarTNTP recently posted an article in HuffPost that I've addressed elsewhere. But one portion of Rachel Evans' piece deserves its own look, because it's a great min-capsule of what is wrong with much so-called Common Core so-called lesson so-called planning.Learning to teach to the Common Core standards is sort of like learning to cook a complicated dish,
8-8-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Will Governor Cuomo Skate Free From Moreland Mess?The Wall Street Journal this morning:Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's prosecutors are now conducting a three-tiered investigation, according to people familiar with the matter.First, they are exploring whether they can take up cases the Moreland Commission was investigating. Second, they are investigating whether the C
A Handbook for Creative Disruption of the Public Sector — Yikes! | janresseger
A Handbook for Creative Disruption of the Public Sector — Yikes! | janresseger:A Handbook for Creative Disruption of the Public Sector — Yikes!Posted on August 8, 2014 by janressegerHere is a handbook, Public Sector, Disrupted: How Disruptive Innovation Can Help Government Achieve More for Less, for transformation of the public sector—including public schools—via creative disruption.  While it say
Persistence in Math Teaching Patterns: Deja Vu All Over Again | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Persistence in Math Teaching Patterns: Deja Vu All Over Again | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Persistence in Math Teaching Patterns: Deja Vu All Over AgainMath instruction took another big hit recently. “Big” because the New York Times,  one of the top U.S. newspapers ran it as a cover story of its magazine section. So here again, amid the Common Core standards in math that
Russ on Reading: Value-Added Models' Fatal Flaw
Russ on Reading: Value-Added Models' Fatal Flaw: Value-Added Models' Fatal FlawMuch has been written about the corporate education reformers pet teacher evaluation tool the value-added model (VAM). A VAM is a statistical measure that attempts to account for a teacher’s effectiveness through student performance on standardized tests. These measures have been nearly universally discredited by study
Is there any billionaire, charter profiteer, poverty pimp, or right-wing ideologue that Alex Johnson won’t take money from?
Is there any billionaire, charter profiteer, poverty pimp, or right-wing ideologue that Alex Johnson won’t take money from?: Is there any billionaire, charter profiteer, poverty pimp, or right-wing ideologue that Alex Johnson won’t take money from?AUGUST 8, 2014 BY ROBERT D. SKEELS * RDSATHENE LEAVE A COMMENTIn calling for a special election, what Mark Ridley-Thomas, Alex Johnson, Rev. Tulloss, Co
Packing Up & Headed Back to Shore – This Union Gal Bids Farewell | Continuing Change
Packing Up & Headed Back to Shore – This Union Gal Bids Farewell | Continuing Change: Packing Up & Headed Back to Shore – This Union Gal Bids FarewellI’ve left my union.Well,  let me clarify, I’ve resigned from positions of leadership within my teachers’ union. I’m still a card bearing union member, but I no longer sit on my executive board. I’ve resigned, officially,  with a letter and al
School Discipline Consensus Report – CSG Justice Center
School Discipline Consensus Report – CSG Justice Center: School Discipline Consensus ReportSchool Discipline Consensus Project Report Release EventsThe School Discipline Consensus Report presents a comprehensive set of consensus-based and field-driven recommendations to improve conditions for learning for all students and educators, better support students with behavioral needs, improve police-sch
Rand Paul on Common Core | Truth in American Education
Rand Paul on Common Core | Truth in American Education: Rand Paul on Common CoreFiled in Candidates on Education, Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on August 8, 2014 •0 Comments1Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was in Iowa earlier this week (yes the 2016 race has really already begun in Iowa).  At his meeting with the Westside Conservative Club held at the Machine Shed Restaurant he was ask
8/8/14 – Not Good Enough For Education
8/8/14 – Not Good Enough For Education: 8/8/14 – Not Good Enough For Education August 8, 2014 SubscribeTHIS WEEK: Strengthen Schools Serving Poor Kids … Why To End School Segregation … Do Better On School Discipline … Teacher Tenure Battles Miss Nuance … Which Colleges Do More With LessTOP STORY‘Better Than Republicans,’ Not Good Enough For EducationBy Jeff Bryant“Two new interviews with leading v

YESTERDAY

Does Jindal Have a Case with Common Core as Federal “Scheme”? | deutsch29
Does Jindal Have a Case with Common Core as Federal “Scheme”? | deutsch29: Does Jindal Have a Case with Common Core as Federal “Scheme”?August 7, 2014It is no secret that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has aspirations for the White House.On June 13, 2014, Jindal visited the “presidential testing ground,” Iowa. Many in Iowa did not know who he was.To me, a Louisianian, it is absolutely no surprise
Cami to principal: You’re “awesome”–and you’re fired | Bob Braun's Ledger
Cami to principal: You’re “awesome”–and you’re fired | Bob Braun's Ledger: Cami to principal: You’re “awesome”–and you’re firedWayne Dennis drank the Kool-AidHe was, he says, one of “Cami’s people.”  Hired just last year to run Barringer STEAM, one of those untested  innovations that state-imposed Newark superintendent Cami Anderson likes to inflict on the people of Newark. He did everything that
My Own Story. Why Teachers So Desperately Need Tenure southbronxschool
http://www.southbronxschool.com: My Own Story. Why Teachers So Desperately Need TenureThis is one of the most difficult and personal blog posts I have ever written in my 6 years of blogging, but this story, now more than ever, needs to be shared.I'm not sharing it to garner sympathy or adulation but rather to cast light upon the incessant abuse of teachers not only in the schools of NYC, but acros
Davonte's Inferno: Ten Years in the New York Public School Gulag
Davonte's Inferno: Ten Years in the New York Public School Gulagby Laurel M. Sturt (Goodreads Author)A TEACHER'S STORY OF FEAR AND LOATHING IN AMERICAN EDUCATION TODAY. Calling on policy, research, humor and a generous serving of snark, in this cutting edge story irreverent Laurel M. Sturt pulls no punches detailing her bizarre life in the trenches teaching in a high-needs elementary school in the
EVAAS’s William Sanders: A “Leading Academician?” |
EVAAS’s William Sanders: A “Leading Academician?” |: EVAAS’s William Sanders: A “Leading Academician?This past Sunday, the Houston Chronicle released an op-ed piece about the VAM being used by the Houston Independent School District (i.e., the widely known/used/abused EVAAS system at the source of a major lawsuit forthcoming in Houston as detailed in previous VAMboozled posts here and here). The a
Choosing Democracy: The Myth of Teacher Tenure
Choosing Democracy: The Myth of Teacher Tenure: The Myth of Teacher Tenureby Diana D'Amico — July 23, 2014In the stories of exorbitant costs and incompetence, teacher tenure laws have achieved mythic proportions. Judge Rolf Treu’s tentative decision in Vergara v. California may be the death knell for teacher tenure. But what will change as a result? A look to the past reveals that teacher tenure n
Kennedy steps down as Sacramento City schools trustee - Education - The Sacramento Bee
Kennedy steps down as Sacramento City schools trustee - Education - The Sacramento Bee: Kennedy steps down as Sacramento City schools trusteeBy Loretta Kalblkalb@sacbee.comPublished: Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014 - 5:03 pmPatrick Kennedy will step down Friday as trustee and president of the Sacramento City Unified School District board as he awaits his new post on the Sacramento County Board of Superviso
Kevin Johnson's Grifter Wife Returns To The Scene Of A Scandal
Kevin Johnson's Grifter Wife Returns To The Scene Of A Scandal: Kevin Johnson's Grifter Wife Returns To The Scene Of A ScandalThey're getting the band back together at St. HOPE. The Sac Bee reported the other day that Michelle Rhee has been named chairwoman of the board at St. HOPE Public Schools, a charter school organization founded by her husband, former NBA superstar and current Sacramento May
Nite Cap 8-7-14 #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 CAPMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Top-ranked ed states all have union teachers. Rhee's legacy in D.C.Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Top-ranked ed states all have union teachers. Rhee's legacy in D.C.: Top-ranked ed states all have union teachers. Rh