Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, October 2, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/2/15




CORPORATE ED REFORM





No More School Closures and Charter Takeovers…Time for Community Schools | WeArePCAPS
No More School Closures and Charter Takeovers…Time for Community Schools | WeArePCAPS: No More School Closures and Charter Takeovers…Time for Community SchoolsThe School District, once again, is embarking on a new round of school closures and privatization. This, in spite of clear evidence that these policies have not produced the desired educational results and in the face of broad opposition fro
CURMUDGUCATION: The Future for Duncan and King
CURMUDGUCATION: The Future for Duncan and King: The Future for Duncan and KingLet me join the sixty gazillion people who will have something to say about the news from the US Education Department. I'll make my comments in the form of predictions.Duncan will spend his last couple of months doing what he's been doing for years-- making statements that sound pretty good, connecting them to terrible p
Home visiting linked to lower school truancy and better reading outcomes - The Washington Post
Home visiting linked to lower school truancy and better reading outcomes - The Washington Post: Home visiting linked to lower school truancy and better reading outcomesJerome Watkins and his wife, Nicole Jones-Watkins, discuss the upcoming school year expectations for their son, Xavier Ferrell, 9, with Stanton Elementary teachers, Melissa Bryant and Samantha Antunez during a parent-teacher home-vi
The Education Secretary's Greatest Hits : NPR Ed : NPR
Education Secretary Arne Duncan To Step Down : NPR Ed : NPR: Education Secretary Arne Duncan To Step DownAfter nearly seven years in office, Education Secretary Arne Duncan will step down in December. The former head of Chicago Public Schools came to Washington back in 2009 with his friend — a newly-elected President Obama.Duncan's tenure was remarkable for two reasons:First, he got a lot done. A
What did Arne Duncan do for California schools? - LA Times
What did Arne Duncan do for California schools? - LA Times: What did Arne Duncan do for California schools?Arne Duncan, who on Friday was reported to be stepping down as U.S. Secretary of Education in December, had a sometimes stormy relationship with California, despite its status as a stronghold of support for Democrats and the Obama administration.An early conflict was the state’s effort to sec
School threats on social media a serious concern
School threats on social media a serious concern: School threats on social media a serious concernJust a day after Salinas police investigated a social media post referencing a school shooting, tragedy unfolded during a deadly mass shooting at a college campus in Oregon.Fortunately, Salinas police determined that there was no danger posed by the threat, specifically a Twitter post of graffiti refe
Effects of trauma could constitute disability, judge rules in Compton Unified case - LA Times
Effects of trauma could constitute disability, judge rules in Compton Unified case - LA Times: Effects of trauma could constitute disability, judge rules in Compton Unified caseCompton Unified student Kimberly Cervantes, center, photographed in May 2015, is part of a lawsuit seeking disability protections for students suffering from the effects of trauma. Behind her are attorney Annie Hudson-Price
Cashing In On Special-Needs Kids | The Progressive
Cashing In On Special-Needs Kids | The Progressive: Cashing In On Special-Needs KidsRaising a child with autism requires extra vigilance. Just ask Minneapolis parent Marcia Haugstad. Her son, Noah, has an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and is beginning high school this fall after many difficult years as a Minneapolis public school student. Once, as a kindergartener, Noah panicked in his regula
What Arne Duncan’s Replacement did to N.Y. schools - The Washington Post
What Arne Duncan’s new senior adviser did to N.Y. schools - The Washington Post: What Arne Duncan’s new senior adviser did to N.Y. schoolsJohn King is leaving his job as commissioner of New York State schools commissioner to become a senior adviser to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, with the “roles and responsibilities of the deputy secretary,” according to the Education Department, which is
U.S. education secretary who clashed often with California to resign | EdSource
U.S. education secretary who clashed often with California to resign | EdSource: U.S. education secretary who clashed often with California to resignU.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who clashed frequently with California education officials on a range of K-12 education policy issues, announced that he will resign his position in December.He will be succeeded by former New York Education Commi
Education Secretary Duncan Steps Down!: Raise a toast with me this evening, and let’s drink to downfall of the whole testocracy | I AM AN EDUCATOR
Education Secretary Duncan Steps Down!: Raise a toast with me this evening, and let’s drink to downfall of the whole testocracy | I AM AN EDUCATOR: Education Secretary Duncan Steps Down!: Raise a toast with me this evening, and let’s drink to downfall of the whole testocracyArne Duncan has been one of the most destructive forces to public education in the history of our country.Duncan was appointe
A Top Ten of @ArneDuncan Inanity: Obama’s Basketball Buddy Drops Ball on Ed | Cloaking Inequity
A Top Ten of @ArneDuncan Inanity: Obama’s Basketball Buddy Drops Ball on Ed | Cloaking Inequity: A Top Ten of @ArneDuncan Inanity: Obama’s Basketball Buddy Drops Ball on EdSo what happens when a President chooses a basketball buddy as Secretary of Education? Really, Obama… what did you expect when you chose a non-educator, non-expert to lead American education? A leader who left Chicago in shamble
Members-only Unions: Can They Help Revitalize Workplace Democracy? : Blog of the Century
Members-only Unions: Can They Help Revitalize Workplace Democracy? : Blog of the Century: Members-only Unions: Can They Help Revitalize Workplace Democracy?On July 10, 2014, when the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 42 was officially announced, many Americans were introduced for the first time to an old labor practice: members-only unions.1Local 42 was formed at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga,
Louisiana Educator: White's Team Trying to Muddy up the Narrative Again
Louisiana Educator: White's Team Trying to Muddy up the Narrative Again: White's Team Trying to Muddy up the Narrative AgainBeaking News!I just got an email from one of the state newspapers questioning why our citizen group was asking for information that was pre-mature. The reporter questioned why we were asking for PARCC data when BESE had not yet approved the PARCC cut scores? Wouldn't it be be
New York was Common Core’s stronghold. What happens if the state backs down? - The Hechinger Report
New York was Common Core’s stronghold. What happens if the state backs down? - The Hechinger Report: New York was Common Core’s stronghold. What happens if the state backs down?en Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic governor of New York, announced that the Common Core wasn’t working and that he would commission a committee to overhaul the state’s “Common Core system,” the governor became the first Democr
Six months and counting. No Common Core Standards SBAC test results yet | Seattle Education
Six months and counting. No Common Core Standards SBAC test results yet | Seattle Education: Six months and counting. No Common Core Standards SBAC test results yetRemember the Common Core SBAC test that was given to students in Seattle during the month of April and May, the test that was sooo important for students to take, the test that certain school administrators threatened, coerced and embar
Text of Arne Duncan’s note to his staff about resigning as education secretary - The Washington Post
Text of Arne Duncan’s note to his staff about resigning as education secretary - The Washington Post: Text of Arne Duncan’s note to his staff about resigning as education secretaryThe following is a text of an internal e-mail Duncan sent to his staff on Friday, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post:Subject line: An inspiring new leader for our extraordinary teamDear colleagues,I’m wr
If you thought Arne Duncan was controversial, meet his successor - The Washington Post
If you thought Arne Duncan was controversial, meet his successor - The Washington Post: If you thought Arne Duncan was controversial, meet his successorNow that Education Secretary Arne Duncan has decided to step down in December, the U.S. Department of Education will be headed by John King. And if you thought Duncan was controversial, meet his successor.King was the New York State education commi
John B. King Jr in for Arne Duncan Relegated Duties of Acting Secretary of Education -- Biography
John B. King, Jr., Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education -- Biography: John B. King, Jr., Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education — Biography Versión en españolJohn B. King, Jr. is the Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education, a position he assumed in January 2015. In appointing him, Secretary Arne Duncan called Dr. King &
The Trouble with “Disruption” and its Effect on Children
The Trouble with “Disruption” and its Effect on Children: The Trouble with “Disruption” and its Effect on ChildrenDisruption has become a popular buzzword in regard to schooling. Education reformers like to say disruption is a good thing—like shaking up a kaleidoscope to get a pretty picture. Never mind that those beautiful little pebbles in the kaleidoscope are real children. Nor is it with certa
AP sources: Education Secretary Arne Duncan stepping down
AP sources: Education Secretary Arne Duncan stepping down: AP sources: Education Secretary Arne Duncan stepping downWASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Arne Duncan, one of the longest-serving members of President Barack Obama's Cabinet, will step down in December, officials said Friday.In an email to his staff, Duncan said he's returning to Chicago to live with his family. He said he isn't sure
More on the Big Changes with the SAT and why juniors should take the old SAT at least once before March 2016 - Wait What?
More on the Big Changes with the SAT and why juniors should take the old SAT at least once before March 2016 - Wait What?: More on the Big Changes with the SAT and why juniors should take the old SAT at least once before March 2016As reported in yesterday’s Wait, What? Post,“Current 11th graders are strongly encouraged to take the CURRENT SAT before the NEW SAT comes out in March.  Colleges will c
New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit: Day Three | VAMboozled!
New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit: Day Three | VAMboozled!: New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit: Day ThreeAs per my last post about the second day in court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I was purposefully ambiguous about one of the two articles written in The Santa Fe New Mexican regarding my testimony. The first article titled, “Experts differ on test-based evaluations at NM hearing,” I felt
Schools Matter: Nashville Charters' Mind-Boggling Appeal for Expansion
Schools Matter: Nashville Charters' Mind-Boggling Appeal for Expansion: Nashville Charters' Mind-Boggling Appeal for ExpansionIn August the Nashville Metro School Board voted down further "no excuses" charter expansion.School board members based their votes on 1) the dehumanizing and brutal regimen of the total compliance charters that is ostensibly aimed to improve student "charact
EduColor Advocates for Children of Color in Public Schools - Scenarios USAScenarios USA
EduColor Advocates for Children of Color in Public Schools - Scenarios USAScenarios USA: EduColor Advocates for Children of Color in Public Schoolsvia http://www.theblackhomeschool.com/This year marks the 10th anniversary of when I started writing online. As a teacher, there were a lot of reasons that I wanted to expand my classroom to be inclusive of a broader world: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if
"Golden" Granada Hills Charter High School: Scofflaws When It Comes to California Ed Code?
"Golden" Granada Hills Charter High School: Scofflaws When It Comes to California Ed Code?: “Golden” Granada Hills Charter High School: Scofflaws When It Comes to California Ed Code?By Carl Petersen. “I am a former candidate for the District 3 seat on the LAUSD School Board, founder of Change The LAUSDand member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. Opinions are my own.”“Per GHCHS
CURMUDGUCATION: Dammit, NEA
CURMUDGUCATION: Dammit, NEA: Dammit, NEAThe national leadership of the NEA today is one step closer to ramming the endorsement of Hillary Clinton down its members throats.Steven Singer zeroed in on the maximum-irony quote from NEA president Lily Eskelsen-Garcia:“We are what Democracy looks like.”With those words, Lily Eskelsen Garcia took the reigns of the National Education Association (NEA) as P
Ohio’s Failure to Oversee Charters and Youngstown Takeover Are Connected, Funded by Arne Duncan | janresseger
Ohio’s Failure to Oversee Charters and Youngstown Takeover Are Connected, Funded by Arne Duncan | janresseger: Ohio’s Failure to Oversee Charters and Youngstown Takeover Are Connected, Funded by Arne DuncanTwo important things relating to education happened in Columbus in June, right before the Ohio legislature went on summer break.  The legislature did fast-track a bill to take over the public sc
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan's grand charter give-away. Feeding the beast.
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan's grand charter give-away. Feeding the beast.: Duncan's grand charter give-away. Feeding the beast.Arne Duncan has turned the D.O.E. into little more than a feeding trough for even the most corrupt and unaccountable charter school operators. His latest gift of $157M to charter privateers comes virtually accountability-free. The most stunning part is that Dunca
Root Of The Education Crisis: Teachers Were Never The Problem | PopularResistance.Org
Root Of The Education Crisis: Teachers Were Never The Problem | PopularResistance.Org: Root Of The Education Crisis: Teachers Were Never The ProblemGoogle the phrase “education crisis” and you’ll be hit with a glut of articles, blog posts and think tank reports claiming the entire American school system is facing an emergency. Much of this agitprop additionally asserts that teachers unions are the
The most common reasons students drop out of high school are heartbreaking - Yahoo News
The most common reasons students drop out of high school are heartbreaking - Yahoo News: The most common reasons students drop out of high school are heartbreakingEven if it feels boring or irrelevant, just staying in school almost guarantees you'll end up in a better place than if you dropped out.Unfortunately, according to a recent report from America's Promise Alliance, those factors rank among
Bernie Sanders, Not Hillary Clinton, Deserves Union Endorsements | Ben Spielberg
Bernie Sanders, Not Hillary Clinton, Deserves Union Endorsements | Ben Spielberg: Bernie Sanders, Not Hillary Clinton, Deserves Union EndorsementsThe National Education Association (the union to which I used to belong) isconsidering an early endorsement of Hillary Clinton. This decision, like the American Federation of Teachers' endorsement of Clinton on July 11, would be a huge mistake.One reason
Education Reform is Anti-American | Steve Nelson
Education Reform is Anti-American | Steve Nelson: Education Reform is Anti-AmericanIn the name of American exceptionalism, the institutions that have actually made us exceptional are under attack. The irony is heartbreaking.Education reform is one major battleground and the terms of engagement have been largely distorted. "Reformers" would have you believe that the movement is about chil
Broad's support of Clinton raising concerns within teacher unions - LA School Report
Broad's support of Clinton raising concerns within teacher unions - LA School Report:Broad’s support of Clinton raising concerns within teacher unionsHillary Clinton and Eli Broad on Jan. 20, 2009 at the inauguration ball of President Barack Obama.With his massive plan to enroll half of all LA Unified’s students into charter schools, billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad is threatening major disrup

YESTERDAY

A Handful of NEA Leaders Have Taken Another Step Toward Endorsing Hillary Clinton Despite Member Outcry | gadflyonthewallblog
A Handful of NEA Leaders Have Taken Another Step Toward Endorsing Hillary Clinton Despite Member Outcry | gadflyonthewallblog: A Handful of NEA Leaders Have Taken Another Step Toward Endorsing Hillary Clinton Despite Member Outcry“We are what Democracy looks like.”With those words, Lily Eskelsen Garcia took the reigns of the National Education Association (NEA) as President in 2014.A little more t
Seattle Schools Community Forum: School Shootings Since Newtown
Seattle Schools Community Forum: School Shootings Since Newtown: School Shootings Since NewtownHere, 142 of them. The idiot today? TOLD people online he was going to do this and got advice on how to do it.  (Pick a class with girls; they won't fight back.) What happened to "see something, say something?" Oh wait, that's for foreign, not domestic, terrorists (and that's what these guys ar
Our Justice Is Complicated | The Jose Vilson
Our Justice Is Complicated | The Jose Vilson: Our Justice Is ComplicatedFor some reason, my Pocket app has been full of idiosyncratic profile pieces. This Fader one of Drake. This POLITICO one of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. This New York Times obitdedicated to teacher-turned-community activist Terry Rosenbaum. This Esquire bit on the old new Mark Zuckerberg.So when La Galeria Magazine publ
Broad and Walton Contribute a Combined $650,000 to Upcoming Louisiana BESE Election | deutsch29
Broad and Walton Contribute a Combined $650,000 to Upcoming Louisiana BESE Election | deutsch29: Broad and Walton Contribute a Combined $650,000 to Upcoming Louisiana BESE ElectionBillionaires Eli Broad and Alice and Jim Walton have contributed a combined $650,000 to Baton Rouge businessman Lane Grigsby’s PAC, Empower Louisiana, so that Grigsby might use it to try to retain a corporate-reform-bent
Bernie and Hillary on Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog
Bernie and Hillary on Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog: Bernie and Hillary on ChartersCharters kill unions. Ninety percent of charters are nonunion. Their sponsors want it that way..Personally, I am completely opposed to for-profit charter schools. I think they are an abomination. I believe that every cent paid by taxpayers should be dedicated to the needs of children and their teachers, and not a
The Costs of Our Teachers Opting Out | John Ewing
The Costs of Our Teachers Opting Out | John Ewing: The Costs of Our Teachers Opting OutAs another school year gets underway, the public receives its annual dose of hand wringing about the state of American education. In the past few weeks, we have read about massive "failures" as districts and states report scores from last year's tests, about the rise of the opt-out movement, about pare
Louisiana Legislators, BESE Members, Citizens File a Public Records Request for PARCC(ish) Raw Scores | deutsch29
Louisiana Legislators, BESE Members, Citizens File a Public Records Request for PARCC(ish) Raw Scores | deutsch29: Louisiana Legislators, BESE Members, Citizens File a Public Records Request for PARCC(ish) Raw ScoresLa. Superintendent John WhiteThe following public records request was delivered to Louisiana State Superintendent John White both by messenger and by email at around 3:30 p.m. on Thurs
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/1/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMOhio Congressman questions Arne Duncan’s $32 million charter grant - The Washington PostOhio Congressman questions Arne Duncan’s $32 million charter grant - The Washington Post: Ohio Congressman questions Arne Duncan’s $32 million charter grantRep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) had an unusual reaction to news that the U.S. Department of Education was giving his state a $32 million grant: He