CORPORATE ED REFORM
CURMUDGUCATION: 6 Guidelines for Extracurricular Advisers
CURMUDGUCATION: 6 Guidelines for Extracurricular Advisers: 6 Guidelines for Extracurricular AdvisersI have been an extracurricular activity adviser for as long as I've been a teacher. I have been the faculty adviser for class councils, student council, radio club, and a few school magazines. I have been the assistant director for the marching band and every kind of director for school plays. I am
Democracy and the common good | Deborah Meier on Education
Democracy and the common good | Deborah Meier on Education: Democracy and the common goodDear friends and colleagues,Well, it’s been nearly three months since I have written here. But I am about to change my ways.I am debating/discussing structural vs cultural change with Harry Boyte on Bridging Differences. Tune in.I am thinking a lot about math education since reading a pre-publication of Andr
Conference Meeting on S. 1177, “Every Child Achieves Act of 2015”
Hearing | Hearings | The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions: Conference Meeting on S. 1177, “Every Child Achieves Act of 2015”Agenda• S. 1177, “Every Child Achieves Act of 2015”Click here to watch a video of the first day of the conference meeting.Click here to download all amendments offered.
Drinking Charter Kool-Aid?: Here is Evidence | Cloaking Inequity
Drinking Charter Kool-Aid?: Here is Evidence | Cloaking Inequity: Drinking Charter Kool-Aid?: Here is EvidenceSo you might have had a chance to hear what charter proponents (lobbyist, talking heads etc) think about Hillary Clinton’s recent comments (See A WOW from @HillaryClinton on Charter Schools) on charters schools (i.e. Dear Hillary, Here’s where you’re wrong on charter schools: Column and Cl
#TeachStrong Strikes a Macho Pose - Living in Dialogue
#TeachStrong Strikes a Macho Pose - Living in Dialogue: #TeachStrong Strikes a Macho PoseBy John Thompson.Educators now have to endure another wave of kinder, gentler soundbites by the corporate-funded the “Third Way.” The new spin, called “TeachStrong,” isn’t much different than the old song and dance. Perhaps, this time, corporate reformers will be a little less devoted to test, sort, reward, an
Educators Release Updated VAM Score for Secretary Duncan - Living in Dialogue
Educators Release Updated VAM Score for Secretary Duncan - Living in Dialogue: Educators Release Updated VAM Score for Secretary DuncanBy Educators for Shared Responsibility.In 2012, concerned that accountability for US student outcomes was being unfairly characterized as the sole responsibility of classroom teachers, a group called Educators for Shared Accountability emerged from the classrooms o
School Daze: The long-running battle between charter schools and traditional public schools KCET
School Daze | Cakewalk | Departures Columns | KCET: School DazeThe long-running battle between charter schools and traditional public schools has heated up nearly to a boiling point, with business magnate Eli Broad recently unveiling a campaign to charter-ize public ed in L.A. once and for all. The drama is happening mostly at the top between the Broad camp and public school advocates--notably the
Farewell, NCLB, We Won’t Miss You | Diane Ravitch's blog
Farewell, NCLB, We Won’t Miss You | Diane Ravitch's blog: Farewell, NCLB, We Won’t Miss You The House-Senate conference committee overwhelmingly (39-1) endorsed an overhaul of the No Child Left Behind, which was the latest (and worst) revision of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The new ESEA, which still must be approved by both houses of Congress, is called the Every Studen
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Good News About Long-requested Improvements
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Good News About Long-requested Improvements: Good News About Long-requested ImprovementsOne of the recurring themes among the criticisms of Seattle Public Schools centers on annual reports. These reports are required by policy but either the reports simply are not made, such as the report required by Policy 3208, Sexual Harassment, or the reports clearly fail to me
Congratulations to our 2015 candidates! - NPE Action
Congratulations to our 2015 candidates! - NPE Action: Congratulations to our 2015 candidates!This past election season saw some wins for wonderful pro-public education candidates.All of the candidates endorsed by Network for Public Education Action oppose the status quo. They have solid records of working for better schools for all children and they challenge those who want to turn our schools int
Demands made for probe into Success Academy charter schools - NY Daily News
Demands made for probe into Success Academy charter schools - NY Daily News: Education group seeks probe into claims that Success Academy charter schools pushed out difficult studentsAmid accusations that Success Academy charter schools have used harsh discipline to weed out difficult students, a group of school activists is calling for a federal investigation into the practices.The teachers union
Connecticut Public Financing Program “Safe”, For Now … But... - Wait What?
Connecticut Public Financing Program “Safe”, For Now … But... - Wait What?: Connecticut Public Financing Program “Safe”, For Now … But…As CT Newsjunkie reported late yesterday,“By the end of the day Thursday, both House and Senate Democrats who proposed suspending Connecticut’s landmark public financing system in 2016, had withdrawn their proposals.Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, made
A Vote for David Vitter is a Vote for John White and Common Core | Crazy Crawfish
A Vote for David Vitter is a Vote for John White and Common Core | Crazy Crawfish: A Vote for David Vitter is a Vote for John White and Common CoreAs you go to the polls tomorrow, I want you to keep this thought fixated in your mind. A vote for David Vitter is a vote for Common Core. Vitter has recently been proudly endorsed by all the John White and Common Core supporters in our state, the ones
Another Incisive Critique of Venture Philanthropy | janresseger
Another Incisive Critique of Venture Philanthropy | janresseger: Another Incisive Critique of Venture PhilanthropyThis post is about today’s venture philanthropy, a world so foreign to most of us that I think we need a frame to help us get our bearings. Here with some familiar principles is the gifted preacher, and longtime pastor of New York City’s Riverside Church, the late Rev. William Sloane
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rising student homelessness not an 'excuse' but a brutal fact of life at CPS
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rising student homelessness not an 'excuse' but a brutal fact of life at CPS: Rising student homelessness not an 'excuse' but a brutal fact of life at CPSLast night I was watching CBS News Chicago. I was surprised when I saw their report on the city's homeless children, putting the number at 11,447. It sounded low to me. I assume it's from the latest report by the Ch
Cartoons: Charles Schulz and Peanuts on Schooling | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Cartoons: Charles Schulz and Peanuts on Schooling | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Cartoons: Charles Schulz and Peanuts on SchoolingThe 65th anniversary of Peanuts is upon us. Cartoonist Charles Schulz has had an extraordinary hold on U.S. popular culture with his characters of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, et. al. I have gathered here a few of the Peanuts panels that
Perdido Street School: Be A Teacher ! Read A Script! Administer Tests! Fear For Your Job At All Times!
Perdido Street School: Be A Teacher ! Read A Script! Administer Tests! Fear For Your Job At All Times!: Be A Teacher ! Read A Script! Administer Tests! Fear For Your Job At All Times!That's the message that young people have gotten in the Era of Education Reform about the teaching profession according to Stephen Mulcher, director of the Bard College Master of Arts Teaching Program in Los Angeles:F
Schools Matter: Call Congress to Say NO to New Corporate ESEA
Schools Matter: Call Congress to Say NO to New Corporate ESEA: Call Congress to Say NO to New Corporate ESEAThis is a good, principled bill; it’s a notable conservative victory, and it’s the best deal to be had. It deserves conservative support. — Frederick M. Hess is director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute. Max Eden is program manager for education policy at AEI.One may
Transforming Teacher Preparation—Gates Style
Transforming Teacher Preparation—Gates Style: Transforming Teacher Preparation—Gates StyleThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have a quote on their website that says“Nobody knows teaching like teachers.” If they believe that, why don’t they let teachers teach the way they know best? Or, why don’t they ask them what they needto teach better?Instead, Mr. and Mrs. Gates are going to now transform h
Why today’s college students don’t want to be teachers - The Washington Post
Why today’s college students don’t want to be teachers - The Washington Post: Why today’s college students don’t want to be teachersTeacher shortages around the country have been big news in the education world this year, as has Teach For America’s recruitment issues and stories about fewer applicants to some college of education. What’s going on? In this post, Stephen Mulcher, who directs the Bar
America is wrong to think reducing kids’ playtime will improve academic performance - Quartz
America is wrong to think reducing kids’ playtime will improve academic performance - Quartz: America is wrong to think reducing kids’ playtime will improve academic performanceYou would think that students from Shanghai, who routinely trounceAmericans (and everyone else) in tests of proficiency in math, reading, and science, are tethered to their desks all day, deprived of the freedom to frolic a
State Supreme Court says no — again — to Washington charter schools | The News Tribune
State Supreme Court says no — again — to Washington charter schools | The News Tribune: State Supreme Court says no — again — to Washington charter schoolsThe Washington State Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will not reconsider its September decision declaring the state’s voter-approved law establishing charter schools was unconstitutional.The high court had been asked to reconsider its d
Teachers union allies demand Kevin Johnson resign over sex allegations | The Sacramento Bee
Teachers union allies demand Kevin Johnson resign over sex allegations | The Sacramento Bee: Teachers union allies demand Kevin Johnson resign over sex allegationsA Los Angeles-based organization and local activists want Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to resign in light of resurfaced allegations of sexual misconduct against him.The Courage Campaign, a group tied to teachers unions that uses an onl
Is an upcoming Supreme Court case a strike for individual rights or a deceptive attack on teachers unions? - The Washington Post
Is an upcoming Supreme Court case a strike for individual rights or a deceptive attack on teachers unions? - The Washington Post: Is an upcoming Supreme Court case a strike for individual rights or a deceptive attack on teachers unions?Sometime in the next few months, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA), a lawsuit with major implications for
YESTERDAY
The Plan is Coming Together...Badass Teachers Association
Badass Teachers Association: The Plan is Coming Together...By: Dr. Mitchell RobinsonOriginally posted on his blog http://www.mitchellrobinson.net/2015/11/18/the-plan-is-coming-together/Careful readers have noticed a flurry of reformster activity over the past week or so, highlighted by two big announcements. First was the rollout of #TeachStrong, an education improvement scheme allegedly dedicat
ESEA Reauthorization Update: Conference Committee Is Already a Done Deal | deutsch29
ESEA Reauthorization Update: Conference Committee Is Already a Done Deal | deutsch29: ESEA Reauthorization Update: Conference Committee Is Already a Done DealWell, the House and Senate conference committee met for 90 minutes on the morning of November 19, 2015, and they’re already done. The full text of what is now being called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is still not available to the pu
How I Got Over [College Activism Is A Must] | The Jose Vilson
How I Got Over [College Activism Is A Must] | The Jose Vilson: How I Got Over [College Activism Is A Must]My first real foray into real college activism was on Syracuse University’s campus. It started with visiting a few tables at a college activities fair, picking up a few pamphlets and hoping to get acquainted with the Orange culture. I already predicted that my Dominican mother would say that I
KCRA investigates: Is state teacher database accurate?
KCRA investigates: Is state teacher database accurate? | KCRA 3 Investigates - KCRA Home: KCRA investigates: Is state teacher database accurate?KCRA finds some teachers don't appear on websiteSACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —It looks simple: A big button sits at the top of the California Commission for Teacher Credentialing website that says “Search for an Educator.”After a few more steps, the user can
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Supreme Court Uphold Its Charter Law Ruling
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Supreme Court Uphold Its Charter Law Ruling: Washington State Supreme Court Uphold Its Charter Law RulingThe Court released its ruling today and upheld its decision to strike down the charter school law. The ruling was 6-3. The decision in the original ruling becomes final on December 14th.The majority did strike out one footnote (page 11, footn
Louisiana Educator: Public Education Haters Churn Out Lies and Attack Ads
Louisiana Educator: Public Education Haters Churn Out Lies and Attack Ads: Public Education Haters Churn Out Lies and Attack AdsThe Broads and the Gates; they are using their immense wealth to appoint themselves as the dictators of public education. On a whim, they have decided to choose Louisiana public education as a laboratory in which to demonstrate their theories of privatization and their ne
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/19/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMAppoints Tom Adams as Deputy Superintendent - Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education)Appoints Tom Adams as Deputy Superintendent - Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Appoints Tom Adams as Deputy Superintendent to Succeed Lupita Cortez AlcaláSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced he is appointing Tom Adams, cu
