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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/5/15



CORPORATE ED REFORM





HIP Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Affirmative Action — Hmong Innovating Politics
HIP Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Affirmative Action — Hmong Innovating Politics: HIP Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Affirmative Action Earlier this week, Hmong Innovating Politics joined with over 160 Asian American and Pacific Islander groups in filing an Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court in support of the University of Texas' race-conscious admissions policy (Fisher vs. University of Texas II). 
Cruz Lawsuit Settlement - Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education)
Cruz Lawsuit Settlement - Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education): Cruz Lawsuit Settlement SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that the State Board of Education voted today to settle the Cruz, Jessy, et al. v. State of California, et al. lawsuit."We believe every student should have access to high-quality courses so they can succeed in 21st century careers a
An educator’s list of what’s really hard in public education today - The Washington Post
An educator’s list of what’s really hard in public education today - The Washington Post: An educator’s list of what’s really hard in public education todayMelinda and Bill Gates recently said that attempting to reform the public education system in the United States has been the hardest philanthropic work they’ve ever done. The Seattle Times reported on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-spo
What Congress Could Do Right Now To Improve Education
What Congress Could Do Right Now To Improve Education: What Congress Could Do Right Now To Improve EducationThe weather is turning colder for sure, but spring is in the air for those who believe there is an urgent need to change the nation’s federal education law known as No Child Left Behind.Seasoned education journalist Alyson Klein at Education Week believes recent changes in Congress “have lit
Hey Rachel, Let's Talk About Education! - NPE Action
Hey Rachel, Let's Talk About Education! - NPE Action: Hey Rachel, Let’s Talk About Education!To date, there has been no substantive discussion or debate of K-12 education policy during any of the presidential candidate debates. We must not allow this to continue.The Network for Public Education has proposed a K-12 education agenda for 2016, which includes 8 questions presidential candidates should
Re-Imagining Education Coverage: Failure & Success | The Grade | The Washington Monthly
Re-Imagining Education Coverage: Failure & Success | The Grade | The Washington Monthly: Re-Imagining Education Coverage: Failure & SuccessBy Alexander RussoThis image has nothing to do with the blog post that follows.Let’s be honest. It’s easy to dismiss so-called “solutions” journalism. It’s such a goofy name. In education, at least, it’s distractingly associated with the Gates Foundatio
CURMUDGUCATION: Race from the Top
CURMUDGUCATION: Race from the Top: Race from the TopJoanne Weiss has been about lately trying to rehabilitate the memory of Race to the Top, trying to blunt the early judgments of history which can be paraphrased as "Race to the Top was a big failure that made a huge mess."This has prompted some conservative writers to gently suggest that there are some problems with that rearward view o
A billionaire, a fired publisher, and a spectacle at the LA Times - Columbia Journalism Review
A billionaire, a fired publisher, and a spectacle at the LA Times - Columbia Journalism Review: A billionaire, a fired publisher, and a spectacle at the LA TimesTHE SIGNS OF PERIL had long been visible at the Los Angeles Times. But it was a letter, of all things, that caused matters to detonate.The September correspondence was unusual not only because of the people who sent it, but because of the
CURMUDGUCATION: NY: The Anti-Opt Out Propaganda Kit
CURMUDGUCATION: NY: The Anti-Opt Out Propaganda Kit: NY: The Anti-Opt Out Propaganda KitNew York, you may recall, was Ground Zero for the hugest impact of the Opt Out movement, with around one in five New York students choosing not to take last year's Big Standardized Test. But New York's ed department is ready to fight back, because reasons. And to do that, they have created a handy "toolkit
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Should Public Officials Be Able to Use "Ghost Messaging?"
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Should Public Officials Be Able to Use "Ghost Messaging?": Should Public Officials Be Able to Use "Ghost Messaging?"From Education Week's Digital Education blog and the Sacramento Bee.  I'm going to print some excerpts from the article below but the entire article follows those excerpts. But Cuban, the Cyber Dust founder, sees a different proble
Audit: Sensitive student information released in 5,500 transactions | Deseret News
Audit: Sensitive student information released in 5,500 transactions | Deseret News: Audit: Sensitive student information released in 5,500 transactionsSALT LAKE CITY — State auditors recently found reasons to praise education administrators for the transparency, accuracy and reliability of financial reporting in public schools.But in the process of looking through school transparency data reported
Marie Corfield: An important message for all @NJEA members
Marie Corfield: An important message for all @NJEA members: An important message for all @NJEA membersDear Fellow NJEA Members,I'm pleased to formally announce today that I'm running for NJEA Secretary-Treasurer. The election is in April, 2017. Having to reach members from High Point to Cape May, this race, unlike an assembly race, is a marathon, not a sprint, so it's essential to start early. Fro
How politicians are robbing NJ’s public schools to reward charter schools | Bob Braun's Ledger
How politicians are robbing NJ’s public schools to reward charter schools | Bob Braun's Ledger: How politicians are robbing NJ’s public schools to reward charter schoolsChristopher Cerf–the state-appointed Newark schools superintendent, former state education commissioner, national charter champion and failed business entrepreneur–has scheduled a forum Thursday night from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Park
KIPP New Orleans: Classroom Hiring that Excludes Most Teach for America “Talent” | deutsch29
KIPP New Orleans: Classroom Hiring that Excludes Most Teach for America “Talent” | deutsch29: KIPP New Orleans: Classroom Hiring that Excludes Most Teach for America “Talent”Today I learned an interesting fact about KIPP New Orleans:Its teacher qualifications include a required minimum of two years of full time teaching experience:Qualified Candidates Have:At least two years of teaching experience
School Choice Is Not Always Democratic - Bridging Differences - Education Week
School Choice Is Not Always Democratic - Bridging Differences - Education Week: School Choice Is Not Always DemocraticDeborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here.Dear Harry and friends,As you noted a week ago, Harry, this is getting interesting. I enjoyed the responses of Mike Miller, long time community organizer, to our conversation a
It’s Time For The Presidential Candidates To Talk About Education » Missouri Education Watchdog
It’s Time For The Presidential Candidates To Talk About Education » Missouri Education Watchdog: It’s Time For The Presidential Candidates To Talk About EducationDiane Ravitch wrote in Salon magazine that education was largely ignored by the main stream media in the 2012 Presidential campaigns.The media and citizens at public forums must not let that happen again. Education is central to our futur
NEWS FLASH:  Vermont State Board of Education Trashes Common Core SBAC Test - Wait What?
NEWS FLASH:  Vermont State Board of Education Trashes Common Core SBAC Test - Wait What?: NEWS FLASH:  Vermont State Board of Education Trashes Common Core SBAC TestYesterday the Vermont State Board of Education approved a letter that is being sent out to parents of public school students in that state.  Their honest and hard-hitting assessment that the Common Core SBAC test inappropriately labels
Distrust of School “Reform” Surfaces in Tuesday’s Election | janresseger
Distrust of School “Reform” Surfaces in Tuesday’s Election | janresseger: Distrust of School “Reform” Surfaces in Tuesday’s ElectionTuesday’s election brought some positive reversals in support of public schools in places where, at the local level, “corporatized school reform” has, until now, been making headway.Most notable is the election of Jim Kenney as the new mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylva
The not-to-be believed letter sent by U.S. Education Department to Ohio - The Washington Post
The not-to-be believed letter sent by U.S. Education Department to Ohio - The Washington Post: The not-to-be believed letter sent by U.S. Education Department to OhioPut this in the you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff category.When the U.S. Department of Education last month handed out $157 million in charter school grants, many in the education world couldn’t understand the largest award on the list. It
What the Success Academy fight over kicking out students says about the charter movement - Vox
What the Success Academy fight over kicking out students says about the charter movement - Vox: What the Success Academy fight over kicking out students says about the charter movementThe biggest recent argument about charter schools boils down to this: Is it okay to suspend a 5-year-old from school? What about suspending him 10 or 11 times in a single year? What about making a list of the student
To Hell with Good Intentions | Boston Review
To Hell with Good Intentions | Boston Review: To Hell with Good IntentionsSchool Reform is Failing America's ChildrenPublic school students rallied in front of Newark City Hall in April 2014 to protest reforms under Superintendant Cami Anderson, depicted here as a "liar." Photo: Newark Student UnionThe Prize: Who’s in Charge of America’s Schools?Dale RussakoffHoughton Mifflin Harcourt, $
‘Education’ in a Police State – In California Alone, Schools Call the Cops Every 2.6 Seconds | Alternet
‘Education’ in a Police State – In California Alone, Schools Call the Cops Every 2.6 Seconds | Alternet: ‘Education’ in a Police State – In California Alone, Schools Call the Cops Every 2.6 Seconds76% of all high schools in the country have police officers working on the campus all day.San Jose, CA – Police presence in schools has been a topic of heavy debate in recent weeks due to a viral video t
students at online charter schools perform much weaker than their peers at other schools - Business Insider
students at online charter schools perform much weaker than their peers at other schools - Business Insider: One type of charter school has an 'overwhelming negative impact' on studentsCharter schools — which are publicly funded but privately run — have proliferated across the US since they first emerged as an alternative to traditional public schools (TPS) in the early 1990s.In recent years, onli
Educators: Common Core Standards Incompatible with Catholic Education
Educators: Common Core Standards Incompatible with Catholic Education: Educators: Common Core Standards Incompatible with Catholic EducationAdministrators from Schools of Excellence on The Cardinal Newman Society’s Catholic Education Honor Roll recently told the Newman Society that Common Core State Standards pose a significant conflict to Catholic curricula, and found the standards severely wanti
Did the Common Core assessments cause the decline in NAEP scores? | Brookings Institution
Did the Common Core assessments cause the decline in NAEP scores? | Brookings Institution: Did the Common Core assessments cause the decline in NAEP scores?When the NAEP scores were released last week, math achievement had fallen by 1.3 points in fourth grade and 2.4 points in eighth grade.  It was the first time that math achievement had fallen in either fourth grade or eighth grade scores since

YESTERDAY

Philly shows Chicago what democracy looks like. | Fred Klonsky
Philly shows Chicago what democracy looks like. | Fred Klonsky: Philly shows Chicago what democracy looks like.Philadelphia mayor-elect Jim Kenney and Helen Gym, council woman-elect.The city is run by a mayor who pushes a school reform agenda that focuses on closing neighborhood schools and opening the city to charters.The head of the schools at one time was Paul Vallas.The school district itself
Who Created The Cages? [About That Teacher Life] | The Jose Vilson
Who Created The Cages? [About That Teacher Life] | The Jose Vilson: Who Created The Cages? [About That Teacher Life]A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak at William Paterson University in New Jersey to their college of education. Their education program definitely has the right leaders to move their future teachers forward. After I spoke at length about being a teacher, cultural competen
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part V
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part V: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part VDmitri Mehlhorn and I continue our exchange about charter schools.Part I: Mehlhorn's opener.Part II: My reply.Part III: Mehlhorn's response.Part IV: My second reply.Leave your thoughts in the comments below. My final reply will be up shortly.* * *Five Questions for Charter CriticsJazzman-Mehlhorn Episode VRef
Commercialism in Schools: No Windfall For Districts and Students Pay a Huge Price - NEA Today
Commercialism in Schools: No Windfall For Districts and Students Pay a Huge Price - NEA Today: Commercialism in Schools: No Windfall For Districts and Students Pay a Huge PriceLast month, educators, parents and community members mobilized against “McTeacher Night,” an event at which educators sit behind the counter at local McDonald’s franchises and serve up hamburgers, french fries and soda to th
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 11/4/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMWhat does the changing Pa. Supreme Court mean for school funding, charters? | Philadelphia Public School NotebookWhat does the changing Pa. Supreme Court mean for school funding, charters? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: What does the changing Pa. Supreme Court mean for school funding, charters?The results of Tuesday's Pennsylvania Supreme Court election could have wide-r