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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/29/15



CORPORATE ED REFORM






Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ignite Yourself (or something like that)
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ignite Yourself (or something like that):  Ignite Yourself (or something like that)I normally don't publicize events or Ed Lab stories from the Times.  (We're not fans of each other and I'll leave it at that although I have enjoyed working with a number of ed reporters there.)But, in the interest of my readers perhaps having a great public education idea AND wantin
Tennessee's State-Run District Runs Into Political Trouble - State EdWatch - Education Week
Tennessee's State-Run District Runs Into Political Trouble - State EdWatch - Education Week: Tennessee's State-Run District Runs Into Political TroubleTennessee's state-run Achievement School District, which takes over low-performing schools and either runs them directly or hands them over to charter organizations, has run into partisan political trouble.Several Democratic state lawmakers said Mon
Why education activists are furious at ExxonMobil’s CEO - The Washington Post
Why education activists are furious at ExxonMobil’s CEO - The Washington Post: Why education activists are furious at ExxonMobil’s CEOSome education activists are furious at Rex Tillerson, the chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil, for remarks he made about public schools — and one activist teachers organization is calling for a boycott of the petroleum giant.Tillerson’s 2014 comments
What Bill Gates has spent so far in our state to support charter schools | Seattle Education
What Bill Gates has spent so far in our state to support charter schools | Seattle Education: What Bill Gates has spent so far in our state to support charter schoolsIn response to my post on the Broad Foundation spending millions to force the Los Angeles Unified School District into converting at least 50% of public schools in the district into charter schools, a Seattle teacher posted the follow
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Here we go again: BILLIONAIRE'S $50 MILLION CONTEST AIMS TO MODERNIZE HIGH SCHOOLS
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Here we go again: BILLIONAIRE'S $50 MILLION CONTEST AIMS TO MODERNIZE HIGH SCHOOLS: Here we go again: BILLIONAIRE'S $50 MILLION CONTEST AIMS TO MODERNIZE HIGH SCHOOLSBy Jill Tucker, Educataion Writer, San Francisco Chronicle | http://sfchron.cl/1NOJHPgPhoto: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Melissa Iglesias (l to r), 15; Abel Regalado, 16; and Vanessa Martinez
Find Your Opt Out Group in FL | The Opt Out Florida Network
Find Your Opt Out Group in FL | The Opt Out Florida Network: Find Your Opt Out Group in FLDon’t See a Link on Your School District?Contact Us to Start an Opt Out group in your Area!Follow us on Facebook!AlachuaBayBradfordBrevardBrowardCalhounCharlotteCitrusClayCollier ColumbiaDeSotoDixieDuvalEscambiaFlaglerFranklinGadsdenGilchristGladesGulfHamiltonHardeeHendryHernandoHighlandsHillsboroughHolmesInd
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Diagnosing Rahm Emanuel: Does he have 'affluenza'?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Diagnosing Rahm Emanuel: Does he have 'affluenza'?: Diagnosing Rahm Emanuel: Does he have 'affluenza'?No citizen is a second-class citizen in the city of Chicago. If my children are treated one way, every child is treated the same way. -- Rahm's tearful apologiaDon Rose, a long-time activist/critic/observer of the Chicago political scene, thinks Rahm Emanuel is suffe
Holiday Retailers Staffed with NC Teachers / Public News Service
Holiday Retailers Staffed with NC Teachers / Public News Service: Holiday Retailers Staffed with NC TeachersRALEIGH, N. C. – During your holiday shopping, you may have bumped into your child's teacher working in a seasonal retail job. According to many teachers, in most cases it's not just to earn mad money or take advantage of an employee discount. The average teacher's salary in North Carolina i
The Best Way To Honor Tamir Rice is by Reforming Our Broken Justice System | gadflyonthewallblog
The Best Way To Honor Tamir Rice is by Reforming Our Broken Justice System | gadflyonthewallblog: The Best Way To Honor Tamir Rice is by Reforming Our Broken Justice SystemMichael Brown – no indictment.Eric Garner – no indictment.Sandra Bland – no indictment.And now Tamir Rice.How many times will our justice system refuse to charge police with killing unarmed black people?What will it take for our
Ed Reform Groundhog Day | Save Maine Schools
Ed Reform Groundhog Day | Save Maine Schools: Ed Reform Groundhog DayDuring a conversation about education reform at a holiday party I attended last week, a long-time high school teacher said to me, “You’ll see as you get more years of experience.  You start to feel like: haven’t we seen this already?”I laughed and said it’s like that cliché you always hear about insanity: doing the same thing ove
Schools Matter: Guest Post: Pennsylvania is failing Philly's schools – so, close the schools?
Schools Matter: Guest Post: Pennsylvania is failing Philly's schools – so, close the schools?: Guest Post: Pennsylvania is failing Philly's schools – so, close the schools?Students walk the halls at De Burgos Elementary School. (Emma Lee/WHYY)by Daun KauffmanDaun Kauffman is  North Philadelphia public school teacher. This article is posted on his blog  LucidWitness.comDecember 28, 2015 The Pennsyl
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Common Core Revealed: the Bad and the Ugly (Jury's out on the Good)
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Common Core Revealed: the Bad and the Ugly (Jury's out on the Good): Common Core Revealed: the Bad and the Ugly (Jury's out on the Good)Fortune MagazineFortune magazine has a special report that came out this week on Common Core -Business Gets Schooled. It provides a window into the thinking of big business and public education and folks, it is, by turns, sad and h
Will Charter face Class Action Lawsuit? | Cloaking Inequity
Will Charter face Class Action Lawsuit? | Cloaking Inequity: Will Charter face Class Action Lawsuit?Will a prominent corporate charter school chain face a class action lawsuit for their alleged refusal to serve special education students?I first blogged about BASIS in the post What BASIS?: Nepotism and aggrandizement in charters? At the time, I included Charter School Scandals uncovered special re
Jersey Jazzman: Corporate Education Reform Gets a Stranglehold On the Media
Jersey Jazzman: Corporate Education Reform Gets a Stranglehold On the Media: Corporate Education Reform Gets a Stranglehold On the MediaFortune magazine as a big, new article about the Common Core State Standards out this week. I first got wind of it from Julie Borst, who was as stunned as I was at the hubris of this quote from Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson:“I’m not sure public schools understand that w
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Randi & Lily: Why all the smoke-and-mirrors about new law's opt-out provisions?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Randi & Lily: Why all the smoke-and-mirrors about new law's opt-out provisions?: Randi & Lily: Why all the smoke-and-mirrors about new law's opt-out provisions?ESSA allows parents to opt a student out of required assessments for any reason. -- AFTESSA maintains the right of parents to opt their children out of statewide academic assessments and allows states
Preschool Without Walls - The New York Times
Preschool Without Walls - The New York Times: Preschool Without WallsSEATTLE — Three-year-old Desi Sorrelgreen’s favorite thing about his preschool is “running up hills.” His classmate Stelyn Carter, 5, likes to “be quiet and listen to birds — crows, owls and chickadees,” as she put it. And for Joshua Doctorow, 4, the best part of preschool just may be the hat he loves to wear to class (black and
CURMUDGUCATION: The Soft Bigotry of Baloney + "Fail"
CURMUDGUCATION: The Soft Bigotry of Baloney: The Soft Bigotry of BaloneyYou may not know Michael Gerson's name, but odds are you know one of his most famous pieces of writing-- "the soft bigotry of low expectations."Well, Gerson was in the New York Times yesterday expressing his displeasure with the new version of ESEA. At the same time, he was serving up the hard baloney of reformster i
With A Brooklyn Accent: What Is The Paper Clip Revolution?
With A Brooklyn Accent: What Is The Paper Clip Revolution?: What Is The Paper Clip Revolution?The paper clip became a symbol of resistance in Nazi Occupied Norway. Thousands of Norwegian teachers who refused to teach the fascist curriculum were sent to prison camps. The resistance of these teachers, as well as over 200,000 parents caused the government to abandon their plan. We as educators have d
1942 Norwegian Teachers’ Nonviolent Resistance to Nazis | PopularResistance.Org
1942 Norwegian Teachers’ Nonviolent Resistance to Nazis | PopularResistance.Org: Got Fascism? 1942 Norwegian Teachers’ Nonviolent Resistance to Nazis Has AnswersAbove Photo: From CreativeResistance.org. Rooftop Revolutionary Pick: Fuck Fascism And Care For The Earth.With bigotry and hatred on the rise in the United States and politicians like Donald Trump giving everyone the nightmares of an Ameri
These 5 education stories will dominate headlines in 2016 - Yahoo Finance
These 5 education stories will dominate headlines in 2016 - Yahoo Finance: These 5 education stories will dominate headlines in 2016(REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis) As 2015 comes to a close, it's becoming clear that certain education stories will heat up over the next year. From a revamped SAT exam to a Supreme Court case that may change college admissions, these are the big education stories to watch.1.
Teacher: What happened when a troubled little boy appeared at my classroom door - The Washington Post
Teacher: What happened when a troubled little boy appeared at my classroom door - The Washington Post: Teacher: What happened when a troubled little boy appeared at my classroom doorHere’s a post that shows the reality of teaching in a high-poverty school in a way that goes beyond the usual policy talking points. This is what teachers and students really deal with — and how a thoughtful teacher de
Education as Told by Charts, Graphs, Videos, and More - The Atlantic
Education as Told by Charts, Graphs, Videos, and More - The Atlantic: Education in 2015 VisualizedSome of the most important issues of the year, from school discipline in elementary schools to students saddled with debt long after graduation. Education issues can be difficult to grasp; they can feel  overwhelming, intangible, or even irrelevant. Sometimes, the best and most effective means of conv
School curricula should not shield students, but let them think for themselves | TheHill
School curricula should not shield students, but let them think for themselves | TheHill: School curricula should not shield students, but let them think for themselvesPrincipal Art Hall of Friends' Central School in Wynnewood, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pa., has decided that Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" should be removed from the school curriculum, presumably because of
Get Ready for the Education Session…Again | Northeast Indiana Public Radio
Get Ready for the Education Session…Again | Northeast Indiana Public Radio: Get Ready for the Education Session…AgainHoosier School Heist TV is Doug Martin's channel featuring videos of his book tour across Indiana speaking on the corporate takeover of public education. Order Hoosier School Heist at http://hoosierschoolheist.com/.Follow Hoosier School Heist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ho
Vital labor case gets more time from Supreme Court - News - Canton Daily Ledger - Canton, IL - Canton, IL
Vital labor case gets more time from Supreme Court - News - Canton Daily Ledger - Canton, IL - Canton, IL: Vital labor case gets more time from Supreme CourtWhen the U.S. Supreme Court last month approved a request from government attorneys to extend time for oral arguments in “Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association” – a case involving the right of public unions to require workers in bargai
Arne Duncan’s Former Spin Master: Lamar Alexander’s ‘Bipartisan’ Education Bill Locks in Common Core - Breitbart
Arne Duncan’s Former Spin Master: Lamar Alexander’s ‘Bipartisan’ Education Bill Locks in Common Core - Breitbart: Arne Duncan’s Former Spin Master: Lamar Alexander’s ‘Bipartisan’ Education Bill Locks in Common CoreThe former assistant Secretary for Communications to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan writes that Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)21%’s enthusiasm for his “bipartisan” education bill – on
Michael Gerson: Bipartisan deal on education costs students | The Sacramento Bee
Michael Gerson: Bipartisan deal on education costs students | The Sacramento Bee: Michael Gerson: Bipartisan deal on education costs studentsPresident Barack Obama shakes hands with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., a co-sponsor of the Every Student Succeeds Act, at the bill’s signing on Dec. 10. EVAN VUCCI The Associated PressRead more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article51952870.html#s

YESTERDAY

Pennsylvania is failing Philly's schools — so, close the schools? — NewsWorks
Pennsylvania is failing Philly's schools — so, close the schools? — NewsWorks: Pennsylvania is failing Philly's schools — so, close the schools?File image: Students walk the halls at De Burgos Elementary School. (Emma Lee/WHYY) The Pennsylvania Senate's effort to amend the PA School Code (H.B. 530), is part of the backroom wrangling over our state budget.Senate amendments to the bill require the s
A List of Things I've Learned in 2015 | The Jose Vilson
A List of Things I've Learned in 2015 | The Jose Vilson: A List of Things I’ve Learned in 2015For one, don’t make lists because it makes people reach for things that aren’t there.2015 is the year people forgot some of my titles. I am a full-time teacher at a middle school with a predominantly Dominican-American student body. I am a father to a toddler, a partner to a wonderful woman, a writer for
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/28/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMSeattle Schools Community Forum: Why I Won't Be Debating Charter Schools for the Next Couple of MonthsSeattle Schools Community Forum: Why I Won't Be Debating Charter Schools for the Next Couple of Months: Why I Won't Be Debating Charter Schools for the Next Couple of MonthsLately at the blog, my observation is that much of the discussion around charter schools is about whether