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Thursday, December 31, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/31/15



CORPORATE ED REFORM





I’ve got to hand it to you, Arne Duncan - The Washington Post
I’ve got to hand it to you, Arne Duncan - The Washington Post: I’ve got to hand it to you, Arne Duncan I’ve got to hand it to Arne Duncan.Today, Dec. 31, is his last day as U.S. education secretary, a job he’s had for seven years. There are few who would dispute that he has been most powerful education secretary in the department’s history, using federal funding and power to get most states to imp
On the 2016 Presidential Election Polls | deutsch29
On the 2016 Presidential Election Polls | deutsch29: On the 2016 Presidential Election Polls Reviewing presidential election polls is like watching politically loaded horse races in slow motion.According to RealClearPolitics, based on various polls conducted at the end of December 2015, it looks like for the most part, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are the two most likely to receive the Republican nom
Testing, The NYT and Corporate “Reform,” Gaslighting| Live Long and Prosper
2015 Medley #38 | Live Long and Prosper: Testing, The NYT and Corporate “Reform,” Gaslighting, Education is not BusinessMy last post of 2015.TESTING, TESTING, TESTINGThe Counterfeit High School DiplomaThe New York Times printed this editorial today. It’s all the teachers unions’ fault.Teachers unions and other critics of federally required standardized tests have behaved in recent years as though
BATs HAD AN AMAZING 2015! HERE WE COME 2016! - Badass Teachers Association
Badass Teachers Association: BATs HAD AN AMAZING 2015!  HERE WE COME 2016!àBATs Teaceher Congress this summer in D.C. which included 60+ appointments on Capitol Hill àBATs filed an Amicus Brief in the Supreme Court for Friedrichs vs. CTA http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/14-915_bsac_Brittany_Alexander.pdfàBATs Quality of Work Life Team research project with AFT Research is now w
And Now for Another Los Angeles Times Editorial Commending Charters, Sponsored by Eli Broad | Diane Ravitch's blog
And Now for Another Los Angeles Times Editorial Commending Charters, Sponsored by Eli Broad | Diane Ravitch's blog: And Now for Another Los Angeles Times Editorial Commending Charters, Sponsored by Eli BroadI know I am supposed to be taking a break, but I assumed the holidays would be a quiet time. I was wrong.The Los Angeles Times published an editorial today about charter schools that pretends t
Top 10: What readers liked most in 2015 - The Washington Post
Top 10: What readers liked most in 2015 - The Washington Post: Top 10: What readers liked most in 2015I published hundreds of posts in 2015, many of them highly popular with readers. Subjects that drew big audiences included the Common Core State Standards, standardized testing and the opt-out movement, the teaching profession, educational equity and early childhood education.  In case you are int
2015: The Year in Education - Living in Dialogue
2015: The Year in Education - Living in Dialogue: 2015: The Year in EducationBy Anthony Cody.This was a big year for education. We saw the tortuous end of No Child Left Behind, replaced by a new law that will be subject to many future battles over the amount of tests and the stakes placed on them. Charter schools continued to be darlings of the corporate world, but diligent reporting and research
Who’s Your Favorite Gadfly? Top 10 Blog Posts (By Me) That Enlightened, Entertained and Enraged in 2015 | gadflyonthewallblog
Who’s Your Favorite Gadfly? Top 10 Blog Posts (By Me) That Enlightened, Entertained and Enraged in 2015 | gadflyonthewallblog: Who’s Your Favorite Gadfly? Top 10 Blog Posts (By Me) That Enlightened, Entertained and Enraged in 2015“Pennsylvania educator and public school advocate Steven Singer is one of the most powerful voices in the nation when it comes to speaking out for students, parents, teac
Sorry NYTimes. We’re Onto You. | Save Maine Schools
Sorry NYTimes. We’re Onto You. | Save Maine Schools: Sorry NYTimes. We’re Onto You.This morning, the New York Times published an editorial claiming that our high school diplomas are meaningless.Isn’t that funny, because that’s exactly what the Digital Learning Now Council has been claiming too.The DLN Council, made up of CEO’s and representatives from across the charter, ed-tech, and assessment in
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Educator tells climate criminal Exxon: 'Hands off our kids and our schools'
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Educator tells climate criminal Exxon: 'Hands off our kids and our schools': Educator tells climate criminal Exxon: 'Hands off our kids and our schools'“I’m not sure public schools understand that we’re their customer—that we, the business community, are your customer,” said Tillerson during the panel discussion. “What they don’t understand is they are producing
CURMUDGUCATION: NYT Spots the Problem
CURMUDGUCATION: NYT Spots the Problem: NYT Spots the ProblemThe New York Times is wrapping up the year with a full-court press on the magical marvels of teaching, including a shot today from the editorial board that really does show us a major part of the problem. But not on purpose.They open with this line:Teachers unions and other critics of federally required standardized tests have behaved in
Russ on Reading: The Best Education Books of 2015
Russ on Reading: The Best Education Books of 2015:The Best Education Books of 2015Here is my year-end list of books that every well-informed educator and public education advocate should read. The list is not all-inclusive; it includes only books that came to my attention and it certainly reflects my personal tastes and biases.  I think, however, you will find these books important, informative an
Some Good Education News from 2015
Some Good Education News from 2015: Some Good Education News from 2015Writing about education is interesting, but it can also be depressing. Sometimes it feels like being a hamster on one of those wheels. So as we close out 2015, here is a list of some good news that happened in 2015. If you have something to add, let me know!Happy New Year!These are in no special order.Michigan and Special Educat
With A Brooklyn Accent: "We Are Not Alone" a Guest Post by Pamela Lewis
With A Brooklyn Accent: "We Are Not Alone" a Guest Post by Pamela Lewis: "We Are Not Alone" a Guest Post by Pamela LewisIt’s a few days after Christmas.  Videos of children frenziedly shucking wrapping paper, ribbon and boxes for the gifts held inside fill my Facebook and Instagram feed with intentions to warm hearts and elicit joy.  My heart yields to the endearing spectacles
The Importance of the Arts to Students with Disabilities - Living in Dialogue
The Importance of the Arts to Students with Disabilities - Living in Dialogue: The Importance of the Arts to Students with Disabilities This is the sixth in a series of blog posts focused on the value of art in our lives, and the role art can play in resisting the test and punish model of education.  See the intro and links to other posts in the series here.By Nancy Bailey.If inclusion is the goal
Schools Matter: THE REAL “COMMON CORE” OF TEACHING
Schools Matter: THE REAL “COMMON CORE” OF TEACHING: THE REAL “COMMON CORE” OF TEACHINGYes. I used the forbidden phrase. But let’s use those two words as if CCSS had never existed. In fact let’s ask what the true common core of teaching should be.Young children, as in the forest schools covered in this NYT article (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/fashion/outdoor-preschool-in-nature.html?login=ema
The underlying problem with teacher diversity initiatives | @ THE CHALKFACE
The underlying problem with teacher diversity initiatives | @ THE CHALKFACE: The underlying problem with teacher diversity initiativesThere is a great deal now being written about the lack of diversity in the teacher workforce. It is typically boiled down to a black-white issue even though “teachers of color” can be defined more broadly to include other races and/or ethnicities. The simple binary
The message our children need to hear but almost never do - The Washington Post
The message our children need to hear but almost never do - The Washington Post: The message our children need to hear but almost never doPeter Greene, a veteran teacher of English in a small town in Pennsylvania, wrote the following post about how hard it is to be young today. The moving piece describes the “One Wrong Move” syndrome and how scared children are of making a mistake for fear of ruin
Why Growth Mindsets Are Necessary to Save Math Class - The Atlantic
Why Growth Mindsets Are Necessary to Save Math Class - The Atlantic: The Math Class ParadoxMastering the subject has become less about learning and more about performance.Why do so many students either hate math, fear it or both?If you ask most students what they think their role is in math classrooms, they will tell you it is to get questions right. Students rarely think that they are in math cla
The Teaching Profession in 2015 (in Charts) - Teaching Now - Education Week Teacher
The Teaching Profession in 2015 (in Charts) - Teaching Now - Education Week Teacher: The Teaching Profession in 2015 (in Charts)At the end of every year (now for a record two years!), we dig through all the white papers and research findings and think tank reports sent to Education Week, as well as a few in-house originals, to find some useful nuggets of visual information that may have escaped pe
In farewell, Duncan chides 'collective failure' to protect kids
In farewell, Duncan chides 'collective failure' to protect kids: In farewell, Duncan chides 'collective failure' to protect kids  did not go quietly.In his final speech as U. S. , Duncan on Wednesday delivered a blunt, sometimes unsparing address that challenged adults to help restore safety and a basic sense of hope to millions of young people — many of whom, he said, don't expect to make it to a
State funded K-12 education vs. corporate tax cuts
State funded K-12 education vs. corporate tax cuts: State funded K-12 education vs. corporate tax cutsAgain, thank you, Gov. Rick Scott. Seems he wants to hold back on state funded K-12 education, instead reduce corporate taxes in the hope of inducing more businesses to come to Florida and keep current Florida corporations happy with our state’s tax structure and, more importantly, with Rick Scott
California’s fiscally reckless restraint on schools - San Francisco Chronicle
California’s fiscally reckless restraint on schools - San Francisco Chronicle: California’s fiscally reckless restraint on schoolsThe California Legislature adjourned for the year without reversing one of the more fiscally reckless moves against local school districts in recent memory. Under a provision in a 2014 budget deal, local districts across the state would be forced to exhaust their reserv
The End Of Unions? Upcoming Supreme Court Case Could Overturn Power To Collect Fees
The End Of Unions? Upcoming Supreme Court Case Could Overturn Power To Collect Fees: The End Of Unions? Upcoming Supreme Court Case Could Overturn Power To Collect FeesWhen Marc Williams greets his high school students every morning, the last thing he wants to worry about is his upcoming teacher evaluation. Or what new regulations could be in store for next year, or how he will negotiate with the
Both traditional and charter schools in L.A. Unified could learn from this study - LA Times
Both traditional and charter schools in L.A. Unified could learn from this study - LA Times: Both traditional and charter schools in L.A. Unified could learn from this studyarter schools: good or bad? There are few subjects on which school officials, parents and advocates for students are more impassioned and divided, which is why the proposal to open hundreds of new charter schools for Los Angele
The Counterfeit High School Diploma - The New York Times
The Counterfeit High School Diploma - The New York Times: The Counterfeit High School DiplomaCreditCaroline GamonTeachers unions and other critics of federally required standardized tests have behaved in recent years as though killing the testing mandate would magically remedy everything that ails education in the United States. In reality, getting rid of the testing requirement in the early grade

YESTERDAY

The Top JLV Posts of 2015 (According To You And Me) | The Jose Vilson
The Top JLV Posts of 2015 (According To You And Me) | The Jose Vilson: The Top JLV Posts of 2015 (According To You And Me)According to thousands of you, here are the top ten posts 2015 with a few words from each post. This blog surpassed a million views since inception. Considering I’m doing this without any major sponsorship, publications, or well-regarded co-signs, I’m ecstatic about this and so
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 12/30/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMSBE Agenda for January 2016 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)SBE Agenda for January 2016 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education): SBE Agenda for January 2016Agenda for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting on January 13-14, 2016.State Board MembersMichael W. Kirst, PresidentIlene W. Straus, Vice PresidentSue BurrBruce HoladayFeliza I. Or