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Monday, July 20, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/20/15


SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

What Debate? - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice
What Debate? - The Crucial VoiceThe Crucial Voice: What Debate? The marketing campaign to FIX No Child Left Behind began back in January withannouncements that there would be debate.A draft of the Every Child Ready for College or Career Act of 2015 was released and many newspapers and education associations picked up the story including the American Educational Research Association.“The draft bill
NPE Announces Location for 2016 Conference – The Network For Public Education
NPE Announces Location for 2016 Conference – The Network For Public Education: NPE Announces Location for 2016 ConferenceThe Network for Public Education is thrilled to announce the location for our 3rd Annual National Conference. On April 16 and 17, 2016 public education advocates from across the country will gather in Raleigh, North Carolina.We chose Raleigh to highlight the tremendous activist
'These Kids Are Just Pawns': The Rising Toll of Inequitable School Funding - NEA Today
'These Kids Are Just Pawns': The Rising Toll of Inequitable School Funding - NEA Today: 'These Kids Are Just Pawns': The Rising Toll of Inequitable School FundingThis article is the first in a NEA Today series that explores obstacles to education that create an opportunity gap for disadvantaged students. With the number of children living in low-income families reaching record highs, these issues
Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: Yet More Influence of Money
Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: Yet More Influence of Money:Yet More Influence of MoneyThe Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights just keeps on pushing standardized testing. Two articles in particular are troubling. This one from Vox, and this one fromInternational Business Times (IBT). Both highlight the lobbying by big civil and disability rights groups for Congress to mainta
Hunches Gone Wrong: Time for the Gates Foundation to Reconsider Approach to Education - Living in Dialogue
Hunches Gone Wrong: Time for the Gates Foundation to Reconsider Approach to Education - Living in Dialogue: Hunches Gone Wrong: Time for the Gates Foundation to Reconsider Approach to EducationBy John Thompson.The New York Times’s Nicholas Kristof, in “Bill and Melinda Gates’s Pillow Talk,” writes: “It has been 15 years since Bill and Melinda Gates created what is now the largest foundation in the
Amid an Arizona Ban on Mexican American Studies, Teachers Across the U.S. Are Campaigning for Culturally Relevant Education - The Atlantic
Amid an Arizona Ban on Mexican American Studies, Teachers Across the U.S. Are Campaigning for Culturally Relevant Education - The Atlantic: How One Law Banning Ethnic Studies Led to Its RiseLegislators in Arizona decided to prohibit a culturally relevant course, so teachers pushed back and started a nationwide movement.Ethnic Studies Now CoalitionThe irony is that if Arizona lawmakers had never sq
Poverty is about not having enough money. So don’t blame schools for it | Education | The Guardian
Poverty is about not having enough money. So don’t blame schools for it | Education | The Guardian: Poverty is about not having enough money. So don’t blame schools for itIf the government is going to start using education data to hide child poverty, schools must find a way to highlight ithere is a joke in the film Brassed Off that goes like this: God’s assistant is creating people. He turns to Go
Solving the Cheating Problem | Taking Note
Solving the Cheating Problem | Taking Note: Solving the Cheating ProblemBecause America is committed to testing every child in every subject in order to make sure teachers are doing a good job, the number of high-stakes tests is increasing, and that means that we have to act boldly to eliminate cheating, which, coincidentally, also has been increasing.Some background is in order: We have a cheatin
Ohio Regulator Favors Politically Connected Charter School Sponsors, Resigns When Exposed | janresseger
Ohio Regulator Favors Politically Connected Charter School Sponsors, Resigns When Exposed | janresseger: Ohio Regulator Favors Politically Connected Charter School Sponsors, Resigns When ExposedThings unraveled pretty quickly last week for David Hansen, the director of school choice at the Ohio Department of Education.  On Tuesday, the State Board of Education, dominated by appointees of Republica
CURMUDGUCATION: The Terrible Choice
CURMUDGUCATION: The Terrible Choice: The Terrible ChoiceFor much of our history, Americans have operated under a simple premise-- we will educate other people's children.Educating your own offspring is an old idea; human beings have done it for most of history. This has had many implications. You can't teach your own children things you don't know. If you're not wealthy (or even wealthy-ish), you
With A Brooklyn Accent: Color Blind = Tone Deaf. A Message to Bernie Sanders from Jane DeNeefe
With A Brooklyn Accent: Color Blind = Tone Deaf. A Message to Bernie Sanders from Jane DeNeefe: Color Blind = Tone Deaf. A Message to Bernie Sanders from Jane DeNeefeI am on the ground in Alabama, an author of two books about the civil rights movement and co-director of an African American history project--  and I can attest, Bernie is losing black support that was already flimsy--I'd give him a C
Welcome new PAA Board member Khem Irby! | Parents Across America
Welcome new PAA Board member Khem Irby! | Parents Across America: Welcome new PAA Board member Khem Irby! The results are in and Khem Irby, Pamela Grundy and Julie Woestehoff have been elected to the PAA Board for 2-year terms.Pam and Julie are returning Board members but Khem is new to the Board, though not to parent advocacy.Khem Irby is a leading parent activist/advocate in her NYC hometown, an
Cerf about to throw school workers into the streets | Bob Braun's Ledger
Cerf about to throw school workers into the streets | Bob Braun's Ledger: Cerf about to throw school workers into the streetsThis is a nation that doesn’t simply tolerate felonious behavior by its wealthiest entrepreneurs–it rewards it.  If you are rich enough and powerful enough, you can get away with nearly sinking the American economy and be forgiven–and even given a raise. However, if you are
The Science Of Grading Teachers Gets High Marks | FiveThirtyEight
The Science Of Grading Teachers Gets High Marks | FiveThirtyEight: The Science Of Grading Teachers Gets High MarksIs evaluating teachers an exact science? Many people — including many teachers and their unions — believe current methods are often too subjective and open to abuse and misinterpretation. But new tools for measuring teacher effectiveness have become more sophisticated in recent years,
Data Collection on 49 Million Students Going To Drive “Equity” » Missouri Education Watchdog
Data Collection on 49 Million Students Going To Drive “Equity” » Missouri Education Watchdog: Data Collection on 49 Million Students Going To Drive “Equity”The mainstream press is FINALLY starting to pick up on the disconcerting uptick in federal  data collection. TheNew York Post published an article on 7-19-15 documenting the various ways the federal government plans to socially engineer our liv
GOP candidates join testing opt-out movement - Maggie Severns - POLITICO
GOP candidates join testing opt-out movement - Maggie Severns - POLITICO: GOP candidates join testing opt-out movementConservative presidential hopefuls in the Senate are trying to keep their talking points on education trendy.Republican presidential hopefuls in the Senate have joined the fast-growing movement encouraging students to opt out of the standardized tests that have become a part of eve
Florida Board of Education prepares to set teacher evaluation standards | Tampa Bay Times
Florida Board of Education prepares to set teacher evaluation standards | Tampa Bay Times: Florida Board of Education prepares to set teacher evaluation standardsSince adopting the much challenged value-added model for rating teacher performance, Florida has allowed local school districts to assign evaluation performance levels to teachers based in part on local definitions.That's about to change.
Backpacks Full of Cash | EduShyster
Backpacks Full of Cash | EduShyster: Backpacks Full of CashI talk to Nevada Succeeds’ Seth Rau about the Silver State’s new Education Savings Account experiment…EduShyster: Thanks to Nevada’s bold new*universal choice* program, I’ve got exactly $5700 in my backpack. Now I need you to help me choose what choice to choose. Should I go traditional, private, high-performing charter school seat, virtua
L.A. district continues to persecute one of the nation’s best teachers - The Washington Post
L.A. district continues to persecute one of the nation’s best teachers - The Washington Post: L.A. district continues to persecute one of the nation’s best teachersFifth-grade teacher Rafe Esquith’s worst nightmare began March 19, during a puzzling meeting in his principal’s office. Hobart Boulevard Elementary School’s principal indicated something had happened, but Esquith says that he was told h

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/19/15
SPECIAL NITE CAP CORPORATE ED REFORMThe Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out Amendment | deutsch29The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out Amendment | deutsch29: The Senate Debate on Lee’s Opt Out AmendmentIn the House version of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, the Student Success Act (SSA), parental opt-out is written into the legislation, bypassing any state