Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/27/15



CORPORATE ED REFORM




Legislator proposes new credentials for dance, theater teachers | 89.3 KPCC
Legislator proposes new credentials for dance, theater teachers | 89.3 KPCC: Legislator proposes new credentials for dance, theater teachersIn an effort to increase the number of public schools offering theater and dance classes and to lure more dance and theater professionals to teaching, Santa Monica-area State Senator Ben Allen unveiled a bill on Wednesday to create, for the first time, teachin
Who is stealing from teachers? Sh-h-h. It’s a trade secret. | Reclaim Reform
Who is stealing from teachers? Sh-h-h. It’s a trade secret. | Reclaim Reform: Who is stealing from teachers? Sh-h-h. It’s a trade secret.After several years of being made to seem like another crazy “conspiracy theory” by corporate media coverage of teacher pension theft, the pension theft pattern has emerged into the open. There can no longer be a conspiracy (secret plan of destruction) theory whe
Schools Matter: Alabama Leads the Way toward 19th Century Education
Schools Matter: Alabama Leads the Way toward 19th Century Education: Alabama Leads the Way toward 19th Century EducationEver heard of an adjunct K-12 teacher?  I had not, either, until Alabama defined it for me, as someone with at least a high school diploma teaching part-time in an Alabama public school.Someone who is not a certified teacher can now teach your children in Alabama.The State Board
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Food for Thought - Talking About Teachers
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Food for Thought - Talking About Teachers: Food for Thought - Talking About TeachersTacoma School District's Nate Bowling was recently selected as Washington State's Teacher of the Year.  Mr. Bowling teaches at Tacoma's Lincoln High (which is a success story unto itself.)  He teaches AP Government & Politics and AP Human Geography.  He is one of four finalists
Oh My! Charter schools founder Steve Barr weighs 2017 challenge to Garcetti - LA Times
Charter schools founder Steve Barr weighs 2017 challenge to Garcetti - LA Times:Green Dot Charter Schools founder Steve Barr weighs 2017 challenge to Garcettie founder of a prominent chain of Los Angeles charter schools said Wednesday he is considering running for mayor in 2017, the second person in as many days to muse aloud about challenging incumbent Mayor Eric Garcetti.Steve Barr, who establis
Great Schools Partnership and the Covert Agenda of Assessment Reform – Save Maine Schools
Great Schools Partnership and the Covert Agenda of Assessment Reform – Save Maine Schools: Great Schools Partnership and the Covert Agenda of Assessment ReformDuring a required workshop on proficiency-based education this Monday, I spent most of the day moving between anger and awe at the way this billionaire-funded agenda has made its way so seamlessly into our gymnasium, into every school in Mai
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Who's behind National School Choice Week?
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Who's behind National School Choice Week?: Who's behind National School Choice Week?Launched five years ago by the Gleason Family Foundation—which spent more than $4.3 million on the project in 2014, Nat'l School Choice Week has grown rapidly through the backing of advocacy groups and deep pockets of funders focused on promoting charters, vouchers, and tax credi
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Little Village schools fighting school crowding hold the line
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Little Village schools fighting school crowding hold the line: Little Village schools fighting school crowding hold the lineCommunity activists gather outside Saucedo/Telpochcalli to demand that CPS postpone its co-location plan. I'm told that CPS has pulled its plan to move Spry Community Links High School into Saucedo/Telpochcalli, off the agenda of the February bo
John Thompson The Gig Economy: Potential promise and pitfalls - NonDoc
The Gig Economy: Potential promise and pitfalls - NonDoc: The Gig Economy: Potential promise and pitfallsLinguist Geoff Nunberg announced his word of the year on NPR’s Fresh Air, and he nailed it: Nunberg’s choice is “gig.”For over a century, gig was “slang for a date or engagement.” In the 1950s, hipsters and the Beats used the term for “any job you took to keep body and soul together while your
Horror Inside Pt. 2: Charter Teacher Turns Whistleblower #SCW – Cloaking Inequity
Horror Inside Pt. 2: Charter Teacher Turns Whistleblower #SCW – Cloaking Inequity: Horror Inside Pt. 2: Charter Teacher Turns Whistleblower #SCWToday Cloaking Inequity concludes an exclusive story written by Jennifer Ventimiglia, a veteran charter school teacher. This post is the continuation of the story that began in the post Horror Inside: A No Excuses Charter School #SCWAfter school on Friday,
Have You Heard? | EduShyster
Have You Heard? | EduShyster: Have You Heard?The podcast series that I’ve been talking about forever is finally a real thing…Reader—or make that, listener: the day that really seemed as though it would never arrive is finally here! You can actually listen to the inaugural episode of our new podcast series,Have You Heard, as soon as you finish reading this page. The concept is simple: the debate ov
In Sacramento, Parents Pitching In
Parents Pitching In:Parents Pitching InIn Sacramento, the school district is getting moms and dads involved, which helps their kids—and the schools When Judy Mont­gomery’s daugh­ter star­ted kinder­garten in 1984, she did what came nat­ur­ally: She joined a par­ent coun­cil at her Sac­ra­mento school. “I just star­ted vo­lun­teer­ing and tak­ing on lead­er­ship roles,” she said. “It’s what my mom
City charter suit caught up in high court turmoil
City charter suit caught up in high court turmoil: City charter suit caught up in high court turmoil A charter-schools suit with major financial implications for the Philadelphia School District is one of 27 cases caught up in the turnover of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.Back in September 2014, the court heard arguments in the case that centers on the School Reform Commission's authority to mana
How Math Class Has Evolved From the Progressive-Education Movement to the Common Core - The Atlantic
How Math Class Has Evolved From the Progressive-Education Movement to the Common Core - The Atlantic: The Man Who Tried to Kill Math in AmericaOne educators’ reform efforts in the early 20th century say a lot about current attacks on the Common Core.The Common Core math standards have been contentious since they were launched several years ago, with many parents taking to social media to complain
EXCLUSIVE: Common Core and ESSA: Part 9 | Diane Ravitch's blog
EXCLUSIVE: Common Core and ESSA: Part 9 | Diane Ravitch's blog: EXCLUSIVE: Common Core and ESSA: Part 9This is the ninth and final installment in a series of exchanges about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). I wrote the questions, and David P. Cleary, chief of staff to Senator Lamar Alexander, wrote the answers.I may have overlooked important issues. David has agreed to write a follow-up post
Gambling on Fast-Track Teachers in Nevada and Beyond and Personalized Learning
Gambling on Fast-Track Teachers in Nevada and Beyond and Personalized Learning: Gambling on Fast-Track Teachers in Nevada and Beyond and Personalized LearningNevada school officials claim they can’t find 1,000 teachers to fill their classrooms.Education Week is claiming this isn’t much different than what’s found in the rest of the country. In the middle of it all you will think about Personalized
Our Fading Understanding of the Common Good | janresseger
Our Fading Understanding of the Common Good | janresseger:Our Fading Understanding of the Common Good At the top of this blog is a quote from the late Senator Paul Wellstone, who describes our “nation of citizens called to a common purpose… tied to one another by a common bond.”  Wellstone is defining the idea of public responsibility—the common good.  A quaint notion these days. Think about the v
With A Brooklyn Accent: Fordham Alumni For Change Moving Forward
With A Brooklyn Accent: Fordham Alumni For Change Moving Forward: Fordham Alumni For Change Moving ForwardGreat meeting last night of Fordham Alumni for Change. We had alumni there from the class of 1971, 1979, 1997, 2000, 2004 along with one Fordham senior and several more recent grads Marlene Taylor-Ponterotto brought the food and we had many productive discussions about strategy. For those alum
Snake Oil (and vouchers) Don't Work. Community Schools, Do! - Lily's Blackboard
Snake Oil (and vouchers) Don't Work. Community Schools, Do! - Lily's Blackboard: Snake Oil (and vouchers) Don’t Work. Community Schools, Do!It’s fitting that “National School Choice Week,” the annual promotion of vouchers, tuition tax credits, and other schemes that siphon money from public schools and take opportunities away from students, falls in January. Everything about “school choice” leaves
CPS seeks $10 million from convicted Barbara Byrd-Bennett
CPS seeks $$$ from BBB:CPS seeks $$$ from BBBChicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool is demanding that his convicted predecessor, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, reimburse the cash-strapped school district about $10 million — or triple the salary she was paid at CPS and the kickbacks promised her.Last fall, Byrd-Bennett pleaded guilty to a scheme to get a 10 percent kickback from contracts granted to SU
Marcos Breton can’t stop talking Mayor Kevin Johnson | The Sacramento Bee
Marcos Breton: Sacramento can’t stop talking business | The Sacramento Bee: Marcos Breton: Sacramento can’t stop talking businessEven though some of his foes despise him and always will, Mayor Kevin Johnson has been good for the business of Sacramento.His term ends this year and new candidates are vying to replace him, yet Johnson is likely to announce new investment for Sacramento at his State of
A Look at the Education Crisis | Center for American Progress
A Look at the Education Crisis | Center for American Progress: A Look at the Education CrisisTests, Standards, and the Future of American EducationEndnotes and citations are available in the PDF and Scribd versions.Download the report: PDFDownload introduction & summary: PDFRead it in your browser: ScribdIn many ways standards-based school reform is at a crossroads. On one side, the movement h
As charter school expansion continues, regulatory oversight varies: tips for digging into local education - Reynolds Center
As charter school expansion continues, regulatory oversight varies: tips for digging into local education - Reynolds Center:As charter school expansion continues, regulatory oversight varies: tips for digging into local education Backed by wealthy advocacy groups like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation, charter school proponents have long touted the schools as t
Infrastructure Failures, Like Flint, Are a Crisis For Black America - The Root
Infrastructure Failures, Like Flint, Are a Crisis For Black America - The Root: Infrastructure Failures, Like Flint, Are a Crisis For Black America Flint Michigan's water crisis is a prime example of institutional neglect compounding a crumbling infrastructure.The City of Flint Water Plant is illuminated by moonlight on January 23, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. A federal state of emergency has been dec

YESTERDAY

Ashana Bigard: An Insider’s View of Post-Katrina New Orleans Public Education | deutsch29
Ashana Bigard: An Insider’s View of Post-Katrina New Orleans Public Education | deutsch29: Ashana Bigard: An Insider’s View of Post-Katrina New Orleans Public EducationOn January 14 and 15, 2016, renowned education blogger and ed reform podcaster extraordinaire, Jennifer Berkshire, visited me during her time in town to conduct some interviews in New Orleans.In the course of her meetings, she ended
Top 10 Reasons School Choice is No Choice | gadflyonthewallblog
Top 10 Reasons School Choice is No Choice | gadflyonthewallblog: Top 10 Reasons School Choice is No ChoiceOn the surface of it, school choice sounds like a great idea.Parents will get to shop for schools and pick the one that best suits their children.Oh! Look, Honey! This one has an exceptional music program! That one excels in math and science! The drama program at this one is first in the state
CURMUDGUCATION: UT Offers Gobbledeegook Education Program
CURMUDGUCATION: UT Offers Gobbledeegook Education Program:UT Offers Gobbledeegook Education ProgramHere's one for the Has To Be Seen To Be Believed file, or perhaps the Ugly manhandling of English Language file, or most especially, the Why Regular People Don't Listen To Academics file.The University of Texas is launching a... well, to be honest, I'm not sure. Some kind of MOOC. A newly tech-based
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/26/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMCalifornia School Boards Association says the State is Violating Students’ Rights by Stiffing public schools | EdSourcePlaintiff in lawsuit updates costs of inadequate funding | EdSource: Plaintiff in lawsuit updates costs of inadequate fundingThe California School Boards Association has updated spending numbers from studies published a decade ago to support the argument its att