December Parent Engagement Resources
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Parent involvement in schools ⬆️. 87% of K–12 students from
English-speaking families had parents who reported attending a general
school meeting in 2019, ...
Some Christmas Tunery
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Here at the Institute (where the Board of Directors still firmly believe in
Santa Claus), we like our seasonal music, both as consumers and as
producers,...
Finding Light in Winter by Mary Pipher
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The mornings are dark, the late afternoons are dusky, and before we finish
making dinner, the daylight is gone. As we approach the darkest days of the
ye...
Last Minute Gift Ideas!
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We've been bombarded with "last minute" gift idea promotions since at least
mid-November, but now, finally, the last minute is truly upon us. As a
publi...
Cartoons about the Holiday Season
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Here are some cartoons that got me to smile about this time of year. I hope
they will do the same for you. Happy holidays to all of my readers. Enjoy!
HAIRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAIRY HANUKKAH TOO!
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*HAIRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAIRY HANUKKAH TOO!*
* The Big Hairy Education Ape Spreads Holiday Cheer! Ah, December! The time
of year when the air tur...
About the Social Security Fairness Act
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On December 21, 2024, the US Senate passed the Social Security Fairness
Act, otherwise known as HR 82, a bill that restores full Social Security
benefits t...
Apologies to Dan Alicea
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I want to truly apologize to Daniel Alicea. On November 30, Dan wrote a
blog post about how, despite millions of dollars being available, Mulgrew
refused...
The 2024 NPE “Coal in the Stocking” Awards
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At NPE, we know who is naughty and nice when it comes to supporting our
public schools and their students.
The post The 2024 NPE “Coal in the Stocking” A...
Big Lies of Education: Grade Retention
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The Big Lie of grade retention in the US is that it is often hidden within
larger reading legislation and policy, notably since the 2010s: Westall and
Cumm...
Juntos lo haremos
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En el año que viene, tendremos que tomar decisiones difíciles sobre quienes
queremos ser en cada comunidad y como nación. Ha sido un año muy intenso.
Desde...
WTF, Democratic Caucus?
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Why is the failure of this current budget bill being blamed on Republicans
when almost every single Democrat voted against it? If only half of the
Dems had...
Peace through Beauty
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I am and always have been more musical than I have been verbal. I have
always found beauty in sound. Often it can be purely instrumental, such as
playing...
San Diego School Board Election Outcomes
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By Thomas Ultican 12/17/2024 Before the recent election, I wrote
recommendations for several school board seats in San Diego County. The San
Diego County R...
SPI Supports SB 48 to Keep ICE Off School Campuses
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State Superintendent Tony Thurmond sponsors Senate Bill 48 to keep
Immigration and Customs Enforcement off of school campuses, protecting
school attendance...
Schrödinger’s Cat
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Schrödinger’s cat is a famous thought experiment in which the renowned
scientist pondered how a cat in a closed box could be thought of as
simultaneously a...
In Memoriam: Nikki Giovanni
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The literary and cultural world has lost an irreplaceable voice with the
passing of Nikki Giovanni. As one of the most celebrated poets and
activists of ou...
Education Has Failed and What Can We Do Next?
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Education has failed to prepare children for the world today. Despite the
increased investment, impactful reforms, hardworking teachers and school
leaders,...
Defining Productivity, Cost, and Efficiency
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Recycled material here… The central problem with US public schools is often
characterized as an efficiency problem. We spend a lot and don’t get much
for i...
Try Substack?
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Seems like the popular new thing. Here’s my first try – it’s about
yesterday’s UFT Retired Teachers Chapter meeting – first ever not run by
Unity. (Spoiler...
Number 18 — A barely-hanging-on Blogoversary
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Blogoversary #18 SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 I started this blog while I was still
teaching, in 2006. I had just begun my 31st year as an educator. Just like
in pre...
Student "Growth" Measures Are STILL Biased
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This caught my attention:
New Jersey school districts may soon be evaluated differently, *with a
greater emphasis on student growth* as compared to stud...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
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As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the
great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught
of those ...
The Sky is Falling, or is it?
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Well, this is the first anniversary of the introduction of Generative AI in
the form of ChatGPT to the world of education. Before it was a week old,
over o...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
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The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us
in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we
wer...
Metaphors in ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
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In this article, we will explore the powerful use of metaphors in Martin
Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” ...
Read more
Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force
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I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago
Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation.
The meetin...
There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not.
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THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not
that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough
teachers cer...
Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane
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Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama
have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun
with...
Have You Heard Has a New Website
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TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at
www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire
archive. And be sure to check out...
Follow me at Substack
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I've moved. Follow me at Substack
I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new
Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com
...
Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College
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[image: colorful classroom pattern]
*; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images*
Cory Turner | NPR
New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...
Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala
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Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
The Threat of Integration
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I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles
for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction
with th...
We fight for a democracy worthy of us all!
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The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
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I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this
afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved
ones. We ar...
The Fight For Our Children
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*The number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 nationally increased by
56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to a new federal report showing
the ...
Read to Self: Just a Kid and a Book.
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Date: Monday, January 5, 2020 Place: My classroom Student: Mrs.Mims, could
we start doing Read to Self again because I got this great book for
Christmas an...
Keeping Progressive Schools Alive
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Dear Friends and Colleagues, Happy New Year and a special thanks to those
who respond to past blogs about choice, et al. I always mean to respond to
each c...
Reminiscences
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I just finished dumping the rest of my lesson plans. I guess I held on to
the calculus ones for so long because I spent so much time working on them
an...
Just Asking for some Teachers I know.
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Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stated, We must … recognize that
part of supporting our kids in the classroom means supporting the educators
who t...
Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online
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Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik
itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah
perta...
A Critique of Standards-Based Grading
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It first happened to me about ten years ago. I was beginning my third year
of teaching in a new school in Washington, DC. Social studies teachers were
si...
My First and Last Visit to Hudson Yards
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Figuring I did not need to invite any more darkness and vulgarity into my
head than that provided on a daily basis from Trump’s White House, and
after read...
The World According to Michelle Rhee
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The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run
education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The
New T...
Whose Opinions Matter in Education World?
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It's hard to identify education heroes and sheroes. And perhaps even harder
to pinpoint just whose work is slanted, paid-for and dishonest.
Blockchain: Life on the Ledger
-
Originally posted on Wrench in the Gears:
I created this video as a follow up to the one I prepared last year on
Social Impact Bonds. It is time to examine...
New Local Businesses in Sacramento
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Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can
be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn
the loc...
Lesson Plan: Rhyme and Rhythm in Poetry
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I’ve started a recent unit on poetry with my class. I’m not a poet, and I’m
not a poetry fan (I don’t hate it, but I’m a prose gal), so this makes it
harde...
The Apotheosis of Betsy DeVos
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Betsy Devos has drawn few headlines in recent months, and that is a good
thing for the Secretary of Education. Her tenure began with Vice President
Mike P...
Education Is a Civic Question
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In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah
Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and
hard w...
Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
Should We Be Grateful?
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In an odd turn of events, and with little explanation, Michigan Governor
Rick Snyder has decided to return the state’s School Reform Office back to
the Dep...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
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An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
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The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
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Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific
survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41
AM. Tom...
REPORT: States With the Best and Worst Schools
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States With the Best (and Worst)Schools
By *Evan Comen, Michael B. Sauter, Samuel Stebbins and Thomas C. Frohlich*
January 20, 2017- http://247wallst.com
...
Test Refusal = People Power
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In recent months, social media has been ablaze with talk of regular folk
taking action to resist the Trump agenda. Protests are a daily occurrence,
and ev...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
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I’ve been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular
readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for
that. Sinc...
AB 934: A LEGISLATIVE FIX FOR VERGARA?
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By Michael Stratford | in the Politco Morning Education Report | via email
05/24/2016 10:00 AM EDT :: Two national education groups are backing a
Califor...
MY NEW BLOG
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
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Dear Readers,
Thank you for visiting *The Perimeter Primate*. This blog is being retired
for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still s...
I am Retiring
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
New Beginnings: Kickstarter and EdWeek Teacher
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Greetings to InterACT readers one and all! If you’ve been following posts
here recently you might recall that I’m moving my blogging activity to
other loca...
Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School
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*“With Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School closing, Newark families must
move on.”* The Star-Ledger (NJ), 6/25/2013
NEWARK — Bobby and Troy Shanks saw the...
Though Hell or High Water: The #FundSouth Movement is Strong | Schott Foundation for Public Education : Though Hell or High Water: The #FundSouth Movement is Strong Foundations have had an “on again, off again” love affair with the South. Funding there tends to be short-term and typically in response to a natural disaster, a national crisis or an election, but some significant infrastructure has
CURMUDGUCATION: College-Ready Sixth Graders : College-Ready Sixth Graders Mike Petrilli, Big Cheese at the Fordham Institute, a reliably reformy thinky tank, is concerned. While he allows that some students and families are uber-stressing about the whole college thing, the rest of us should be in a greater state of panic: We need the majority of parents and kids to be more stressed out. We need t
When teacher silencing becomes dangerous… | Eclectablog : When teacher silencing becomes dangerous… Since publishing my post on teacher silencing yesterday , my mailbox has been inundated with stories from teachers about being harassed, threatened, and intimidated by school district administrators for posting their opinions about standardized tests, opting out, and other issues of education polic
What does hair have to do with school discipline? - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom : What does hair have to do with school discipline? Have you ever felt criminalized or excluded from an academic or professional setting because of your hair? Before you answer these questions… let’s back up a bit. Lets start from the beginning… In May of 2014, SFUSD revised its hat policy allowing school
Nevada (Potentially) Dropping Students’ Test Scores from Its Teacher Evaluation System | VAMboozled! : Nevada (Potentially) Dropping Students’ Test Scores from Its Teacher Evaluation System This week in Nevada “Lawmakers Mull[ed] Dropping Student Test Scores from Teacher Evaluations,” as per a recent article in The Nevada Independent (see here ). This would be quite a move from 2011 when the stat
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Inner Thoughts of the Seattle School Board on Assessments : The Inner Thoughts of the Seattle School Board on Assessments At the last Curriculum and Instruction Committee meeting, head of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction, Kyle Kinoshita, reported out to the Board a compilation of what staff heard regarding "the Board feedback on the assessment policy dra
California audit clears L.A.'s largest charter school network of misspending - LA Times : California audit clears L.A.'s largest charter school network of misspending ...State auditors did find that Alliance didn’t fully comply with federal regulations before it shared parent and alumni contact information with third parties. One of those groups, the California Charter School Assn., used that inf
Malloy - Nation’s most unpopular Democratic governor won’t seek re-election - Wait What? : Malloy – Nation’s most unpopular Democratic governor won’t seek re-election A darling of the charter school industry and their allies in the corporate education reform movement, and having used his time in office to make record cuts to education, higher education and other vital services, all while coddling
James Baldwin Archives and National Library Action Day – Education Town Hall Forum : James Baldwin Archives and National Library Action Day A large portion of James Baldwin’s personal papers are now accessible to the public through the New York Public Library. Yesterday, the Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture announced acquisition of the author’s personal archive. Baldwin, w
Trump’s budget boosts funding for school choice. So why are charter school chiefs unhappy about it? - The Washington Post : Trump’s budget boosts funding for school choice. So why are charter school chiefs unhappy about it? An unexpected thing happened when President Trump recently proposed cutting the Education Department budget by some 14 percent while spending a mountain of new money on charte
THE SLOW EROSION OF AMERICAN EDUCATION HAS BECOME A MUDSLIDE | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing : THE SLOW EROSION OF AMERICAN EDUCATION HAS BECOME A MUDSLIDE This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed on a local White Plains Cable Access Show called “Westchester Roundup.” The interview went well but that is less important than what happened before the interview actually started. The Hos
Tennessee Serves As A Role Model For Charter School Failure (VIDEO) : Tennessee Serves As A Role Model For Charter School Failure (VIDEO) Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and President Donald Trump claim they want to provide parents “more choice” regarding the schools their children attend. Choice. Sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want more choice? After all, aren’t we theoretically an i
“I Need My Money”: The Contract Song for DC Teachers – Education Town Hall Forum : “I Need My Money”: The Contract Song for DC Teachers Date: April 13, 2017 Author: vspatz 0 Comments Students from Ballou Senior High School in DC and teacher/choir director Monica Brokenborough shared “The Contract Song” on today’s Education Town Hall. The song begins at the 49:50 mark — Audio Player 00:00 00:00 Us
People are strange: NYT columns reveal Tulsans' duality - NonDoc : People are strange: NYT columns reveal Tulsans’ duality N ick Kristof had two noteworthy commentaries about Tulsa published in The New York Times on April 1. Although neither was a joke, their juxtaposition of Oklahoma’s contradictory political culture is flat-out bizarre. First, the public reaction to In Trump Country, Shock at T
Why Aren't There More Black Teachers? Racial Discrimination Still Plays A Role | The Huffington Post : Why Aren’t There More Black Teachers? Racial Discrimination Still Plays A Role “I think this is just another example of how ideas about race and racism, to be frank, are deeply embedded in the schools.” Policy surrounding the nation’s shortage of black teachers tends to focus around recruitment
NaughtyBots Part 2: Twittertards, TwitterBotsandNaughts, and Analog Man | Truth in American Education : NaughtyBots Part 2: Twittertards, TwitterBotsandNaughts, and Analog Man This is the second part in a four part NaughtyBots series about the #commoncore Project: How Social Media is Changing the Politics of Education . Twittertards The #commoncore Project is about the use of Twitter in the ongoi
Struggling to make Sac City a destination school district | The Sacramento Bee : Struggling to make Sac City a destination school district I have been a teacher in the Sacramento City Unified School District for 10 years. I am also the parent of two young students in the district. This year I wanted to become part of our union’s bargaining team because the district was in such a strong financial
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all : Thursday Oracle Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Who is the Walton Family Foundation Funding? by dianeravitch / 25min It is very instructive to scan the long list of organizations that are funded by the Walton Family Foundation. Some will surprise you. Some will not. Here is what we know about this
Let Them Sleep? Later School Start Times Improve Graduation and Attendance : Let Them Sleep? Later School Start Times Improve Graduation and Attendance Rates In the current climate of polarized debate about best school practices and policies, it is refreshing to learn that there are some ideas that are supported by research and an emerging bipartisan consensus. An increasing body of evidence is s
4/13/2017 – During Resistance Recess, Join The Fight For Public Schools : During Resistance Recess, Join The Fight For Public Schools April 13, 2017 Subscribe THIS WEEK: Trump Ends Lead Paint Protections … Vouchers Hurt Special Ed … Importance Of Black Teachers … Charters Aren’t Needed … Lessons From Erie Schools TOP STORY During Resistance Recess, Join The Fight For Public Schools By Jeff Bryant
Talking to, not past, one another about race, schooling, and reform - AEI : Talking to, not past, one another about race, schooling, and reform In recent years, it’s become hard to talk about schools, schooling, and school reform without talking about race. Some deem this a healthy and long-overdue development, believing that social justice demands that education be understood through the prism o
Education Law Prof Blog : Fourth Circuit Vacates the Order Protecting Gavin Grimm, But Casts Him As a Modern Human Rights Leader The Fourth Circuit has vacated the injunction that was securing Gavin Grimm's access to facilities consistent with his gender in Gloucester County Schools. Less than a year ago, it seemed Grimm's case was set to open doors for others across the country. He had the feder
CURMUDGUCATION: New Merit Pay Study Hits The Wrong Target : New Merit Pay Study Hits The Wrong Target We're all going to be hearing uggests that teacher merit pay works . Sort of. Depending on what you mean by "works." Matthew G. Springer , an assistant professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University, has produced a meta-analysis (that's research of the research) entitled " Teac
The Tone-Deaf Politics of Denying Racism, Excusing Segregation | radical eyes for equity : The Tone-Deaf Politics of Denying Racism, Excusing Segregation Let’s connect the dots, which is challenging because, if those with power had their way, it would be white dots on a field of white. Rick Hess, whose tagline is “Education policy maven Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute [AEI] think t
Some legislators want to shovel even more money to some of Connecticut’s Charter Schools - Wait What? : Some legislators want to shovel even more money to some of Connecticut’s Charter Schools A recent article by Wendy Lecker entitled, Beware the new Connecticut legislative plan to channel even more public funds to charters , noted that a group of Democratic state legislators have released a plan
Tuition Tax Credits—One Type of School Vouchers—Press Coverage and NPE’s Excellent Toolkit | janresseger : Tuition Tax Credits—One Type of School Vouchers—Press Coverage and NPE’s Excellent Toolkit Washington Post reporter Emma Brown describes Florida’s tuition tax credit program , what Brown and many others believe is the model Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration will try to use for a natio
La. Supt. John White Fabricates Three Years of Teaching into Five: View His Ed Leader Cert Application | deutsch29 : La. Supt. John White Fabricates Three Years of Teaching into Five: View His Ed Leader Cert Application On April 11, 2017, I wrote a post about Louisiana state superintendent John White’s certifying himself as an educational leader. Louisiana has three levels of ed leader certificat
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/12/17 Featured Post New Study: Why Teachers Created a New Genre: The “I Quit” Letters | Diane Ravitch's blog DeVos announces Education Department hires - The Washington Post by mike simpson / 11min DeVos announces Education Department hires - The