Big Education Ape: Oct 19, 2019

Saturday, October 19, 2019

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 10/19/19 #REDFORED

Big Education Ape

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 10/19/19

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POSTS THIS WEEK 10/19/19

TODAY

Just Asking for some Teachers I know. | BustED Pencils

by Mike Simpson / 24min

Just Asking for some Teachers I know. Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stated, We must … recognize that part of supporting our kids in the classroom means supporting the educators who teach our kids. Wisconsin pays our public school teachers less than the national average, which makes it harder to recruit and retain talented educators. According to recently-released data, Wisconsin has fal

Education Department Proposes Key Changes To Civil Rights Data Collection : NPR

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Key Changes Would Alter The Government's Massive Survey On Schools And Civil Rights The Department of Education has proposed several key changes to its massive survey that collects data from the nation's public schools on a wide range of civil rights issues. Among the changes, the 2019-2020 version of the Civil Rights Data Collection would remove questions that focus on preschool and school fina

Demanding 'Education Justice and Equality,' Striking Chicago Teachers Call on Mayor to Put Campaign Promises In Writing | Common Dreams News

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Demanding 'Education Justice and Equality,' Striking Chicago Teachers Call on Mayor to Put Campaign Promises In Writing "We mean business. It's got to be about shifting and transforming the infrastructure of inequity." On Friday, the second day of the Chicago Teachers Union strike, union leaders said that contract negotiations have seen some progress but that teachers and Chicago Public Schools

Always Running Out of Time? Apply Scarcity and Budgeting to Your Classroom - Teacher Habits

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Always Running Out of Time? Apply Scarcity and Budgeting to Your Classroom By Brian Rock We’ve all been there. There was a cool project you wanted to do with your students, but you didn’t. Or there was a timely event going on, but you didn’t discuss it. Because there’s so much to get through in one year, and there’s just not enough time. Well I’ll let you in on a little secret. You’ll never make

Sarah Michelle Gellar Says Parents Should Thank Their Kids’ Teachers More | HuffPost Life

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Sarah Michelle Gellar Says Parents Should Thank Their Kids’ Teachers More The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star opened up about her policy on Halloween candy. As the daughter of a teacher, Sarah Michelle Gellar knows the important role educators play in children’s lives. The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star talked to HuffPost about parents’ relationships with teachers while promoting Lysol’s “Here

Going on strike is not for the faint of heart. The Trib’s Kristen McQueary is Chicago’s cross to bear. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 2h

GOING ON STRIKE IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. THE TRIB’S KRISTEN MCQUEARY IS CHICAGO’S CROSS TO BEAR What the Trib’s Kristen McQueary calls “strike-hungry teachers” at Logan Square’s Darwin elementary school. Have you ever seen such an evil looking bunch? The Trib’s Kristen McQueary handles the paper’s union-bashing beat. She’s not the only Trib reporter writing anti-union crap, but she may be

Max Brantley: The Waltons Vicious Assault on Arkansas’ Public Schools and Its Teachers’ Union | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Max Brantley: The Waltons Vicious Assault on Arkansas’ Public Schools and Its Teachers’ Union Max Brantley, the editor of the Arkansas Times, is a journalist who fearlessly stands up to the all-powerful Walton Family in the state they think they own. Brantley is a hero of the Resistance in my forthcoming book SLAYING GOLIATH. In this post, Brantley describes the Waltons’ efforts to destroy the L

$1.3M Wasn’t Enough: Still More Walton Money Appears in La.’s October 2019 Elections | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 3h

$1.3M Wasn’t Enough: Still More Walton Money Appears in La.’s October 2019 Elections Arkansas billionaire siblings Alice and Jim Walton pumped $1.3M into Louisiana’s October 12, 2019, primary elections, which included elections for 7 out of 11 state ed board (BESE) seats. But there’s more. An October 09, 2019, filing by the Louisiana Charter Schools in Action (LCSA) PAC indicates that Jim and Al

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Cell Phones in Seattle Schools: Away for the Day or Away We Go?

by Mike Simpson / 3h

Cell Phones in Seattle Schools: Away for the Day or Away We Go? KUOW had this story a couple of weeks back: Now that most middle-school students have cell phones, some teachers are embracing the technology for schoolwork and to communicate with kids. Others say phones detract from learning. Sure, they occasionally check out YouTube or Instagram during their lunch period, the friends say, but the

Stop the Misuse of Tests | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 3h

Stop the Misuse of Tests Chalkbeat , whose sponsors include such pro-privatization groups as the Gates Family Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation, ran this piece about Indiana’s ILEARN test was. Schools were quick to downplay ILEARN results, but experts stand by the test. Here’s why. While school leaders and lawmakers were quick to reason away concerns over shockingly low ILEARN scores,

Record number of colleges drop SAT/ACT admissions requirements amid growing disenchantment with standardized tests - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3h

A record number of colleges drop SAT/ACT admissions requirement amid growing disenchantment with standardized tests For students who fear they can’t get into college with mediocre SAT or ACT scores, the tide is turning at a record number of schools that have decided to accept all or most of their freshmen without requiring test results. Meanwhile, two Ivy League schools have decided that many of

'I Didn't Know It Had a Name': Secondary Traumatic Stress and Educators

by Mike Simpson / 3h

‘I Didn’t Know It Had a Name’: Secondary Traumatic Stress and Educators It wasn’t long ago that many educators complaining of burnout were greeted with a collective shrug from school leaders. Teacher exhaustion or stress were dismissed as signs of weakness and an inability to cope. Schools and districts were not going to offer much in the way of support, so the burden was always on educators to

School effectiveness linked to diversity in Stanford study

by Mike Simpson / 3h

School effectiveness linked to diversity in Stanford study S tanford University’s Educational Opportunity Project database gives a best estimate of the effectiveness of every elementary and middle school in the nation. Its recently released evaluation of test score growth from 2009 to 2016 further explains what it really takes to provide equal educational opportunity. Researchers Sean Reardon, E

Charter Schools Cherry Pick Students & Call it Choice – PART 1: The “I Didn’t Do It!” Excuse | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Charter Schools Cherry Pick Students & Call it Choice – PART 1: The “I Didn’t Do It!” Excuse It takes a certain kind of hypocrite to be a charter school champion. You have to deny any wrongdoing one minute. And then admit you’re guilty but explain it away with the excuse “Everyone’s doing it!” the next. Take cherry picking – one of the most common admonishments leveled against the school privati

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 4h

This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 TODAY The Best Videos Showing We Have More Than Five Senses by Larry Ferlazzo / 19min geralt / Pixabay When we learn about perception in IB Theory of Knowledge class, we talk about how there really are more than five senses. Here are some videos I’ve shown to students about the topic: Ton

THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report Why college students and faculty remain resistant to more active learning despite its advantages by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d Despite active learning being recognized as a superior method of instruction in the classroom, a major recent survey found that most college STEM instructors still choose traditional teaching methods. This articl

KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools CLICK HERE TO Pre-order NOW Jeff Bryant: How Billionaires Corrupted the School Leadership Pipeline by dianeravitch / 45min Jeff Bryant writ

YESTERDAY

CURMUDGUCATION: What Ever Happened To Rebecca Friedrichs?

by Mike Simpson / 22h

What Ever Happened To Rebecca Friedrichs? You remember Rebecca Friedrichs. She was the face of the union-busting lawsuit of 2014 . Supreme Court Justice Alito signaled that he was ready and willing to hear a case that would revisit the issue of union free-riders, and the Center for Individual Rights (an activist-by-way-of-lawsuits group funded by, among others, various Koch groups and the DeVos

How Billionaire Charter School Funders Corrupted the School Leadership Pipeline | Common Dreams Views

by Mike Simpson / 23h

How Billionaire Charter School Funders Corrupted the School Leadership Pipeline Charter school funders like Eli Broad turned school leadership into a cartel system focused on advancing careers and enriching businesses. It’s rare when goings-on in Kansas City schools make national headlines, but in 2011 the New York Times reported on the sudden departure of the district’s superintendent John Covi

Young People Lead: A Youth Mandate for Presidential Candidates | Schott Foundation for Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Young People Lead: A Youth Mandate for Presidential Candidates Endorsed by more than a hundred youth organizations and their allies, including the Schott Foundation, " A Youth Mandate for Presidential Candidates: Permanently Dismantle The School-to-Prison-and-Deportation Pipeline " was released today: the boldest intervention in the education justice space so far in the 2020 political discussion

In the News | radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 1d

In the News These SC colleges don’t require SAT, ACT scores for admission. Here’s why , Ariel Gilreath ( The Greenville News ) Gatekeepers of college education Paul Thomas, a professor of education at Furman University and educator for 36 years, said that although creators of standardized tests have been working against bias for decades, they are still biased. “There’s quite a lot of body of res

Mercedes Schneider and I Review Mike Petrilli’s Claims About “Dramatic Progress” | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Mercedes Schneider and I Review Mike Petrilli’s Claims About “Dramatic Progress” Mike Petrilli, the CEO of the rightwing Thomas B. Fordham Institute, published a report about the “dramatic achievement gains” of the 1990s and 2000s. Surprisingly, he attributes most of these gains to improving economic conditions for poor families of color, not to standards, testing, and accountability, a cause th

Louisiana Educator: Lane Grigsby, Kingmaker and Education Manipulator

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Lane Grigsby, Kingmaker and Education Manipulator This is an excellent article by Sue Lincoln, veteran reporter, for The Bayou Brief about how Lane Grigsby and a few super rich businessmen decided to take over our public education system as part of an overall plan to become the kingmakers of Louisiana politics. Grigsby and his allies are very close to achieving their goal of controlling virtuall

Chicago Teachers Strike for Better Conditions for Students and to Protest Decades of Anti-CTU Policies | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Chicago Teachers Strike for Better Conditions for Students and to Protest Decades of Anti-CTU Policies After 94 percent of its members voted in late September to authorize a strike, and now, after two more weeks of intense contract negotiations, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) went on strike yesterday. WBEZ’s Sarah Karp reports that differences remain over manageable class size and teacher assi

Chicago Teachers Union: The Status of the Strike | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Chicago Teachers Union: The Status of the Strike Day 2 of CTU strike will bring educators, allies to City Hall at 1:30 pm Some movement at bargaining table Thursday, but no agreement on special ed needs, classroom overcrowding, salary floor for low-wage teaching assistants, staffing shortages. CHICAGO —Educators and frontline staff will hit the picket lines for a second day today, as rank and fi

The Puzzle of Similar Teaching in Universities and Schools: The Case of Technology Use | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 1d

The Puzzle of Similar Teaching in Universities and Schools: The Case of Technology Use Why does so much teaching in K-12 schools and universities look the same over time? To be accurate, however, what appears as timeless stability and similarity in teaching has obscured incremental changes. Now professors ask more questions for students in lectures,organize more small group work, and more use of

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Unpacking Last Night's Lollapalooza of a Board Meeting

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Unpacking Last Night's Lollapalooza of a Board Meeting Speakers: (literally) screaming woman going way over time? Check. City Council gadfly jerk calling President Harris, rude? Check. Cute, polite kids thanking the Board and especially Superintendent Juneau for saving Licton Springs K-8? Check Out of nowhere parents of color having their statements translated about claiming no info at their sch

You Can Tell That *Charter Schools Are Public Schools* by Their Marketing (um…) | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 1d

You Can Tell That *Charter Schools Are Public Schools* by Their Marketing (um…) Charter schools are public schools. No, really. So, when charter schools sound more like businesses recruiting and retaining customers, just remember that all public schools do such things. (Ahem….) Consider this job listing for a Dean of Operations (2020-21; Jackson, MS) for the RePublic charter chain . RePublic int

Choosing Democracy: Chicago Teachers Request Support in Strike

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Chicago Teachers Request Support in Strike Chicago teachers and school staff are on strike for the resources their students need. Now it’s critical that we support them, just the way we supported the walkouts in West Virginia and Oklahoma and the strike in Los Angeles. We want to make sure the entire country sees that we stand in solidarity with the Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 73. Can

A Youth Mandate for Presidential Candidates: Permanently Dismantle the School-to-Prison-and-Deportation-Pipeline | Parents Across America

by Mike Simpson / 1d

A Youth Mandate for Presidential Candidates: Permanently Dismantle the School-to-Prison-and-Deportation-Pipeline Through this endorsement, Parents Across America joins over 130 organizations nationwide who are demanding an end to practices and policies that infringe on the civil rights of students of color, disabled students, and LGBTQ+ youth and funnel them into the criminal legal system. We’re

Spread the Word: UK Education Policy Studies and Evaluation is hiring faculty! | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 1d

SPREAD THE WORD: UK EDUCATION POLICY STUDIES AND EVALUATION IS HIRING FACULTY! Join us! The University of Kentucky College of Education is hiring two Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation faculty this year. We are hiring Assistant or Associate Professor in Educational Policy Studies and Assistant Professor in Research Methods in Education Assistant or Associate Professor in Educational Polic

While I Wasn’t Paying Attention…… | The Merrow Report

by Mike Simpson / 1d

While I Wasn’t Paying Attention…… To be honest, the slow-motion train wreck known as the Trump presidency has absorbed most of my energy lately, and so I haven’t been paying close attention to public education. However, during all this mess, 50.7 million K-12 students, 3.6 million of their teachers, 16 million college students, and their 1.6 million teachers have been going about their business.

Please send a message to the FTC today: do not weaken student privacy! | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy

by Mike Simpson / 1d

PLEASE SEND A MESSAGE TO THE FTC TODAY: DO NOT WEAKEN STUDENT PRIVACY! Update: On Oct. 17, the FTC Extended the Deadline for Comments on COPPA until December 9. The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments before “updating” their regulations on COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the law that was originally passed in 1998. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy is c

OCT 17

Sacramento’s school district needs to own up to its mistakes | The Sacramento Bee

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Sacramento City Unified School District superintendent deserves blame for budget mess The Sacramento City Unified School District approved 102 layoffs of certificated employees during a Board of Education meeting on May 9, 2019, as it continues to struggle financially and contends with a possible state takeover. BY VINCENT MOLESKI BY NIKKI MILEVSKY SPECIAL TO THE SACRAMENTO BEE Four weeks into t

The Delicate Ethics of Using Facial Recognition in Schools | WIRED

by Mike Simpson / 2d

The Delicate Ethics of Using Facial Recognition in Schools A growing number of districts are deploying cameras and software to prevent attacks. But the systems are also used to monitor students, and adult critics. On a steamy evening in May, 9,000 people filled Stingaree Stadium at Texas City High School for graduation night. A rainstorm delayed ceremonies by a half-hour, but the school district

Please help us purchase a “wondrous” book for children | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 2d

PLEASE HELP US PURCHASE A “WONDROUS” BOOK FOR CHILDREN A project to enrich learning at two local schools has launched on Big Blue Crowdfunding . It will help the University of Kentucky College of Education’s efforts to support students at Fayette County’s two Promise Academies, Harrison Elementary and William Wells Brown Elementary. The Fayette county district is taking extra steps to ensure eve

CURMUDGUCATION: Are State Takeovers A Useful Tool

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Are State Takeovers A Useful Tool Earlier this month, the 74 published an unusual article from Ashley Jochim and Paul Hill, both of the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Their argument is that state takeovers of school districts "remain a powerful tool." What's exceptional about the piece is that it is loaded with evidence to the contrary. I mean, ordinarily I would have had to go hunt thi

Demanding ‘pay and benefits that give us dignity,’ 25,000 Chicago public school teachers go on strike – Raw Story

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Demanding ‘pay and benefits that give us dignity,’ 25,000 Chicago public school teachers go on strike Our children deserve the best that this city has to offer. They do not deserve broken promises.” Accusing Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot of rejecting contract proposals that would create better public school conditions for educators and students, the 25,000-member Chicago Teachers Union went on

Seattle Schools Community Forum: New Messaging to Teens: Tell Your Friends NOT to Take Unknown Drugs

by Mike Simpson / 2d

New Messaging to Teens: Tell Your Friends NOT to Take Unknown Drugs Maybe you have already talked to your teen; if not, please do so. From The Issaquah Reporter: “This is a student-to-student problem,” she said. “We can give out as many messages as we want but at the end of the day, what will really help is a face-to-face, heart-to-heart [communication.]” It's sometimes hard to say out loud for

Why NEA Members Are Talking about Racism - NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 2d

THE CANCER OF INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM It still exists—just more invisibly than ever before Why do we care about racism in education? Because we care about children. Because we care about justice, and equity, and opportunity. And because, says NEA President Lily Eskelsen García, our calling as public educators and union members is to “build a system where there is a place of honor for all in thi

Storefront School: Excavating A Radical Education Experiment in Harlem – Have You Heard

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Storefront School: Excavating A Radical Education Experiment in Harlem In the latest episode of Have You Heard we climb into the time machine and head to central Harlem in the late 1960’s, home to a radical—and little known—education experiment. For seven years, Harlem Prep, an independent school that was entirely funded by private donations, operated out of a storefront, sending students who’d

Mike Klonsky's Blog: On the way to the picket line...

by Mike Simpson / 2d

On the way to the picket line... William Estrada, CTU member, Visual Arts teacher, Telpochcalli Elementary School. (Alan Maass) It's a cold and blustery morning in Chicago. We're heading over to walk the picket line with my teacher/daughter and her colleagues at Telpochcalli Elementary in Little Village. Telpochcalli is one of the few remaining original small schools started by activist teachers

Common Core Salesman Michael Petrilli: *Economics Affect NAEP, but Stay the Ed-Reform Course* | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Common Core Salesman Michael Petrilli: *Economics Affect NAEP, but Stay the Ed-Reform Course* On October 15, 2019, I read a report produced by Thomas B. Fordham Institute (TBF) president, Michael Petrilli, entitled, “Fewer Children Left Behind: Lessons from the Dramatic Achievement Gains of the 1990s and 2000s.” This 2019 report builds on a 2017 report by Petrilli in a TBF commentary piece prior

Maybe Betsy DeVos was a Good Thing | tultican

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Maybe Betsy DeVos was a Good Thing By Thomas Ultican 10/17/2019 It is clear that President Trump selected a billionaire enemy of public education to be in charge of schools. However, Betsy DeVos is so easy to dislike and has shined such a big light on the destroy-public-education (DPE) movement that Democrats are fleeing the school choice agenda. If Hillary Clinton had become President, her poli

CURMUDGUCATION: Scorched Earth Education Policy (Charters, Watch Your Flank)

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Scorched Earth Education Policy (Charters, Watch Your Flank) This is you should ignore the old admonition to not read the comments. I converse with plenty of folks that I disagree with, both in the ed policy world and outside of it, and those conversations are largely civil, which sometimes distracts me from the fact that there are people out there who hate, hate, hate public education ("governm

Random Numbers | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Random Numbers October 16, 2019 POLITICAL Day 1000 of the current U.S. presidential administration. Time to register to vote ! 22% – The percentage of days the President spent at one of his golf properties for some portion of the day (even if he did not play golf) as of October 15th. Don’t forget to register to vote ! GENERAL WORLDWIDE 7,737,441,620 – The current world population . 806,685,254 –

OCT 16

Trump administration blocked consumer watchdog from public service loan forgiveness program: report | TheHill

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Trump administration blocked consumer watchdog from public service loan forgiveness program: report President Trump 's Department of Education reportedly blocked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) efforts to investigate high rejection rates among applicants for a student loan forgiveness program meant to aid firefighters, police officers and other public servants. NPR reported Tue

The Other Cost Of School Choice

by Mike Simpson / 3d

The Other Cost Of School Choice When we discuss the cost of school choice–charters, vouchers, and even homeschooling–we usually focus on the economic impact, the loss of local control, or the policy impact on educational institutions. But on the classroom level, there is another real impact. Robert Pondiscio touches on it in his new book about Success Academy charters schools, How The Other Half

DeVos to Judge: “Don’t Lock Me Up” | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 3d

DeVos to Judge: “Don’t Lock Me Up” Politico reports that the Trump administration is apologizing profusely for hounding students whose loans for attending the predatory (now closed) Corinthian Colleges should have been forgiven. The judge in the case had threatened to punish Betsy DeVos for violating her court order. This is a case of “accountability for thee, but not for me.” MAKING THE CASE AG

Suicide Attempts Among Black Teens on the Rise, According to New Report

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Report: Suicide Attempts Among Black Teens Increased by 73 Percent According to a new report, attempted suicide is on the rise among a very specific demographic: black teenagers. From CNN : From 1991 to 2017, the rate of reported suicide attempts by African-American teens rose, especially the rate among black boys, according to a study published Monday in the medical journal Pediatrics . The rat

Problematic “Scientific Based” Phonics: The Flawed National Reading Panel

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Problematic “Scientific Based” Phonics: The Flawed National Reading Panel It’s odd and detrimental that the National Reading Panel is highlighted in reports as science, used to promote phonics and criticize how teachers teach reading. It has become so intense that teachers are being advised to drop certain reading methods to focus solely on “systematic, explicit phonics!” The NRP was discredited

Hidden Messages Your School Sends to Students | Teacher in a strange land

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Hidden Messages Your School Sends to Students Once, at a staff meeting, my principal shared a short video he’d seen at an administrators’ conference. It was an effort, I think, to talk about important things at mandated staff meetings, rather than simple announcements. Although there was a lot of eye-rolling when he cued it up, I thought it was worthwhile, with some apt observations about school

Save The Date: Black Lives Matter at School Week, Feb. 3-7, 2020 – I AM AN EDUCATOR

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Save The Date: Black Lives Matter at School Week, Feb. 3-7, 2020 Mark your calendar! The Black Lives Matter at School national week of action will be held from February 3-7th, 2020–and educators from coast to coast are organizing to make this the biggest coordinated uprising for racial justice in the schools yet. Black Lives Matter At School is a national coalition educators, parents and student

Chicago teachers poised to walk. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 3d

CHICAGO TEACHERS POISED TO WALK If as expected, the Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates votes to go ahead with the Thursday strike deadline, I will be heading over to my neighborhood school, Darwin, to walk the line. I consider it part of my responsibility as a retired union teacher. Over the past eight years since I retired from teaching I have walked on quite a few picket lines with st

The Delano Grape Strike: A Complete Visual History | Teen Vogue

by Mike Simpson / 3d

The Complete History of the Famed Delano Grape Strike This visual history details how Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez helped found the United Farm Workers and led one of the most successful union boycotts in American history . SEE THE REST OF THE STORY: The Delano Grape Strike: A Complete Visual History | Teen Vogue

Court Injunctions Protect Immigrant Families from Imposition — Yesterday — of Trump’s Public Charge Rule | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Court Injunctions Protect Immigrant Families from Imposition — Yesterday — of Trump’s Public Charge Rule Last Friday, NPR reported the good news: “Federal judges in three states—New York, California and Washington—have issued temporary injunctions against the Trump administration’s ‘public charge’ rule, preventing it from taking effect on Oct. 15.” For NBC News , Daniella Silva explains exactly

The Koch network says it wants to remake public education. That means destroying it, says author of new book on billionaire brothers. - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d

The Koch network says it wants to remake public education. That means destroying it, says the author of a new book on the billionaire brothers Early this year, the Koch network committed to starting an effort to transform public education. What would that look like? The author of a new book on the billionaire Charles Koch and his late brother, David, says it would amount to the destruction of pu

Little Rock Educators Fighting for Equity, Local Control - NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Little Rock Educators Fighting for Equity, Local Control Thousands of Arkansas educators, students and community members held candles and sang in front of historic Little Rock Central High School last week, protesting a plan by the governor-appointed State Board of Education that would re-segregate the city’s students. “ Every single one of us, students, parents and teachers, should feel valued,

CURMUDGUCATION: Betsy DeVos, Polly Williams, Vouchers, And Selective Facts

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Betsy DeVos, Polly Williams, Vouchers, And Selective Facts Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos kicked off her back to school tour at the Saint Marcus Lutheran School in Milwaukee a few weeks ago. This piece ran back then at Forbes, and I don't repost everything from there, but we've developed such goldfish memories under this administration, I'm going to trot this one out again here. Because we n

OCT 15

Code Acts in Education: Psychodata | National Education Policy Center

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Code Acts in Education: Psychodata ‘Social and emotional learning’ (SEL) has become one of the most active topics in education policy and practice over the last few years. At an international scale, the OECD is about to run its new Study on Social and Emotional Skills for the first time this month, in its bid to produce policy-relevant comparative data on different nations’ ‘non-cognitive’ capac

Mapping America’s Teacher Evaluation Plans Under ESSA | VAMboozled!

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Mapping America’s Teacher Evaluation Plans Under ESSA One of my doctoral students — Kevin Close , one of my former doctoral students — Clarin Collins , and I just had a study published in the practitioner journal Phi Delta Kappan that I wanted to share out with all of you, especially before the study is no longer open-access or free (see the full article as currently available here ). As the tit

For better student outcomes, hire more black teachers - The Hechinger Report

by Mike Simpson / 4d

For better student outcomes, hire more black teachers Supporting teachers and communities will boost children’s academic achievement There are 60,000 fewer public education jobs than there were before the recession began in 2007, according to an analysis of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report by the think tank Economic Policy Institute. States and districts haven’t moved on from th

California Foolishly Trusts Charters to Hire Their Own Auditors | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d

California Foolishly Trusts Charters to Hire Their Own Auditors Will Huntsberry of the San Diego Union-Tribune has covered the scandals blighting California’s Charter Industry, especially the A3 online scandal, the largest in American history. In this article , he goes straight to the heart of the scandals: the flawed audit process. California lawmakers created a system that places just one proc

What parents can do to stop bullying - Vox

by Mike Simpson / 4d

So your kid is a bully. Here’s how to stop it. First step: Try not to freak out. t’s easy to think of bullying as something that other people’s children do, but not something yours might ever do. And, look, I don’t know you or your kid, but I can say with confidence that some children bully, and your kid certainly could be one. Even if they aren’t, we’ll be better off if all adults know how to i

Let’s never see another first-grader in handcuffs- Hechinger Report

by Mike Simpson / 4d

We must end the school to prison pipeline that starts in early childhood OPINION: Let’s never see another first-grader in handcuffs It is far past time to end the school-to-prison pipeline that starts in early childhood The Hechinger Report is a national nonprofit newsroom that reports on one topic: education. Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get stories like this delivered directly to your

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 The Best Social Emotional Learning Resources Of 2019 – Part Two by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h Time for another end-of-year “Best” list! I’ll be adding this list to I’m adding this post to All My 2019 “Best” Lists In One Place! I publish a regular series called SEL Weekly Update , and I thought it would usefu

Pension thieves and union busters. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 4d

PENSION THIEVES AND UNION BUSTERS Mark Glennon was one of Governor Rauner’s point men on pension thievery. Glennon publishes an online site called Wirepoints. What is helpful about Glennon is that he and his web site embody the right wing’s key anti-worker agenda items in a single one-stop shop: Pension thievery and union busting. It also demonstrates how out of touch they are with the public. P

Teaching with Technology in Public Schools | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Teaching with Technology in Public Schools Since the early 1980s with the appearance of desktop computers in schools, questions about their presence in classrooms have been debated. Access to, use of, and results from new technologies have been central issues for a motley coalition of high-tech vendors, technophile educators, and policymakers eager to satisfy parents and voters who want schools

NYC Educator: The Lost Boys (and Girls)

by Mike Simpson / 4d

The Lost Boys (and Girls) For some reason, not many of my colleagues ask to teach beginners, ever. It used to be different. People used to think, it seemed, it was easy to teach beginning English Language Learners. Maybe people thought, because the level was low, that the material was easy. That's true, for me at least. Basic English is not a large challenge for me. I've been using it since I wa

How Do You Rank The Value Of A School?

by Mike Simpson / 4d

How Do You Rank The Value Of A School? Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” – The Wizard of Oz Despite the fact that the California Charter School Association’s (CCSA) confidential plan to steal facilities from public school students was uncovered months ago, their lackeys continue to insist that Nick Melvoin’s School Performance Framework (SPF) is the only way for parents to unders

Shanker Blog: The False Choice of Growth Versus Proficiency | National Education Policy Center

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Shanker Blog: The False Choice of Growth Versus Proficiency Tennessee is considering changing its school accountability system such that schools have the choice of having their test-based performance judged by either status (how highly students score) or growth (how much progress students make over the course of the year). In other words, if schools do poorly on one measure, they are judged by t

NYC Public School Parents: Early voting sites in 33 NYC public schools. But why?

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Early voting sites in 33 NYC public schools. But why? Early voting will begin statewide on Saturday, October 26th and continue for 11 days. Meanwhile, 33 NYC public schools have been chosen as early voting sites out of 61 across the city, though their principals were only informed of this fact on October 5, according to the reporting of Brigid Bergin of Gothamist/WNYC . Here and above is the lis

OCT 14

CURMUDGUCATION: Fake Slaughter And The Liberal Arts

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Fake Slaughter And The Liberal Arts The interwebs are abuzz with a video shown in some side room by some assortment of Trumpists at the American Priority gathering held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. There are questions about who brought it, who showed it, and how it had already been kicking around the internet, but there's no question that the whole thing is pretty brutal. In the clip, a bunch o

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Brave New World for Kids

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Brave New World for Kids I have often said, "I sure would not want to be raising a child right now." It is a very different world than even 10 years ago and so much to watch out for without being a helicopter parent. Kids absolutely need to know how to monitor their world and take hard (for their age) hits and get back up. Meaning, you are there to always have that blanket of love and acceptance

21 REASONS WHY BLACK MEN SHOULD CONSIDER TEACHING - Philly's 7th Ward

by Mike Simpson / 5d

21 REASONS WHY BLACK MEN SHOULD CONSIDER TEACHING Over the years, I have written ten books and about fifty articles and blog posts for educators. This is by far the shortest, but probably the most important piece that I have ever written. Black men comprise between 1.2 to 1.3% of the total teaching force across North America! I will consider this to be a national emergency for Black children in

How the US stole thousands of Native American children - Vox

by Mike Simpson / 5d

How the US stole thousands of Native American children The long and brutal history of the US trying to “kill the Indian and save the man.” For decades, the US took thousands of Native American children and enrolled them in off-reservation boarding schools. Students were systematically stripped of their languages, customs, and culture. And even though there were accounts of neglect, abuse, and de

Hall Pass | radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Hall Pass I noticed I had been tagged by a former high school student on Facebook a few days ago. “While looking for pictures of my Daddy in some old memory and picture boxes that I forgot existed,” she began, “I came across this WHS [Woodruff High School] artifact that became the deciding factor on whether or not I was punished with demerits for a week out of every month.”* She posted these pic

Let the Children Play | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Let the Children Play Pasi Sahlberg came to the U.S. as a visiting professor at Harvard to help American educators learn how the Finnish school system became the world’s best. William Doyle won a Fulbright scholarship to move to Finland to study the Finnish system. Let the Children Play: How more play will save our schools and help children thrive is the result of the collaboration they formed.

Indigenous peoples day and how the Italians became white. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 5d

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY AND HOW THE ITALIANS BECAME WHITE The good news is that Columbus Day will not be celebrated this year in at least six states and 130 cities and towns in the U.S. It is now being replaced with the recognition of the history of indigenous people and, to a lesser degree, the horrors and brutality of the European invasion of the Americas. There will be an old fashion Columbus

State Punches Youngstown with New HB 70 Assault on Local Control of Public Schools | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 5d

State Punches Youngstown with New HB 70 Assault on Local Control of Public Schools Officials from the Ohio Department of Education have begun replacing the locally elected school board in Youngstown with a mayoral appointed school board. This week we learned about one more extension of autocratic state power backloaded in 2015 into the HB 70’s school district takeover of Youngstown. Because at t

Louisiana Educator: LABI and out-of-state donors still dominate BESE

by Mike Simpson / 5d

LABI and out-of-state donors still dominate BESE It is so painful to me personally to review or recount the results of the BESE election this past weekend that I am grateful to Mercedes Schneider for having done an excellent job of telling the continuing sad story of the LABI victory over education. I urge all of my readers to take the time to read Schnieder's post. I want to express my sincere

OCT 13

enrique baloyra: Fla. teachers to Governor DeSantis: We have questions - YouTube

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Fla. teachers to Governor DeSantis: We have questions - YouTube Fla. teachers to Governor DeSantis: We have questions enrique baloyra Everybody was buzzing this week after the governor announced his plan to raise beginner teacher salaries. Everybody, that is, except for existing teachers. You’d think we’d would be cheering. After all, the state hasn’t offered to fund our raises in seven years, si

ICYMI: Quiet Sunday Edition

by Mike Simpson / 5d

CURMUDGUCATION It's a quiet day in these parts, but there is still some reading to do from the previous week. Here are some pieces you might want to catch up on. Don't forget to share-- The Walton Takeover of Public Education Continues The Arkansas blog looks at what our favorite retail oligarchs are up to in their home state. Five Signs Your Reform Has Become Another Education Fad Rick Hess at

Catch Up With Curmudgucation And Don'T Forget Peter Greene On Forbes

by Mike Simpson / 6d

CURMUDGUCATION CLICK HERE KY: Pushing Old Charter Myths In A New Market 21 by Peter Greene / 20h Kentucky has spent a bunch of time in charter limbo --there is a charter law on the books, but the legislature wouldn't fund it and l ocal districts are (shocker) unwilling to share their aready-meager funding. So Kentucky remains a fresh market, and charter advocates are still trying to gin up some

With A Brooklyn Accent: Letter to the President of Georgia Southern on the Book Burning at His School

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Letter to the President of Georgia Southern on the Book Burning at His School President@georgiasouthern.edu Kyle Marrero President, Georgia Southern University Dear President Marrero As a historian of race in the United States, who has written 7 books on the subject, and a professor for 49 years at one of the nation's major universities, I am writing to express my extreme dismay at the burning o

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 My Latest Favorite Tech Tool For ELL Students To Practice Speaking by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay I’ve used a lot of tech tools over the years to record English Language Learners speaking, whether to record stop action videos of word definitions (see The Best Resources For L

Education Insider October 13, 2019 - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Education Insider October 13, 2019 DeVos ally would be a disaster as appellate judge Steven Menashi, an architect of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ disastrous policies, could do even more harm if the Senate confirms his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit . Menashi failed to protect students from predatory online institutions, failed to ensure student loans are forgi

Shawgi Tell: DeVos Plan for More Pay-The-Rich Charter Schools | Dissident Voice

by Mike Simpson / 6d

DeVos Plan for More Pay-The-Rich Charter Schools | Dissident Voice DeVos Plan for More Pay-The-Rich Charter Schools On October 10, 2019, U.S. Secretary of Education, billionaire Betsy DeVos, unveiled an antisocial plan to further incentivize the rich to establish more charter schools to line their pockets at the expense of young people. DeVos has actively promoted school privatization schemes for

Supreme Court Fight Over Private Schools - The Atlantic

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Your Neighbor’s Christian Education, Courtesy of Your Tax Dollars The Court will hear one of the most notable “Church and state” cases in years. One of the persistent disappointments of media coverage in the Trump era is how the eye-popping daily headlines about the president obscure slower-moving, equally important developments at all levels of government. This term, the Supreme Court is set to

NYC Educator: Two Unions in Puerto Rico, and Only One Side on Jacobin

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Two Unions in Puerto Rico, and Only One Side on Jacobin I'm not going to link to the Jacobin story trashing AMPR, the Association of Puerto Rican Teachers. This is because they've refused to run responses to it. FMPR, the Federation of Puerto Rican Teachers, does not technically represent working teachers. It was decertified after a strike. I won't pretend to be expert on the strike, what caused

La. BESE Has Been Bought Once Again (Maybe Not Completely) | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 6d

La. BESE Has Been Bought Once Again (Maybe Not Completely) UPDATE 10-13-19: THERE WILL BE A RUNOFF between Ronnie Morris and Gregory Spiers (District 6). Spiers was endorsed by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT). _______________________________________________________________________________ Well, Louisiana. The state ed board (BESE) has been (mostly) bought yet again . Eight (make that

CURMUDGUCATION: KY: Pushing Old Charter Myths In A New Market

by Mike Simpson / 6d

KY: Pushing Old Charter Myths In A New Market Kentucky has spent a bunch of time in charter limbo --there is a charter law on the books, but the legislature wouldn't fund it and l ocal districts are (shocker) unwilling to share their aready-meager funding. So Kentucky remains a fresh market, and charter advocates are still trying to gin up some public support, which lends itself to a sort of Gre

New York Times Reveals Bill Gates’ Friendship with Jeffrey Epstein | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d

New York Times Reveals Bill Gates’ Friendship with Jeffrey Epstein The New York Times published a lengthy article about Bill Gates’ friendship with convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. Gates visited Epstein’s lavish townhouse in Manhattan on several occasions. He hitched a ride on Epstein’s private jet. They engaged in lengthy discussions about philanthropy. All of this hobnobbing happened

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