Curriculum As Foundation
-
I've had a tab open since July, an interview of Robert Pondiscio by Chris
Herhalt looking at one particular chapter of the Hoover Institute's
retrospective...
My One and Only Political Endorsement
-
There is at least one major US party candidate running for a statewide
office who believes that women should not have the right to vote. The fact
that a...
OK Supt. Solicits for… Trump Bibles (??)
-
Oklahoma superintendent Ryan Walters supports putting a Trump bible in
every Oklahoma classroom and then some. The October 04, 2024, Advocate
reports that ...
Ways to Participate in these Vital Elections
-
Ways to participate in elections.
Volunteer to be a poll worker
Volunteer to be a poll watcher
Boost voter turn out. Send cards, text messages, pho...
BEWARE ‘THE SCIENCE OF READING’
-
“The Science of Reading” is a real thing, so real that it’s required by law
in schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. They have been
ordered b...
Science of Learning; an Education Fraud
-
By Thomas Ultican 10/2/2024 On September 24, The 74 headline read, “What
Happens When a 48K-Student District Commits to the ‘Science of Learning’ –
In Fred...
Only 1% of math teachers say they use AI “a lot”
-
In the Spring of 2024, RAND found that 82% of surveyed math teachers
have never used AI tools for their mathematics teaching. 1% said they use
it “Often.” ...
“Union Mouth”
-
So—when we’re immersed in the pre-election floodwaters of political revenge
speech, it’s easy to snicker at the misfortune, if that’s the word, of
right-wi...
Prime Palindromes
-
I haven’t done a math puzzle in a while. Maybe a year? But I play with
math. A lot. If I see puzzles, why not share them? What is the largest
4-digit prime...
¿Cuál es el poder de su voto?
-
En People's Action, creemos que la gente como tu y yo podemos tomar las
decisiones correctas para nuestras vidas y la de nuestro país. Por eso
estamos pasa...
September’s Parent Engagement Resources
-
A Back-to-School Guide for Connecting with Families is from ASCD. What all
parents can learn from the troubled AI in Los Angeles schools
https://t.co/4I5Q7...
Number 18 — A barely-hanging-on Blogoversary
-
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...
Could there be a "Silver Wave" for Harris/Walz?
-
Bill McKibben raises this question, and goes beyond the obvious concern
that those of us who are seniors (I am 78) have for Social Security and
Medicare....
Dear AD55 Voters: She Se Puede!
-
Click here for image I am so grateful for your support in the March primary
LACDP race …I do not…
The post Dear AD55 Voters: She Se Puede! first appeared...
Student "Growth" Measures Are STILL Biased
-
This caught my attention:
New Jersey school districts may soon be evaluated differently, *with a
greater emphasis on student growth* as compared to stud...
Time to Rein in Vouchers
-
Universal voucher programs have, in many states led to substantial budget
stress (Baker, 2024;[1] Hager, 2024). Initial cost estimates in Florida
were that...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
-
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 ...
15 Questions for the Candidates
-
Those citizens who fantasize about defying tyranny from within fortified
compounds have never understood how liberty is actually threatened in a
modern bur...
Bibliography for History Posts on This Blog
-
I remember when school reformers insisted the biggest problem
in education was that teachers didn't come from the best colleges.
Bibliography
VER...
We are making a CPESS documentary!
-
In 2020, I was approached by Deborah Meier and Jane Andrais and I decided
we should document the story of Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS).
This ...
Volunteer in 2024
-
Be the change, volunteer and make the difference! Let’s face it, the world
is in turmoil, and divisive politics in our country is threatening our
democracy...
The Sky is Falling, or is it?
-
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:
-
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
-
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
-
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...
Skin Deep
-
She spends so much time on her outward appearance. There is never a hair
out of place. Her makeup is perfect and her clothes are stylish and match
to ...
There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not.
-
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...
-
*Defeating the Purpose of Education*
*Updated: May 2024*
*Most people would agree that the primary purpose of education is to
prepare children for a good a...
THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. NOT!
-
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 certi...
Abortion: Only For Those Who Need It!
-
NOTE: This post contains my opinions on Catholicism based on my experiences
as a child in the 1960's and 70's. Take what you like and leave the rest. I
m...
Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane
-
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...
On the Edge of Silence
-
“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide.
Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the
fundamen...
Have You Heard Has a New Website
-
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
-
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
-
[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
-
Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
GA run-offs need your help!
-
Extremely important. Volunteer if you can. Thank you if you are already
doing so. Out of state opportunities here: Ralph …
Continue reading →
The Threat of Integration
-
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!
-
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...
A Fundamental Redesign of Our Schools
-
I climbed the hill leading up to one of my favorite coffee shops in Seattle
this morning to enjoy a coffee while taking in a phenomenal view of the
city o...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
-
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...
Thoughts on schooling in the era of COVID-19
-
Well, a whole lot has changed since I returned to blogging a month and half
ago. In case you didn't notice, and I'm sure everyone reading this did,
there's...
NAEP scores and "the science of reading"
-
*Sent to US News. They just informed me that they no longer publish
letters to the editor. *
*Re: “National reading emergency” November 12*
*[https://www...
2019 NAEP Scores: Achievement Gap or …?
-
Here you go: A ‘Disturbing’ Assessment: Sagging Reading Scores,
Particularly for Eighth-Graders, Headline 2019’s Disappointing NAEP Results
NAEP 2019: Re...
Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online
-
Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik
itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah
perta...
A Storm is Coming! (…again)
-
A new Commissioner will have as much impact on our state ed system as a new
meteorologist will have on …
Continue reading →
Déjà vu: 2019 ELA Assessment: Dear Board of Regents
-
Dear Board of Regents,
I have copied below an email I sent to you almost a year ago, after the
2018 ELA assessment's computer-based testing failures and mo...
The World According to Michelle Rhee
-
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...
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
-
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...
3rd Grade Reading: Who is Failing?
-
Education Trust Midwest has just released its study on third grade reading
and, predictably, the results aren’t great. This study uniquely compares
Michiga...
Opting out of the Dinosaur (end of year test)
-
Today I sent in a second letter to refuse PARCC/CMAS for my son, Luke. The
first email I sent at the beginning of the year was not sufficient as they
requi...
Resurrection
-
I realized it's Lent, but this blog, bless Jesus Christ, can't wait.
Ok, so with that said, I plan to discuss Class Action suits in existence,
as well as w...
IDEA Is Still The Law Of The Land
-
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the US Department of
Education (USDOE) rescinded 72 Dear Colleague and other letters of
explanation to ...
Education Is a Civic Question
-
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
-
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...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
-
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)
-
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
-
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...
Capturing the Spark
-
It’s been a long time since InterACT was an active education blog, though I
remain quite proud of what we did here. Those of us who wrote blog posts
here h...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
-
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...
WTU Peterson Slate: Not a 1 Woman Dictatorship
-
Candi Peterson & GeLynn Thompson
Candidates for WTU Prez & GVP 2016By Candi Peterson, WTU Gen. Vice President
*Statements or expressions of opinions herein...
MY NEW BLOG
-
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
-
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
-
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...
Flaws at the Heart of Current Education Reforms
-
Originally posted on Creative by Nature:
“Teaching is an art form rooted in the wise and careful use of educational
research and assessment tools. When gove...
The MAP Test
-
Teachers will be voting this afternoon on the contract that has been
tentatively agreed upon. I am asking all teachers to not allow an
evaluation system th...
Teachers on re-opening schools: “Not without protecting kids” WASHINGTON—When the issue comes down to reopening the nation’s schools as the coronavirus plague continues, GOP President Donald Trump says “yes,” but leaders of teachers unions say “no”—or at any rate, not until you can truly protect the kids. The uproar started with a Trump dog-and-pony show with his Education Secretary, Elizabeth “
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 7/11/20 ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post glen brown: Why a return to campus is a bad idea Los Angeles teachers union: Don’t open school buildings - The Washington Post
Betsy DeVos’s Education Freedom Plan for Covid-19: My Way or the Highway! Betsy DeVos’s Education Freedom Plan for Covid-19: My Way or the Highway! Take the highway! For four years, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has worked to destroy democratic public schools and the teaching profession while touting her Education Freedom plan, vouchers. But Americans should be asking what she really means by e
GAO: shootings at K-12 schools most commonly resulted from disputes or grievances The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that shootings at K-12 schools most commonly resulted from disputes or grievances, for example, between students or staff, or between gangs, although the spec
Johns Hopkins Launches New Tracker For School Reopening Plans The university’s site tracks where each state currently stands on safety, health and academic help. The go-to site for the latest national and world COVID-19 data has launched a special tracker for U.S. school reopenings . Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore is monitoring which states have addressed 12 criteria, including safety and
The President Has Weaponized the Opening of Schools On Tuesday, July 7th, President Donald Trump said : We’re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools, to get them open,” Mr. Trump said at a forum at the White House. “It’s very important. It’s very important for our country. It’s very important for the well-being of the student and the parents. So we’re
King Solomon Meets Bill de Blasio You may have heard the biblical story about King Solomon. Two women claim a baby is theirs. King Solomon the wise says cut the baby in half and let them share it. One woman says sure, go ahead. The other says no, give it to the other woman. King Solomon then gives the baby to the second woman, since she is the only one concerned with the baby's welfare. Of cours
Mask-to-Mask Instruction May Be More Problematic Than Distance Learning People talk about the upcoming school year as if we have a choice between in-person classes or distance learning. We don’t. The fact is there will be NO face-to-face learning this year. Neither in our school buildings or on-line. No matter which path we choose, we will be teaching behind a mask or behind a computer screen. T
Chris Guerrieri makes the USA Today Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Why can't schools go to distance learning and provide some limited child care as well? - https://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2020/07/why-cant-schools-go-to-distance.html Okay yeah talking in the third person is annoying but I think it is important people know they should talk to whoever will listen. Fro
Oakland: Teachers Will Not Go Back to Work Unless the Schools Are Safe for Students and Staff FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 10, 2020 Contact: Bethany Meyer OEA Secretary and Communications Chair (510) 575-7060 bethanynmeyer@gmail.com This week, educators from the Oakland Education Association began talks with the Oakland Unified School District to determine what learning will look like for students
Rating the NYC Dept of Ed’s Reopening Plan (safety) Thursday Carranza released the plan. I did a quick survey of the school scheduling part (not good), but need to return to that in depth. But today I want to take a first look at safety. There are now three documents to look at. There’s the June 9 doe-planning-overview-for-principal-meetings Powerpoint-is-not-a-Plan powerpoint, the July 2 school
Nation's Pediatricians Walk Back Support For In-Person School The American Academy of Pediatrics once again plunged into the growing debate over school reopening with a strong new statement Friday, making clear that while in-person school provides crucial benefits to children, "Public health agencies must make recommendations based on evidence, not politics." The statement also said that "scienc
Teacher talk has shifted from cops to corona Two weeks ago, the battle was raging over cops in the schools. Who should decide whether Chicago schools get to keep or lose their SRO -- the school board or the city council? Or should it be left up to each local school council to opt-in or out, as the mayor had argued? Should the $33M contract between CPS and the CPD be broken or renewed? And if it
MY THOUGHTS ON THE KENTUCKY COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION DECISION For many reasons I am very relieved that the Kentucky commissioner search has completed. Working with the Bluegrass community as Dean of @UKCollegeofEd, the @USNews top ranked College of Education in Kentucky (top 30 among publics in nation), is an incredible honor. I was glad for the opportunity to discuss with the entire Board a vi
NASHVILLE, WE HAVE A PLAN “Things happen. The only thing that matters is how we deal with the now. Either we face the difficult moral decisions with ever-stronger responses, or we do not. This is what separates the mensch from the asshole. Full stop.” ― Olen Steinhauer, All the Old Knives: A Novel “It is not a matter of what is true that counts, but a matter of what is perceived to be true.” ― H
COVID AND SCHOOL VENTILATION Ventilation systems in most schools are outdated and barely work as designed. Even before Covid teachers often felt the effect of poor ventilation in their rooms. Research shows that when room air is not adequately vented out and replace with fresh air CO2 levels rise sharply in s short period of time and as those levels increase cognitive abilities decline by 50% or
NewBlackMan (in Exile) How Pholk Beauty Grew Its Brand By Embracing Authenticity by Mark Anthony Neal / 11h ' For Niambi Cacchioli , Black people have always been green folk. Growing up in Kentucky she was used to being around gardens, but after traveling around the world, she realized there weren’t many skincare companies catering to skin’s needs. She switched careers as an academic and started
Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report Higher fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake linked to lower risk of diabetes by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 15h Higher consumption of fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods are associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to two studies published by The BMJ today. The findings suggest that even a modest increase
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h BiljaST / Pixabay Six years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to E
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 Pennsylvania: The Death Spiral of York City Public Schools by dianeravitch / 52min This is a powerful editorial written by the editorial board of the York Dispatch. The Republican-controlled legislature has imposed a funding system that is litera
People talk about the upcoming school year as if we have a choice between in-person classes or distance learning. We don’t. The fact is there will be NO face-to-face learning this year. Neither in our school buildings or on-line. No matter which path we choose, we will be teaching behind a mask or behind a computer screen. There is no middle ground here – nor should there be. Even if schools try
‘Big Mess’ Looms if Schools Don’t Get Billions to Reopen Safely - The New York Times ‘Big Mess’ Looms if Schools Don’t Get Billions to Reopen Safely Bus monitors to screen students for symptoms in Marietta, Ga.: $640,000. Protective gear and classroom cleaning equipment for a small district in rural Michigan: $100,000. Disinfecting school buildings and hiring extra nurses and educators in San Die
Schools Are Not the Problem | Eclectablog Schools Are Not the Problem If children are at more risk out of school than in school, then the problem isn’t school. If kids who aren’t in school are hungry, then increase funding to food pantries and community kitchens. (BTW–many public schools have been feeding kids all summer.) If kids who aren’t in school are in greater danger of abuse, then improve
In rebuke to Trump, Los Angeles teachers’ union says campuses should stay closed for start of school year The union that represents teachers in Los Angeles, the second-largest school district in the country, said late Thursday that it wants school campuses to stay closed in August when the 2020-2021 academic year is scheduled to begin. The decision by the United Teachers of Los Angeles, the firs
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Four School Reopening-Related Articles From The Past Day That Are Worth Reading by Larry Ferlazzo / 21min Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay Wow, school reopening has been getting a lot of attention the past few days. I’ve already shared some of the most interesting and useful resources that have appe
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all The Report of the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force: Good But Weak Pablum on Charters by dianeravitch / 17min The Biden and Sanders campaigns created a “Unity Task Force” to make recommendations on important issues. Here is their report with recommenda
BLACK LIVES MATTER at SCHOOL 2020 National Student Voter Toolkit This work embodies the Black Lives Matter principle of Loving Engagement, in that it is the commitment to practice justice and liberation. We dedicate this collection itself to honor Audre Lorde and James Baldwin, who both taught us so deeply about challenging unjust systems. We offer this to acknowledge and support the efforts of
“I Can’t Breathe.” It Happens at Schools, Too. Students in Illinois schools said “I can’t breathe” while being restrained at least 30 times over the time period we investigated, according to our analysis of the records. The practice of face-down restraint is still legal in Illinois. ProPublica Illinois is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to get weekly updates about
Taking a radio break. – Fred Klonsky TAKING A RADIO BREAK My brother and I have been doing our radio show, Hitting Left with the Klonsky Brothers for over three years. We started doing our hour-long show every Friday morning at 11am in February of 2017. The studio at Lumpen Radio in the always sunny neighborhood of Bridgeport on Chicago’s south side made for a welcoming home. In early 2017 our fr
DeVos and Trump Throw Cyberschools Under Bus Here is Betsy DeVos speaking as part of a coronavirus task force presentation back in March: Learning can and does happen anywhere and everywhere. It's a sentiment that she has expressed numerous times in connection with the idea that technology could be the brand new key to better education. As in, cyberschool or its fancier name, "virtual learning."
Can Public Schools Open Safely for Children and their Teachers? Trump Worries Instead About His Own Political Future Should public schools reopen this fall? Is there a single plan that will work everyplace? Can school districts make social distancing workable with some kind of hybrid plan in which children are sometimes in class personally and sometimes online? Should schooling go online full-ti
UTLA: It Is Not Safe to Open Schools This Fall Media Contact / Anna Bakalis 213-305-9654 For immediate release / June 9, 2020 Press release: https://www.utla.net/news/utla-recommends-keeping-school-campuses-closed UTLA recommends keeping LAUSD school campuses closed; refocus on robust distance learning practices for Fall LOS ANGELES — Amid COVID-19 infections and deaths surging to record highs,
COVID School: Breathing the Air, Staying Apart, and Shortening the Day As one might expect, since I am a classroom teacher, I have been thinking a lot about the COVID-19 school day. In this post, I offer a number of thoughts on physically returning to school during this coronavirus pandemic. To begin, I have been thinking about how children may not be manifesting COVID symptoms and still have th
How the city's "plan" for re-opening schools highlights the cruel inequities of class size as never before Yesterday, the DOE released the preliminary outlines of a “plan” for how schools will be restructured in the fall is they are reopened next fall. DOE officials have determined that to maintain proper social distancing, a range of 9-12 students per classroom will be allowed , varying accordi
KIPP Drops the Motto But Keeps the Brutality Four out of five students who started school at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute during the decades just after the Civil War never earned their certificates of completion, even though academic expectations were far below schools for white students. Getting booted from Hampton's residential program, you see, was more likely to come from a
Tell Congress: The Trump/DeVos Plan for School Reopening is Reckless and Dangerous Send your email by clicking here and let Congress know that you oppose the Administration’s reckless plan to reopen schools. Read our official statement below: The Network for Public Education opposes the Trump Administration’s dangerous and reckless proposal to reopen schools without regard to safety or resources
UFT Executive Board July 9, 2020--Riding a Hybrid Safely Roll Call 2:50 UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr welcomes us. Minutes--approved. UFT President Michael Mulgrew --You all saw mayor's "blended plan." In April, after multiple models, there were two options to open safely. Either we triple classrooms and teachers, or have one third of students present. We are okay with the model as the way to go. The
Trump and DeVos Can't Make Up Their Damned Minds About Schools It doesn't seem all that hard to figure out how Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos feel about public schools in this country. And yet, they seem oddly conflicted. DeVos famously called public schools a "dead end." Just last week, reflecting on the SCOTUS decision, she opined that the history of American education is "sad and static" and "t
Is it Time to Cancel Teach Like a Champion? Teach Like a Champion, the best-selling guide to effective teaching by Doug Lemov, has sold millions of copies. But a growing group of critics charge that Lemov’s approach is racist and embodies “carceral” pedagogy. And because we have a thing about education history, we go all the way back to 1895 to explore another controversial teacher training mode
What Happens When They Don’t? States have finally started to release guidance to school districts for the “safe” reopening of buildings for in-person instruction. My state’s Return to School Roadmap takes a phased approach, with each phase providing guidelines that are either “required,” “strongly recommended” or “recommended.” In Phase 4, some of the requirements are: “Facial coverings must be
What it could cost to reopen schools with covid-19 safety measures The San Diego Unified School District has come up with a plan for the fall: It will reopen school buildings for all students who want to come, full time, five days a week. But, its leaders say, the district needs more emergency funding from Congress to promise this for the entire 2020-21 academic year. If that money doesn’t come
NEA President: No One Should Listen to Trump, DeVos on Reopening Schools In a flurry of tweets, President Trump condemned CDC guidance on reopening schools and threatened to withhold funding to schools that don’t reopen for fall, creating more panic for stressed families seeking leadership and assurances that their children can return to school safely during a deadly pandemic. Then he politicize
For Teachers Who Are Parents, Schools Reopening In The Fall Is Bad News Educators share the thoughts and questions racing through their minds right now. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, many parents have already faced a major challenge: homeschooling their children while working full-time. As back-to-school season starts gearing up, many parents are getting updates from their school districts
Rating the NYC Dept of Ed’s Reopening Plan (scheduling) Yesterday Carranza released the plan. Let’s start by comparing it to my “ What to Look for ” guide. Variety of levels – Look not just for multiple models, but for multiple models at each level . They have separate D75 models, but not models tailored to HS, MS, ES (they really are all ES models) 2/5 Details – lack of details would be a tell
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 “Q&A Collections: Cooperative & Collaborative Learning” by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h Q&A Collections: Cooperative & Collaborative Learning is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. All Classroom Q&A posts sharing advice on Cooperative & Collaborative Learning (from the past nine years!) ar
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all Kevin Welner on Trump’s Failure to Make It Safe to Open Schools 21 by dianeravitch / 52min Kevin Welner is the director of the National Education Policy Center and a Professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He writes: The definition of ch
Thoughts on "opening" schools From the perspective of someone who has taught every grade from 7 through 12, in public, charter, and private (both religious and secular) schools. CLASSROOMS — It is impossible in most schools to have 6 foot between students. Last year I had up to 30 seniors in a room at a time, with a social distance rarely even 2 feet between them. To get to 6 feet I would have t
The Chancellor Writes Us Again Dear Colleagues, I hope you and your families are staying healthy and safe as we transition to the 2020-2021 school year. Earlier today, Mayor de Blasio and I announced our latest planning for bringing students back to school buildings in September—a plan that was informed by an internet survey with no controls whatsoever. I want to make sure you hear my rationale,
No Force on Earth Can Stand Before Us Yesterday, I awoke to learn that the President of the United States and his education secretary are talking about punishing public schools that don't open in the fall by withholding federal funding. They've walked that back a little in the intervening 24 hours, but the message is clear: they are willing to sacrifice children and their families in the name of
Betsy DeVos Is Failing Hard In the midst of all this chaos and confusion, it's perhaps easy to miss how thoroughly Betsy DeVos is doing a terrible job as Secretary of Education. And by so many measures. There's the business of managing college loans. DeVos, you may recall, has been pointedly spanked by the courts for going after students who owe money on their college loans even in those cases w
The AAP's school guidance principles don't align with Trump/DeVos mandated reopening. President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are threatening to cut federal funding if schools don't fully physically reopen in the fall, regardless of the state of the pandemic and with or without required CDC safety measures being in place. They may think they think their reckless mandate is supported
When It Comes To Reopening Schools, 'The Devil's In The Details,' Educators Say Jeanne Norris is a teacher, the wife of a teacher and the mother of an 8-year-old in St. Louis. She'd love to send her son back to school in August. But, she says, "I feel like my government and my fellow citizens have put me in a position where it's not really in the best interests of our family." Norris has a long
Intro to Next Book (Part 1) I have been writing posts for this blog over a decade. One of the purposes for it is to take drafts of a forthcoming book that I am working on and use them as posts to try out new ideas (or renovated old ones) and see how readers respond. I am now working on a book about the three major reform movements over the past century that have swept over schools and what I exp
Chutzpah and the Push for In-Person Instruction The definition of chutzpah, according to the old joke, is the kid who kills his parents and then asks the judge for mercy because he’s an orphan. President Trump has added a twist on the joke: the kid who kills his parents and then complains that they don’t drive him to school. When the European Union was hit early and hard by the COVID-19 pandemic
Reopening Plans Translated FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2020 CONTACT: pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov, (212) 788-2958 MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CHANCELLOR CARRANZA ANNOUNCE PRELIMINARY SCHOOL REOPENING PLANS FOR FALL 2020 Health and safety will lead all planning, even though health and safety are concepts rather than leaders. This, however, takes us off the hook, since we’ve publicly committed ourselve
Governor Cuomo on School Re-Opening: Data-Driven State Guidance, Local Input and Many Unanswered Questions Governor Cuomo has emphasized and re-emphasized; pandemic decisions will be made by the governor, including decisions on school re-openings “The state law governing schools and business closings or openings has been in effect since the pandemic first started and all such decisions are made
SCHOOL REOPENING: TEACHER AND LIBRARIAN VIEWS WITH WTU AND AASL Equal access, inclusion at a distance, and basic health and safety are crucial and urgent concerns for schools and their libraries amidst pandemic. WTU President Elizabeth Davis and AASL President Kathy Carroll share teacher and librarian perspectives on reopening plans in DC and across the nation. On We Act Radio’s July 8 “Communit
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Hosts First Virtual Classroom Session in Ethnic Studies Featuring Educators and Students SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today convened the first in a series of virtual classroom events on ethnic studies. The event today engaged students in a real-time dialogue about on the importance of ethnic studies and offered a lesson an
Trump to blow off CDC recommendations and issue his own guidelines for reopening schools: report – Raw Story Trump to blow off CDC recommendations and issue his own guidelines for reopening schools: report President Donald Trump plans to blow off the recommendations issued by his own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by releasing his own set of guidelines for reopening American schools d
Trump disavows his own administration’s guidance for reopening schools The president also threatened to slash federal funding to schools that do not physically reopen. President Donald Trump on Wednesday publicly disavowed his own administration’s guidance for reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic, arguing the federal recommendations were too burdensome as he ramped up his bid to have
Are Teachers Babysitters? Maybe. People are uber-touchy, even panicky, about the questions around returning to school—it’s a life and death issue, all right, including potentially gambling with our most precious asset: our children. Like any venture that is launched before all the facts and outcomes are available—marriage and childbirth spring to mind here—both in-person schooling in some fashio
National Report Highlights Root Cause of Pervasive Racism and Inequality in America's Most Populated Cities The Schott Foundation for Public Education's Loving Cities Index, with a foreword written by Nikole Hannah-Jones, offers a framework to help cities transform systems to dismantle racism and institutionalize love. (New York, NY) – On Wednesday, the Schott Foundation for Public Education rel
Teachers Say Rush to Reopen Schools Without Covid-19 Safety Plan Shows Trump and DeVos 'Do Not Care About Students' "America must listen to the health experts on when to reopen schools and to educators on how to return to in-person instruction." A coalition representing millions of American teachers and parents slammed President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday over th
Coronavirus surge puts reopening of K-12 campuses at risk, says county’s top health official The pending reopening of K-12 campuses is suddenly at risk because of the ongoing surge of coronavirus cases, and all public and private schools must prepare for students to continue learning entirely from home, Los Angeles County’s top public health official has told local education leaders. This soberi
Trump and DeVos: Schools Must Reopen, Without Needed Resources Trump demanded that schools reopen for in-person instruction in a few weeks , as the pandemic surges in more than half the states. He and his party have refused to pass the HEROES act to provide additional resources for schools. DeVos blasted school districts that hesitate to open, fearing risk to students and staff. She said, patron
Every Year We Hold Schools Accountable for Test Scores in Reading, but Recessionary Cuts Threaten Jobs of the Nation’s School Librarians We think we’ve learned the important lessons, but how quickly we forget. Americans spent 2018 and 2019 learning from teachers as, ten years after the Great Recession, they launched strikes from West Virginia to Oklahoma to Arizona to Kentucky to North Carolina
Education Research Report Gifted Students Aren't Perfectionistic by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 47min There is a rich literature on perfectionism among gifted individuals, but the results of these individual studies are ambiguous. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the nature of the relationship between perfectionism and giftedness by focusing on quantitative studies that compared the perfectionism l
The Best Equity Money Can Buy I taught Zoom lessons for three months. I have ideas on how they can be better, but no one asks me what they are. They will never substitute for the face to face teaching I signed up for. That’s the very toughest work I do, but like the overwhelming majority of my colleagues, I love doing it. It doesn’t look like that’s what I’ll be doing in September, though. This
NYC School Schedule Models – What was Wrong with the DoE’s First Try New York City’s first attempt to make plans for September did not stand up to scrutiny. Is there a chance that today’s “Schedule Models” will contain better news? Should we be glad they were delayed a day – or should that worry us? On June 9 the Department of Education released a planning document, “SCHOOL BUILDING RE-OPENING P
Don’t Sacrifice Teachers and Students to a Neoliberal God By Thomas Ultican 7/8/2020 The US is not ready to open schools. We blew it. Let’s face reality squarely and quit making outcomes in our country even worse. New York’s Michael Flanagan Ed. D. wrote , “The pressure to reopen schools , and return to work, will continue to intensify, no matter how many new cases of Covid-19 there are each day
24 WRONG Reasons to Reopen Schools 24 WRONG Reasons to Reopen Schools The reasons for returning to school might sound good, but those reasons always bump up against the enemy, the coronavirus. Here are concerns that deserve attention, but they are the wrong reasons for schools to reopen. 1. President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos say SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL! Neither the Presiden
Teachers Face A Summer Of Soul Searching. What Do They Do In The Fall? This originally ran in early June. No signs that things are looking up at all. We know a handful of things. We know that virtually nobody wants to continue the pandemic shut-down crisis school model in the fall (with the possible exception of ed tech companies that hope to keep cashing in on it). Elected officials across the
Letter to regents regarding reopening schools | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes Letter to regents regarding reopening schools Below is a letter we sent last week from Class Size Matters and NYC Kids PAC to Chancellor Rosa, the Board of Regents and the NY State Education Commissioner, with copies to Chancellor Carranza and other education dec
Parent and educator concerns on the reopening of schools from our online survey and conference Below is a letter we sent last week from Class Size Matters and NYC Kids PAC to Chancellor Rosa, the Board of Regents and the NY State Education Commissioner, with copies to Chancellor Carranza and other education decision makers, highlighting some of the most important concerns and ideas offered by pa
Nutrition Requirements for Fluid Milk in the CACFP Nutrition Services Division Management Bulletin Purpose : Policy, Beneficial Information To : Child and Adult Care Food Program All Child Care Agencies Attention : Child and Adult Care Food Program Operators Number : CACFP-02-2020 Date : July 2020 Reference : U.S. Department of Agriculture Policy Memorandum CACFP 17-2016: Nutrition Requirements
After Years of Underfunding, Now Public School Teachers Are Supposed to Save the Nation’s Economy? - Citizen Truth After Years of Underfunding, Now Public School Teachers Are Supposed to Save the Nation’s Economy? It’s taken a pandemic to make people realize public schools are a key to prosperity, but so far they’re bringing too little, too late. “After 9/11, New York City police and firefighters
Twin Rivers teacher claims retaliation for going public After he alleged mistreatment of students, district investigation accused him of hostile campus environment Seven days after Twin Rivers Unified School District teacher Mohamed Bashamak shared allegations that district officials retaliated against him for whistle-blowing over their treatment of students and instructors, the two-time Teacher
Can schools open safely in the fall? Discuss... Can schools reopen in the fall? And by open , I mean, children, educators, and staff safely occupy school buildings which are now shuttered because of the pandemic. If we're just talking about distance learning, then we have to say schools are already open and teachers have been hard at work since the outbreak of coronavirus, trying under near-impo
Just how little U.S. students learn about African American history — and five steps to start to change that The nationwide racial and social justice demonstrations led by Black Lives Matter in reaction to the May 25 police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, have led to calls for overhauls in policing, criminal justice and, among other things, school curriculums. Studen
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Implementation Tool for Assessing Student Learning SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced today that the California Department of Education (CDE) has released a new implementation tool on diagnostic and formative assessments as a resource for schools. Being able to identify where students are in their learning within key content areas
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 ‘Teachers & Aides Need to Work as a Team’ by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Three educators share advice on working with instructional aides/paraprofessionals, including having a “team” mindset and demonstrating empathy. Here are some excerpts: The Best
Carl J. Petersen: Los Angeles Charter School Took $4.6 Million from PPP, Then Laid Off Employees Carl J. Petersen, writer and public school parent in Los Angeles, writes here about a Los Angeles charter schools that took millions from the federal Paycheck Protection Plan, then laid off employees anyway. The purpose of PPP was to help small businesses and to ensure that they did not fire employee
Elite private and charter schools across Washington got millions in PPP loans Dozens of publicly funded charter schools and elite private schools across the Washington region received millions of dollars in federal aid intended to keep nonprofits and small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, according to data released Monday by the Small Business Administration . Private and chart
Defund the private schools Defunding the police won’t mean much if we keep defunding schools that serve Black children and allowing a school choice movement rooted in anti-Blackness to thrive A national uprising for racial justice and a pandemic killing disproportionately more Black people have made the call to action clear: We must dismantle the structures that generate racial disparities. Educ
AFT Leader to Police Unions: Can't Ignore Blacks Being Abused Outrage over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes has prompted some unions to demand changes regarding those representing cops, from the Minnesota chapter of the AFL-CIO demanding that the belligerent leader of that city's police union step down to a pet
Scholars, Educators, and Students as Public Writers Early in my career as a high school English teacher in the Deep South during the early and mid-1980s, several weeks into the new school year, a tenth grade student became so exasperated that she blurted out in class, “When are we going to do English? All we do is read and write, read and write!” In those days, my school system had a grade 7-9 j
Chalkbeat Gets It Wrong Again, Finds Out, and Can't Be Bothered Making a Correction Chalkbeat wrote a long piece about the education budget. I was planning to read the whole thing, but had to stop. actually sent a message to a Chalkbeat reporter over this passage : There is a freeze on new hires within the education department, but schools will be able to hire from the Absent Teacher Reserve, a
Andre Perry: Defund Private Schools. They Perpetuate Racism Tomorrow night, Andre Perry and I will talk about his new book Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Lives in a ZOOM discussion sponsored by the Network for Public Education. We can accommodate only 100 people, so please sign up early. If you don’t get into the first 100, the discussion will be live-stream
“Defund the Police,” and, “Defund the Billionaires,” Create a Job-Friendly, Equitable Economy for All In the early 2000’s I was at the New School University listening to Reverend Floyd Flake, senior pastor at the 23,000 member Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Cathedral. Reverend Flake served as a member of Congress (1987-97) and is a strong supporter of charter schools . Flake was criti
A Declaration of Interdependence for Young Children, Parents, Caregivers, and Educators In 1776, 56 men in the American colonies signed their names to a radical document called the Declaration of Independence . As a result they were, without trial, proclaimed traitors by the British government and sentenced to death. These were middle class people. John Hancock was the wealthiest among them and
Do NOT Play Russian Roulette with Our Lives – No In-Person Schooling During a Pandemic Are you responsible for gambling with another person’s life? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says “yes.” Back in 1947, James Malone, 17, and William Long, 13, played a version of Russian Roulette during a sleepover. Malone stole a revolver from his uncle and Long sneaked into his father’s room and got a bullet.
The 6th Annual Give-A-Kid-A-Book Day! Today, July 6, 2020, marks the 6th annual National Give-A-Kid-A-Book-Day. This is the yearly celebration dedicated to getting books into children's hands over the summer. Literacy research has shown that the single best way to combat summer reading loss is to get books in kids hands. One way to do this is to give children books. Participation is easy. All yo
Why schools must find a safe way to reopen for the most vulnerable students — by a veteran educator School district officials are consumed with trying to figure out if, when and how to reopen schools during the coronavirus pandemic — with no definitive answers from even the top experts on infectious diseases. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued guidance for school reentry that sai
Are you responsible for gambling with another person’s life? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says “yes.” Back in 1947, James Malone, 17, and William Long, 13, played a version of Russian Roulette during a sleepover. Malone stole a revolver from his uncle and Long sneaked into his father’s room and got a bullet. They put the cartridge in a chamber, spun the cylinder and then took turns pointing the
Reopening Bars Is Easy. Schools Are Difficult. - The Atlantic Reopening Schools Was Just an Afterthought If American society is going to take one major risk in the name of reopening, ideally it should be to send children back to school. This issue is personal for me. I have three kids, one in college and two in a local public high school. It’s now early July, and we still have no idea whether or