For Book Banners, It's Never Enough
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Fans of reading restrictions like to point at the most extreme cases, books
with graphic depictions of sex acts. And there's no doubt that there are
some w...
Outside My Kitchen Window
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If you live in North America, chances are you might live near a Cooper’s
Hawk. You might be lucky enough to spot a Cooper’s Hawk darting through
trees...
“Science” as Bad Faith Bullying
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[Header Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash] The more things change, the more
things stay the same. Especially in America. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The
Great Ga...
Around the Public Education Horn
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[image: Image]
Look what's on the DOGE Dopey Boys list, *Head Start and Pell Grants.* I
would bet they get rid of some of the Department of Education in...
Gifts of Christmas Past
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In a holiday-themed archetype of legislative overreach, Alabama passed an
ethics law back in 2011, forbidding K-12 school teachers from accepting
expensive...
Trump and McMahon’s America First Agenda
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Linda McMahon, Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, is Board Chair
of America First, which has an agenda for K-12 schools. It is filled with a
sub...
Building Community Amid Uncertain Doom
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Over the last few weeks, I’ve had good opportunities to be “in community.”
One of those opportunities happened at The Cutting Room, where School of
...
...
SPI Leads Effort to Protect U.S. Education Dept.
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State Superintendent Tony Thurmond meets with members of Congress, leading
effort across states to protect the United States Department of Education.
1798
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Year 1798
__________
Three alien acts gave the president the power “without trial or even a
statement of his reasons, to banish foreigners from the ...
Billionaire Sponsored Malarkey from Education Trust
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By Thomas Ultican 12/3/2024 Education Trust (aka EdTrust), using what it
calls equity analysis, critiqued various states’ Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA)...
Peace at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table
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I was concerned about having Thanksgiving with family because I did not
want to get into heated political discussions about the 2024 presidential
election....
Education Has Failed and What Can We Do Next?
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Education has failed to prepare children for the world today. Despite the
increased investment, impactful reforms, hardworking teachers and school
leaders,...
Defining Productivity, Cost, and Efficiency
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Recycled material here… The central problem with US public schools is often
characterized as an efficiency problem. We spend a lot and don’t get much
for i...
November Parent Engagement Resources
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Greeting a family in their preferred language is a small gesture that
demonstrates respect and eagerness to connect with parents. Creating a
Welcoming Envi...
An Apology
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I want to apologize for not responding personally to those who shared their
views on last week’s blog post, my analysis of why the Democrats lost.
I’ve be...
¡Si, ganamos!
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En victorias desde la Carolinia del Norte hacia el Estado de Washington y
Maine, encontramos la evidencia que cuando nos organizamos, ganamos.
Siempre encu...
A message from Quaker Meeting for Worship
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the branch of Society of Friends to which I belong is unprogrammed, we have
no designated ministers. Anyone who feels moved by the Spirit is free to
rise...
Try Substack?
-
Seems like the popular new thing. Here’s my first try – it’s about
yesterday’s UFT Retired Teachers Chapter meeting – first ever not run by
Unity. (Spoiler...
Number 18 — A barely-hanging-on Blogoversary
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Blogoversary #18 SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 I started this blog while I was still
teaching, in 2006. I had just begun my 31st year as an educator. Just like
in pre...
Student "Growth" Measures Are STILL Biased
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This caught my attention:
New Jersey school districts may soon be evaluated differently, *with a
greater emphasis on student growth* as compared to stud...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
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As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the
great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught
of those ...
15 Questions for the Candidates
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Those citizens who fantasize about defying tyranny from within fortified
compounds have never understood how liberty is actually threatened in a
modern bur...
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 ...
The Sky is Falling, or is it?
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Well, this is the first anniversary of the introduction of Generative AI in
the form of ChatGPT to the world of education. Before it was a week old,
over o...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
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The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us
in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we
wer...
Metaphors in ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
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In this article, we will explore the powerful use of metaphors in Martin
Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” ...
Read more
Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force
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I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago
Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation.
The meetin...
Skin Deep
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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.
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THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not
that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough
teachers cer...
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!
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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
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Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama
have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun
with...
On the Edge of Silence
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“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
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TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at
www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire
archive. And be sure to check out...
Follow me at Substack
-
I've moved. Follow me at Substack
I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new
Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com
...
Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College
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[image: colorful classroom pattern]
*; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images*
Cory Turner | NPR
New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...
Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala
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Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
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
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I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles
for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction
with th...
We fight for a democracy worthy of us all!
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The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen GarcÃa
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
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I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this
afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved
ones. We ar...
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"
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*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...
Poverty vs District School Performance
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This ranking lists all Louisiana school systems and certain individual
schools in order of increasing poverty. The table includes the district
performanc...
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)
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A new Commissioner will have as much impact on our state ed system as a new
meteorologist will have on …
Continue reading →
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?
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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
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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
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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
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
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An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
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The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
-
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
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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...
MY NEW BLOG
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Dear White Educators
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Dear White Educators,
I struggle with you. I struggle with me. I struggle with how, if, and when
to write us this letter. There is no perfect time, no per...
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
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
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...
Once Again Teachers are First Responders Thursday night, at 11:00 p.m., Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered the closing of all K-12 public schools in the state, for at least three weeks, beginning on Monday. As of two hours ago , twelve states and numerous large urban districts have ordered shutdowns . Good for them. I know that without COVID-19 testing, we’re flying blind, and the effect
Who Does Your Instructional Labor Serve? One recurring theme to many K-12 and higher education institutions moving to remote instruction has been “uh-oh” moments concerning challenges not immediately anticipated. One example is that when my university’s professors have been reaching out to students, they have discovered many of their students left for spring break without their textbooks and not
An Old Dog Learning New Tricks- My Transition to On Line Teaching. I am a 73 year old professor of African American studies and History at Fordham University who has been teaching for 49 years, and whose main lecture course, From Rock and Roll to Hip Hop was written up as one of the most popular college courses in New York City. The transition to on line learning has been difficult and exhaustin
In times like these... "The system is not really geared to what we need right now. That is a failing. Let's admit it." -- Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases With virus and science deniers Trump/Pence misleading the war against COVID-19, it's become impossible for local governments to rely on the feds for leadership out of the crisis. The bum
The Vicious Attack on Sweetwater Union High School District | tultican The Vicious Attack on Sweetwater Union High School District (A MUST READ FOR OAKLAND AND SACRAMENTO) By Thomas Ultican 3/14/2020 Superintendent Karen Janney and the school board at Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) have a target on their backs. In September 2018, new Chief Financial Officer, Jenny Salkeld, announce
EQUITY NEEDS FOR DC SCHOOLS WITH ROBERT WHITE, DC COUNCILMEMBER At Large Council Member Robert White joined us in studio for our Thursday March 12th edition of Education Town Hall. Elected to the council in 2016, White is running for re-election this year. On the show, White talked about many of his education focuses in the council during that time, including his attempts to change how we think
Excess Net Cash Resources - School Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) Nutrition Services Division Management Bulletin Purpose : Policy, Beneficial Information To : All School Nutrition Program Sponsors Attention : Food Service Directors, School Business Officials Number : SNP-06-2020 Date : January 2020 Reference : Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations , sections 210.2, 210.9(1), 210.14(b), and 210.
DeVos Wants To Give Teachers PD Vouchers It's not the dumbest education policy idea to ever come out of DC. Betsy DeVos is continuing to champion idea that she has pushed before-- giving teachers professional development vouchers and letting them go shop for their own professional development experiences. When floated in 2019, the idea was obviously not about kind thoughts about teachers or even
Is Grand Canyon University Accredited ? Looking to enroll into one of the finest universities in Arizona? But before that, you wanna know if Grand Canyon University is Accredited or not? No worries, we got your back as we are discussing the same topics today. With the advent of the summer, the school season is at its prime which means a lot of students will be looking to get admission in the mos
Randi Weingarten: How to Respond to the Coronavirus Randi Weingarten writes on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers: This is a confusing and scary time for many of us. Since January, in response to the coronavirus, the AFT’s attention has been focused on how to ensure the health and safety of our families and communities, particularly those on the frontline of this crisis. Now, since th
Expertise@Scale: How Do I Move My Class Online This Week? We’ve done 7+ years of research on creating better online learning opportunities. With the rapidly worsening situation with the Coronavirus, many teachers need to go online, and in a hurry. This page is a combination of best practices and evidence-based advice, mixed with personal opinions where appropriate. Note that this is not official
A Parent Guide to Homeschooling During the Apocalypse – Sam Chaltain A PARENT GUIDE TO HOMESCHOOLING DURING THE APOCALYPSE My fellow grown-ups: Now that the End Days are upon us (kidding/not kidding) and your kids are out of school for the foreseeable future, how should you structure their time? This is both a helpful and an unhelpful question. It’s helpful because we’re all about to huddle indef
Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report 2017–18 National and State-level High School Graduation Rates by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d N ational and state-level high school Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rates (ACGR) for the 2017–18 school year were released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The national ACGR for all students was 85.3 percent, an increase
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 This Weekend’s Updated Resources Supporting Teachers & Students Coping With School Closures by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h geralt / Pixabay Here are new additions to The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Onl
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 Order NOW A Controversial Interview about SLAYING GOLIATH with Larry Mantle of NPR, Southern California by dianeravitch / 22min This interview on KPCC-NPR in Southern California by Larry Mant
Clarifying the Movement History of the Black Lives Matter Week of Action, or #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool Collected & Edited by Tamara Anderson, Ismael Jimenez, and Christopher Rogers in dialogue with Jesse Hagopian. We appreciate the mainstream press we have received this year from such widely read publications as TIME and yet find it necessary to reiterate the history of how we got to the 3rd Ann
Coronavirus, kids and school closings: A public health expert answers 4 questions Editor’s note: The World Health Organization has declared a coronoavirus pandemic , and more cases have been announced in several states. School closings, such as the statewide closure of schools in Ohio, Oregon, Maryland, New Mexico and Michigan announced March 12, are often one of the actions that officials consi
Schools are ‘deep cleaning’ to fight coronavirus. Why some experts say it’s probably a waste of time. Delaware’s Laurel School District closed its campuses Thursday and Friday to “deep clean” its schools after it was learned that a staff member had recently had contact with a traveler from a country with a viral outbreak. Neither the staff member nor the traveler had symptoms, and the Delaware D
Los Angeles school district to close all schools Los Angeles school officials on Friday voted to shut down the nation’s second-largest school system effective Monday, citing concerns over the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The district has about 900 campuses serving more than 670,000 children and adult students. The San Diego Unified School District will also shut down effective Monday. Distri
Coronavirus And Parenting: What You Need To Know Now 14-Minute Listen Download The coronavirus is raising a lot of questions for parents, like what does it mean to work from home while parenting young children? Westend61/ Getty Images We are education reporters by day and parents by night (and day). But, in recent weeks, our two worlds have collided, with parents and educators equally concerned
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG CATCH UP NOW Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Coronavirus Crisis: Nearly One-Quarter of Schools Have No School Nurse by dianeravitch / 39min Jersey Jazzman documents a crucial shortage in school nurses, who serve multiple roles in protecting the health of children in
Covid-19 Is Breaking My Heart We all know what to do: wash your hands, cough into your elbow, stay home if you're feeling ill, avoid large crowds, especially stay away from people who are visibly sick, and maybe don't go visit grandma for the time being. That last one depresses me beyond measure. My mother-in-law is currently a dementia resident of a memory ward in an assisted living facility. T
With Voucher Impasse, Ohio Legislature Abrogates It’s Constitutional Responsibility for Our Public Schools Ohio’s House and Senate are stuck. They even seem to have stopped arguing about their two different plans to end a public school crisis caused by the surreptitious expansion last summer (in the conference committee on the state budget) of the EdChoice school voucher program. On February 1st
Schools and coronavirus: listen to the experts Today, Governor Cuomo held a press conference where he announced that all gatherings with more than 500 people in the state would be banned from now on, and any gathering under 500 would have to cut their legal occupancy level in half, in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Yet schools and public transit will be exempt from these directives
DeVos Actually Sparks Bipartisan Action In Senate You may recall that Betsy DeVos really, really, really hates the idea of forgiving the loans that students took out to attend what turned out to be fraudulent predatory not-so-good for-profit universities, to the point that when she had to sign off on loan forgiveness paperwork left over from the previous administration, she felt compelled to add
Listen to Trusted Expert Advice: Coronavirus, Schools, Fear and an Uncertain Future This was going to be a busy week, meetings, events, every day, planning for events over the next few weeks. My phone began to ping, one by one the meetings/events were postponed and/or cancelled. An event I was sponsoring, six weeks down the road, after consultation, I postponed. The NCAA March Madness basketball
The Coronavirus: An Illuminating Bug Jack Halberstam’s brilliant book, The Queer Art of Failure, offers an essential insight for these terrible times: when things are “normal”—predictable, common-place, habitual—whether in one’s personal relations, work life, or politics, life putt-putts along at an expected pace with little fanfare, and without much thought or reflection. Then, an unanticipated
The Unknown Virus: A Personal Story San Angelo is in West Texas. The county seat between Abilene and the Mexican border. Farms, oil wells, and cattle ranches fenced with barbed wire dot the county. Blessed with a warm climate and reputation as a healthy place to live, in one year San Angelo added to its reputation in ways that city leaders dreaded.* In mid-spring, the newspaper reported that a l
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG CATCH UP NOW Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all California: Appeals Court Rules That Non-Profit Charter Schools Are Not Exempt from Taxation 32 by dianeravitch / 2h This decision was announced on March 11 : Metropolitan News-Enterprise Wednesday, March 11, 2020 Court of
Charter School Oversight Remains Weak In 2016, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called for a moratorium on new charter schools, citing many problems with these privatized schools, including poor performance, extensive waste, widespread segregation, and inadequate accountability. Oversight, transparency, accountability, and good governance have never been the
Human Capital Markets, Digital Identity, & the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals The following is a presentation that I had planned to make as an invited guest at Big Ocean Women’s Many Waves, One Ocean gathering in coordination with the 2020 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Due to the pandemic, the conference and all related events were cancelled. A decision was made
More than 1.3 million K-12 students in U.S. now affected by school closings related to coronavirus The number of K-12 students in the United States whose schools have closed or are scheduled to be because of the spread of the novel coronavirus is now more than 1.3 million, according to one comprehensive tally. Around the world, the number of students whose education has been interrupted by the v
St. Paul Educators are Striking Because their Students are Suffering The dedicated educators in St. Paul, MN that went on strike Tuesday know full well that it takes wraparound supports for the city’s neediest children to have a fair and substantive opportunity to learn. They’ve gone on strike after ten months of failed contract negotiations because their students are suffering—and their #1 dema
Florida: House Passes Bill to Protect “Parents’ Rights” vs. School System The Florida House passed a bill to protect “parents’ rights” against decisions by the school system. The House advanced sweeping, if aspirational, legislation codifying a parent’s “bill of rights” on Monday. The vote in favor was 77-41. The House version (CS/HB 1059), sponsored by Rep. Erin Grall, now includes a technical
Is Penn Foster High School Diploma Legit ? Let us discuss few most asked questions like Is Penn Foster good, Is it’s High School Diploma legit and how about the legitimacy of other online courses it offers. Penn Foster is your online education partner that helps you learn on the go. We know you want to learn but something or the other pulls you away from the thought. Well, not anymore! Whether i
Why It Might Matter To Close Your School It’s understandable to look at the fatality and even incidence rate of Covid-19 here in Los Angeles and think: “ Huh? Why the panic; far, far more people die of the flu annually, and we’re all healthy here. A little cold’s no big deal, most people will survive, particularly kids, and besides, I have no way to care for (or feed) the kids during the daytime
TODAY’S NEW RESOURCES FOR TEACHING ONLINE IF SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED Seattle schools and other announced closures today, and it looks like things will only get worse. Here are new additions to The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coronavirus) – Please Make More Suggestions!: Coronavirus Has Led to a Rush of Online Teaching. Here’s Some Advice for Newly Remote Instruct
Administration Matters This tweet turned up the other day. Fixing Education @FixingEducation I interviewed a teacher who is leaving the profession in June. I asked her why she was quitting. Her response: “I was told to teach to the test...that if it’s not a test-taking skill, don’t teach it. I didn’t become a teacher to help kids become better test-takers.” # EdChat 1,473 3:36 AM - Mar 9, 2020 T
John White Is Officially Out; Deputy Beth Scioneaux Becomes La.’s Acting Superintendent March 11, 2020, marked John White’s last day as Louisiana superintendent. On his Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) bio, White began sometime between March 2019 and July 2019 to identify himself as “the longest serving state education chief in the nation.” He does not mention the political maneuvering a
Open Letter to LAUSD Board regarding Citizens of the World Charter School Corporation A copy of this letter was sent to each individual member via email March 11, 2020 Dear Members of the Board of Education: I am an educational rights attorney and law professor here in Los Angeles. I am writing you regarding the Citizens of the World Charter School Corporation (“CWC Corp.”), an alleged non-profi
This and that Dear friends and colleagues, I am hoping, maybe unrealistically, that I can walk well enough to ring doorbells by the fall. Even if not for Warren or, I have not given up yet – Sanders. It will make me feel less useless. And while I immensely enjoy visits to and from family and friends, reading or listening to books and doing crossword puzzles — and slogging thru 100 emails et al a
A Hidden History of Integration and the Shortage of Teachers of Color Evelyn J. Chatmon, the first African American female assistant superintendent in Baltimore County Public Schools , grew up under Jim Crow in Maryland during the 1940s and 50s. Even though she could see the white elementary school from her house, she had to ride a bus for more than an hour to the black school, where there was n
Oklahoma Trauma Summit provides hope, but teachers need funding Oklahoma Trauma Summit provides hope, but teachers need funding On Feb. 17, nearly 10,000 Oklahoma educators gathered in the Cox Convention Center to hear Dr. Bruce Perry’s keynote address at the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s 2020 Trauma Summit . In his two-hour presentation, Perry, a psychiatrist , explained how children
Senators press Betsy DeVos on Education Department’s coronavirus response A group of Democratic senators are pressing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to answer some key questions about her agency’s response to the spread of the novel coronavirus across the country, especially about how it plans to help vulnerable students. More than 20 senators sent a letter late Tuesday urging answers from the
When Should Schools Close For Coronavirus? The spread of coronavirus has compelled hundreds of K-12 schools in the U.S. to close, affecting more than 750,000 students, according to an analysis by Education Week . And those numbers are certain to increase in the coming days, as concerned parents call for more school closures. The growing health crisis presents school leaders with a painful choice
Another Study: Students Experience Academic Decline in Virtual Charter Schools I have posted repeatedly here about the dismal academic results of virtual charter schools. Students have high attrition rates, low test scores, and low graduation rates. This finding has been reported again and again. In 2015, CREDO at Stanford said that students lose almost a year of learning in math when they atten
Coronavirus is poised to inflame inequality in schools Schools are not ready to take education entirely online he threat of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, is forcing educators across the country to think about what they’ll do if they have to close their schools for weeks or even months at a time. State and federal agencies have advised schools to create online learning plans to minimize the di
Why Are Charter Schools Bad for Public Education Many students believe that they need to manage all the tasks independently. It is definitely a sign that a student has become independent and ready to handle personal and professional problems on his/her own. However, this approach doesn’t always work. Sometimes, assistance is needed. When there are too many homework assignments, a student cannot
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY The latest news and resources in education since 2007 ‘Culturally Responsive Teaching Is Not a Quick Fix’ by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Five educators share culturally responsive teaching
Coronavirus quarantines could rob poor, rural students of access to education Nearly 12 million children live in homes lacking a broadband connection. If the coronavirus forces schools to shut down for long stretches of time, millions of students will struggle to keep up because they don’t have broadband to do schoolwork at home. What’s known as “the homework gap” could be devastating for studen
St. Paul Educators Strike, Demand Mental-Health Supports in School “We sent up red flags—large, large red flags—and were completely ignored,” says one St. Paul, Minnesota, educator. Meanwhile, “there [are] multiple children in each classroom in desperate need of extra time, attention, and care.” With these children and their critical needs in mind, St. Paul educators went on strike on Tuesday fo
Anxiety in the Time of COVID-19: Toilet Paper Edition A few days ago, I noticed the back-up stack of toilet paper was low. I paused, thinking about the urgency to go buy more toilet paper. I have never been one to let anything run out, and I tend to buy double of things I use often anyway. But these are not ordinary times, and in one of the oddest twists of irrational panicking, many people acro
School Privatizers and Education Disrupters Keep Reinventing Themselves For over a year, I have listened to parents and school board members from Indianapolis complaining about a group called The City Fund, which is somehow connected to something called The Mind Trust, and which has been investing in the expansion of charter schools. But the organization has managed to emerge relatively quietly
Virtual Parent Teacher Night, Great. Now, What About Every Other Day? This morning I drove to work. I left my home at 6 AM as per usual. I was thinking a lot about the proposed parent-teacher night, the one in which no parents are coming to school. I'm also getting a lot of email about it. Are we doing this in our school? Yes we are. It's citywide. How am I going to call 170 parents? You aren't.
I Would Rather Do Anything Else Than Grade Your Final Papers (Robin Lee Mozer) All teachers have to read and evaluate student work. It is part of the territory that teachers inhabit. To classroom comrades we voice our occasional distaste for the inexorable round of homework and papers that pile up on our desks and at home waiting for comments and grades. Robin Lee Mozer, Assistant Professor at t
Joe Biden is Not a Friend of Public Schools- but, he is not as bad as Trump With Joe Biden one of only two leading candidates remaining in the Democratic primary, voters deserve to know the truth about his record on public education. Years of thwarting desegregation efforts, pushing privatization, and imposing high-stakes testing make it clear that Joe Biden cannot be trusted to defend our publi
California Department of Education Receives Special Federal Approval That Enables Districts to Feed Students During Coronavirus-Related Closure SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) has received a special waiver called CA COVID19 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will enable a school district that had previously been approved to operate the Summer Foo
Our Future: Amazon is Coming to a School Near You (Part 2) | National Education Policy Center Our Future: Amazon is Coming to a School Near You (Part 2) This is the second of a two-part article by Jeff Bryant on Career and Technical Education (CTE). Click here to read part one. The national discussion about the movement to privatize America’s public schools has mostly focused on the issues of cha
Message to Presidential Candidates: "We want sustainable community schools!" Remarks by Jitu Brown were one of the highlights of the recent Public Education Forum 2020 , which featured the top Democratic presidential candidates in this year’s race. Brown, National Director of the Journey for Justice Alliance (J4J), delivered a poignant message about the state of public education, and the continu
Schools hamstrung over feeding students as coronavirus leads to closures USDA can make some exceptions to its meals programs but most districts will have to fend for themselves on how to feed poor students. There is no Meals on Wheels system for delivering food door-to-door to low-income students. School officials are growing increasingly anxious over how to keep feeding the nearly 22 million st
Is it really a good idea to close schools to fight coronavirus? Students in the Lake Washington School District in the Seattle suburbs were so nervous about the novel coronavirus they started a petition urging officials to close the schools. No one in a classroom had been diagnosed with the disease, but more than 15 people in the region had died of it, and students thought: Why take a chance? Di
Audrey Watters: Will the Ed-Tech Industry Take Advantage of the Coronavirus Crisis? Audrey Watters reminds us of Rahm Emanuel’s immortal words, “Never allow a good crisis to go to waste.” And she see the enthusiasts of the ed-tech industry ready to pounce and take advantage of the current crisis. She lives in Seattle, possibly the epicenter of the crisis. She writes: Some schools in the Seattle
Coronavirus Front And Center It’s hard to concentrate on mundane daily life when a novel virus is spreading inexorably through interconnected human communities across the globe. Best to muster authoritative information close: The CDC on handwashing, why and how . Superintendent Beutner’s version of same . On “preparations”, why slowing disease matters . CV daily reports from California’s Public
Betsy DeVos Says She Was Planning to Close All Schools Anyway WASHINGTON ( The Borowitz Report )—As an increasing number of schools and universities closed down because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, revealed on Monday that she had been planning for years to close every school in the country anyway. Speaking to reporters in Washington, DeVos said, “When I took
Why as a Black high School teacher I’m endorsing Bernie Sanders: The campaign to “fix the hole in the soul of America.” I have spent my entire adult life as a teacher and organizer in support of educational justice, racial justice, and other movements for social justice—from building teacher’s union struggles to better fund our schools, to the antiwar movement, to Occupy Wall Street, to the stru
TFA Celebrates Five Baltimore ‘Turnaround’ Schools. One Is Still Ranked In The Bottom 1%. As an ashamed TFA alum, I receive their quarterly alumni magazine, ‘One Day.’ In the most recent issue, which I also saw on their Twitter feed, was an article called ‘Undefeated: Inside Five Baltimore Turnaround Schools that Refuse to Fail .’ The article is about five Baltimore schools that are run by TFA a
OUSD Student Portal & Parent Portal : Where To Find? We will be discussing on how to access OUSD Student portal as well as parent portal in the easiest way. All the portal accesses are mentioned below so don’t forget to miss it anyway. Keep reading…. OUSD ( Oakland Unified School District ) Intro Situated in the Oakland city of the California State of the United States, Oakland Unified School Di
Is Online Learning The Answer For The Coronavirus Closed Schools? With the rapid spread of the Corona Virus, there has been a clarion call for schools to close and immediately shift to online learning in the interest of health and safety. With all that has been written and talked about in regard to “online learning” over the last decade, the perception is that now is a great time to put tech to
COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT WHITE ON DC EDUCATION MATTERS: MARCH 12 On Thursday March 12 on Education Town Hall, we will be joined in studio by At-Large DC Council Member Robert White , who has been on the Committee on Education since he was elected to the Council in 2016. Listen LIVE Thursday, March 12, 11 AM EASTERN, via TuneIn or by visiting We Act Radio and clicking on arrow at upper left. Shows a
DeVosian Priorities and Public Service There's nothing new to see here, but it's still worth noting what DeVos tells us about her priorities. From a recent interview with a conservative Christian podcas t-- let me just set these side by side: "I was fortunate enough to be born into a family that raised me to make my faith my own," she said. "I had exposure from my first memories to weekly church
Headlines: Elections, Charter Co-Locations and Coronavirus And just like that, the focus switches from School Board elections and Prop. 13 [2020] (RIP!) , to the Coronavirus and the District’s response. The District has been emailing and calling LAUSD parents daily and posting even more regular updates on Twitter . While LAUSD’s response has been proactive and competent, LAUSD admits that the po
California districts complain proposed state budget won’t cover expenses Cost of living adjustment is smaller than they had assumed. A fraction of 1 percent is creating stress for school superintendents. California districts have been building their budgets for next year under the assumption they’ll get a 3 percent cost of living adjustment. Instead, Gov. Gavin Newsom has included an adjustment
30,000 Kids in Puerto Rico Are Going Back to School Monday — in Tents “Even though the ground isn’t shaking, sometimes you feel like it is, and you get scared.” PENUELAS, Puerto Rico — About 30,000 students in Puerto Rico’s southern region are going back to school Monday after a two-month delay caused by January’s earthquake. But with a high chance of another quake and the schools a long way fro
LeBron James produces docuseries about Akron’s I Promise School set for release in April on Quibi AKRON, Ohio -- LeBron James’ media company has produced a documentary series about the I Promise School in Akron that is set for release in April on the Quibi app. “I Promise” details the first academic year inside the I Promise School, which was opened in 2018 by Akron Public Schools and the LeBron
John Ogozalek: What Teachers Can Do to Help During Epidemic Crisis John Ogozalek teaches in rural upstate New York. He writes: Let’s hope we dodge this bullet as a nation. But it sounds like the COVID-19 pandemic is starting to go sideways. What if schools close for weeks -if not months? What will teachers do during this time off? (Assuming we’re not taking care of family in our own homes.) And,
It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON CLASSROOM INST
Wendy Lecker, Civil Rights Lawyer, Reviews SLAYING GOLIATH Wendy Lecker is a civil rights lawyer for the Education Law Center who writes regularly for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group and the Stamford (CT) Advocate. https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Wendy-Lecker-A-fighter-against-bad-education-15111892.php She writes: Diane Ravitch is rare in American public policy — a public figur
Will Teachers Listen to Their Own Message? A STATE THAT HATES ITS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Last year around this time I listed a short (recent) history of the ways the Indiana Republican-dominated legislature and governors hated Indiana’s public schools. In Indiana: Still hating public education after all these years I discussed how the legislature, under the leadership of Governors Daniels and Pence rest
DeVos Defends Trump’s Education Budget. Will Democrats Stick to Promises for Something Better? Betsy DeVos has been on Capitol Hill in recent weeks trying to defend an indefensible, fiscal year 2021 Education Department budget proposal. She has testified to House and then Senate appropriations subcommittees, where members of Congress deserve credit for defending common sense and the common good
The Gates Team Wants To Swing For The Education Fences. Maybe There’s A Better Way For Them To Play. It says something about Bill Gates that after using the expression “swing for the fences” in the title of his foundation’s annual letter , he also feels the need to explain it: That’s a phrase many Americans will recognize from baseball. When you swing for the fences, you’re putting every ounce o
AND SO WE PERSIST (ON LUZMARIA ROJAS-VILSON AND ELIZABETH WARREN AND …) I’m watching her wince through her knee injury. She forces her hips and legs to cooperate while she walks gingerly to the couch. It wasn’t always like this. After graduating from Columbia University with a master’s degree in administration, she went directly to an alternative transfer high school to teach students from ages
Why Don't Schools Have Hand Sanitizers? The DOE is responsible not only in funding and hiring school nurses but should be supplying all schools with adequate toiletries and especially hand sanitizers. Again if the DOE is failing in their mission to supply hand sanitizers, then principals should be using their budget to pay for them. They should folow the example of the hospitals with no touch ha
Fla. pols outraged by nonprofit waste - unless it's their own - YouTube Fla. pols outraged by nonprofit waste - unless it's their own Do you remember the outrage just a few weeks ago after it was reported the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence had paid its CEO $millions in taxpayer money? In response, the governor issued an executive order demanding accountability from nonprofits that re
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Losing An Hour Edition (3/8) Losing An Hour Edition (3/8) Surely it's about time to end this whole Daylight Savings baloney. Because as I sit here this morning, it hardly seems worth it. But here's some reading from the week: Voucher Programs Undermine Religious Liberty The Baptist Joint Committee posts this piece in opposition to voucher programs being used to drain public
Schools and the Coronavirus Close the schools, an anxious neighbor says on Nextdoor (a local online bulletin board), when a parent of two school children in the community in which I live became infected with the coronavirus. Public schools so far have remained open but nearby private schools have closed. Stanford University suspended face-to-face classes for next week telling faculty to teach on
NJ School Nurses: A Data-Driven View In my last post , I note that one in five U.S. public schools has no nursing coverage. Given the COVID-19 outbreak, this is disturbing. School nurses are on the front lines of pediatric care, and a critical part of any response this nation will have to a pandemic. Every American child deserves access to a qualified, well-trained school nurse. Ed Fuller at Pen
'Chilling': Erik Prince Recruited Ex-Spies to Help Project Veritas Infiltrate Groups 'Hostile' to Trump Agenda "They didn't succeed in their attempt to hurt our union," said American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, "but note what the right wing will do to try to eliminate workers' voice. " An explosive New York Times report revealed Saturday that notorious war profiteer Erik P
Northern California’s largest school district cancels classes amid coronavirus fears The largest school district in Northern California, the Elk Grove Unified School District, canceled classes and sports games through Friday after a family associated with the Elk Grove Unified School District was exposed to the new coronavirus and placed on quarantine to see if they were infected with coronaviru
What Could Happen if the Coronavirus Closed Schools for Days, Weeks, or Even Months We can get a sense of what to expect from Hong Kong, where students have already been out of school for more than a month. On Wednesday afternoon, Pete Lewis—the superintendent of the public-school district of the small town of Colville, in the northeast corner of Washington State—was awaiting the test result tha
EdAction in Congress March 8, 2020 - Education Votes EdAction in Congress March 8, 2020 Schools and coronavirus: what you need to know Congress took quick, bipartisan action to address the public health emergency posed by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. An $8.3 billion emergency supplemental appropriations package passed the House 415-2, and the Senate 96-1. In a letter to lawmak
The Phoenix: A New Newsletter from San Jose Youth Organizing Group The Phoenix: A New Newsletter from San Jose Youth Organizing Group Recently, we found a newsletter called “The Phoenix” from a San Jose Youth Organizing Group called 50/50 crew. This group formed all due to frustration with non-profit & college campus organizing. So thought of sharing with our readers. Find below: Disclaimer: Here
Sen. Bernie Sanders or V.P. Joe Biden: Who is the Better Presidential Candidate for Education? Public schooling is one of the most important issues of our time. Without great public schools, how will America’s children grow up to find their strengths, seek the paths that bring them joy, and create a better world for themselves and future generations? Our world faces many problems, and it will ta
Let The Next Round Of Anti-Semitic Ads Begin The battle over whether or not the Los Angeles Unified School Board is controlled by supporters of public education and the UTLA or ‘school choice’ and unfettered charter school expansion remains up in the air. ” – Los Angeles Education Examiner Those supporting public education in the Los Angeles Unified School District had everything to lose in Tues
“Messing around the Edges,” Should NYS Take a Deep Dive into All Educational Structures and Policies? Every month the seventeen members of the Board of Regents convenes in Albany, the members, elected by a joint meeting of both houses of the state legislature for five year terms, they represent the judicial districts across the state. A diverse group, by gender, race, and background; former educ
Does Oakland Have Too Many Schools The district of Oakland has far too many schools which include both public and charter schools in the neighborhood. Accordingly, many people have asked the question if Oakland has too many schools. There are some issues of enrollment but the high number of schools developed is not just based on that alone. Rather than looking at it as a simplified question, one
THE WAR AGAINST UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE IS 70 YEARS OLD In 1948 President Truman, with a Democratic majority of both houses of Congress, set out to pass a health care program for all Americans. It did not pass. Why? The AMA hired notorious political consultants Whitaker and Baxter. With $3.5 million of the AMA’s money they launched a “National Education (or rather a miseducation) Campaign” to defe
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 3/7/20 ‘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