Trump Describes His Plans for Education
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When Donald Trump appeared recently in Milwaukee, he described his plan for
the future of the Department of Education. It’s not quite the same as the
scena...
Curriculum As Foundation
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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
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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 (??)
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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
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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’
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“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
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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”
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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”
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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
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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
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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
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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...
Could there be a "Silver Wave" for Harris/Walz?
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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!
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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
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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...
Time to Rein in Vouchers
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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
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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...
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:
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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...
-
*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
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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
-
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!
-
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
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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
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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...
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 →
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
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The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run
education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The
New T...
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
-
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
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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...
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
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
-
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...
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 11/28/20 ‘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 TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 11/21/20 #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #COVIDOUTBREAK #BIDENWINS #46 TOP POSTS THIS WEEK
Why Are Embezzlement, Fraud, and Indictments So Rampant in the Charter School Sector? | Dissident Voice Why Are Embezzlement, Fraud, and Indictments So Rampant in the Charter School Sector? The simple answer is that there are lax standards, poor oversight, and little accountability in the segregated charter school sector. This decades-old set-up is consciously built into many charter school laws,
Opinion | Most schools should close and stay closed through winter - The Washington Post Most schools should close and stay closed through winter In recent weeks, prominent economists , public health experts and commentators have argued that schools shouldn’t be closing because they aren’t major contributors to the surge in covid-19 cases. I disagree. With much of the United States engulfed in ex
No, There Really Doesn't Need To Be A Big Spring Test In 2021 Many folks fear that schools will not trot out the Big Standardized Tests this spring, that neither the pony nor the dog will be called on to perform. Among those people, you can count Chester E. Finn, Jr., Big Boss Emeritus of the Fordham Institution and former player in the U.S. ed department; nowadays he serves the Hoover Instituti
I'm Thankful, and We're Lucky COVID is a plague, and it strikes at the whole world. People are sick, People are dying. The national government is even more inept than the city government, and that's saying something. It's hard to conceive of a national government that would ignore a plague because they originally saw it affecting only blue states , but given their incredible mendacity, it's easy
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Pandemic Teaching – What’s up? Pandemic Teaching – What’s up? Responding to the call from Pocketful of Primary to answer questions about how teaching during the pandemic is going. Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Pandemic Teaching – What’s up?
Contact Tracing Does NOT Prove Schools Are Safe During a Pandemic “No close contacts were identified within the school district.” That’s what it says on today’s email from my district reporting that two elementary staff and one student tested positive for COVID-19. That’s what it said on Tuesday’s email about a different elementary staff member testing positive. And the email from last Sunday ab
School Marketing Is A Thing-- But Not A Good One When school choice advocates tout their vision for the future, it has tended to be a picture of parents soberly examining hard data about possible schools in order to select the "best" or "most fitting." But if folks are going to great education like a commodity, then it's going to be sold like toasters or breakfast cereal or panty hose. And that
POST TURKEY DAY BLUES “Do not think of knocking out another person’s brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago.” ― Horace Mann Another Thanksgiving has passed, and while this ye
Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. POST TURKEY DAY BLUES by TC Weber / 18h “Do not think of knocking out another person’s brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago.” ― Horace Mann Another Thanksgiving has passed, and while this year was markedly different than past years,
Teacher Tom How Brains Grow 1K 1d NOV 26 I'm Thankful to Have a Day Like This 81 2d NOV 25 To Know Life Intimately and Lovingly 100+ 3d NOV 24 Something That Always "Works" 2K 4d NOV 23 The Skills That Will Make Tomorrow 100+ 5d NOV 20 Getting Into and Out of Predicaments 63 8d Teacher Tom
California Department of Education SSPI THURMOND STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Tip Sheet: CACFP Meal Service During COVID-19 3d The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division has created a new tip sheet to assist Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Operators who are conducting meal service during the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandem
NewBlackMan (in Exile) Kevin Young Reads Angelina Weld Grimké’s poem ‘The Black Finger’ by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d ' Kevin Young , who edited a new anthology of Black poetry, reads Angelina Weld Grimké ’s poem “The Black Finger.” No book of poetry from Angelina Weld Grimké was published during her lifetime, though her poems did appear in newspapers and other publications in the 1920s, which means
Education Research Report Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education: 2020 Supplement by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 4d Complete report Higher education in the United States is more diverse now than at any time in its history. Over the last 20 years alone, the share of undergraduate students who identify as a race other than White has increased from approximately 30 percent to about 45 percent (Espinosa e
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 ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES,
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 Trump’s Rush to Cripple the Federal Government by dianeravitch / 38min Timothy O’Brien, a biographer of Trump, wrote the following at Bloomberg News: Now that Donald Trump’s administration has allowed Joe Biden’s team to formally begin its transi
Schools Struggle To Stay Open As Coronavirus Sidelines Staff Around the country, contact tracing and isolation protocols are sidelining school employees and closing school buildings. COLUMBUS, OH — The infection of a single cafeteria worker was all it took to close classrooms in the small Lowellville school district in northeastern Ohio, forcing at least two weeks of remote learning. Not only di
US Education: 5 Ways Biden Can “De-DeVos” the System Teachers and other education advocates are feeling giddy at the possibility of moving forward a progressive agenda that the current education secretary, Betsy DeVos, stopped dead in its tracks four years ago. President-elect Joe Biden campaign’s policy director, Stef Feldman, told the Education Writers Association that as president, Biden woul
How Brains Grow When our daughter was a preschooler, authority figures informed parents that the human brain was fully formed by around five-years-old. After that, there would be no new brain cells, which was why, they told us, the early years were so important. These were the scientific facts. Just a few days ago, a parent of a preschooler told me that the director of her child’s school told th
A Well-Rounded Education Cannot be Digitized I am about one-fourth of the way into Jack Schneider’s and Jennifer Berkshire’s A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of Public School. As I experience one in three of my students in quarantine related to COVID-19, I am keenly aware of how limited computer-delivered education is absent immediate, in-person,
Selling Edtech when Disguised as Philanthropy By Thomas Ultican 11/27/2020 “Personalized learning” is being driven by foundations derived from companies that stand to profit by its implementation. Last year, George Mason’s Priscilla Regan and the University of Ottawa’s Valerie Steeves wrote the peer review paper “ Education, privacy, and big data algorithms: Taking the persons out of personalize
Respect for Teaching: One Person’s Tale Most of my adult life I have been a teacher. And on this day of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for the six decades I have been with students. As a teacher, however, I winced whenever someone disrespected what I and others did not only for a living but a calling. Sometimes I did more than wince by responding in words at the moment or wrote about it later. One
Special Report: To reopen or not to reopen – That is the fraught question for U.S. schools By Kristina Cooke, Benjamin Lesser and M.B. Pell (Reuters) - After a two-week deluge of calls and messages from parents - and at least one death threat - the school board in Chandler, Arizona, called a special meeting this fall. The board would revisit its decision, prompted by the coronavirus, to temporar
We let school buildings crumble for years - that neglect is locking kids out Rundown schools forced more students to go remote Government refused to fund crumbling schools for years. Now the neglect has locked children out of learning. Yvette Alston-Johnson was seething when she got the news. Children in Paterson, New Jersey would not be allowed to go to school in-person this fall, while many of
I'm Thankful to Have a Day Like This I have so many things for which to be thankful. At the top of my list is our daughter (who, like many young people, is spending Thanksgiving away from us today) and my wife to whom, as of two days ago, I've now been married for 34 years. I'm also thankful for my mother and father who I won't be seeing in a few hours, along with my brother and sister and their
Happy, Complicated Thanksgiving! This is the first time that any of us has experienced Thanksgiving in the midst of a national pandemic. Many people will heed the advice of doctors and cancel their family get-togethers. Others will gather in small groups, hopefully with masks and social distancing. A strange holiday, as will be Christmas and New Year’s. I want to wish you and your families a Hap
Should COVID vaccinations be required for students? For school staff members? On Friday I stood on a COVID testing line for four hours, a lovely day, chatting with my line mates, their bosses had given them time off; they needed a negative COVID test in order to fly somewhere. The test, the nose swab, took minutes and my phone beeped with the results before I was home. (Negative). I’m staying at
SOMETIMES IT’S WHAT YOU DON’T SAY “The slickest way in the world to lie is to tell the right amount of truth at the right time-and then shut up.” ― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land Another Tuesday night and another board meeting has left me scratching my head – trying to decipher what I just witnessed. One thing that is becoming more and more clear is that the MNPS’s leadership is
The first thing Biden promised to do... Biden was at a candidates event in Houston with National Education Association members in July 2019 when he said: “First thing, as president of United States — not a joke — first thing I will do is make sure that the secretary of education is not Betsy DeVos. It is a teacher. A teacher. Promise.” -- WaPO Biden's cabinet is filling up fast. So far, once you
FL: Big Brother Is Watching Your Child Eyebrows shot up around the country this week a s the Tampa Bay Times reported on how the Pasco County Sheriff's Office keeps a secret list of "at-risk" kids who could “fall into a life of crime." Creating the list involves the office collecting and factoring a whole bunch of different you-probably-thought-they-were-confidential records, including records f
Defenders of US Public Schools Call on Biden to Ditch Trump's Disastrous Education Policies—and Obama's Too "50.8 million children who attend real public schools need a secretary of education who will be their advocate, not an advocate for privatization." Demanding an end to the failed policies that have dominated the United States for more than two decades, a coalition of public education advoc
To Know Life Intimately and Lovingly Author and poet Diane Ackerman writes: "(I)t probably doesn't matter if we try too hard, are awkward sometimes, care for one another too deeply, are excessively curious about nature, are too open to experience, and enjoy nonstop expense of the senses in an effort to know life intimately and lovingly." We live in a time of plague, and I don't mean Covid. The v
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Homeless families sue NYC over Wi-Fi installation, demand internet - New York Daily News - https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-homeless-families-shelters-wifi-internet-remote-school-de-blasio-20201124-imulnd36cvfwvhdbvebxthf6yi-story.html#new_tab via @nydailynews Marion County COVID: Parents seeking injunction against school closure
Laura Chapman: Who Is Behind the “Read by Third Grade or Be Retained” Campaign? Laura Chapman recently wrote about the policy of holding third grade students back if they didn’t pass the third grade reading test. One result of this initiative is to raise fourth-grade reading scores on state tests and NAEP. She writes: There is a national read-by-grade three campaign. The practice of holding stud
Coronavirus means school food is free across the U.S. What if it stayed that way? Free school meals, the gold standard for child nutrition advocates, may be one good thing to come out of the coronavirus’s effect on the future of education YAKIMA, Wash. — Tracy Renecker has been working almost nonstop since the coronavirus pandemic set in. A kitchen manager with the 16,000-student school district
6 Critical Education Issues To Watch At Thanksgiving 6 Critical Education Issues To Watch At Thanksgiving This is a tough Thanksgiving, especially for those who are ill or have lost loved ones. I wish for everyone renewed hope and wellness and that you have family and loved ones to stay in touch with and enjoy. That even if you don’t, you’ll find love and comfort in your lives during these trying
NY Times--Worst Education Reporting Anywhere I should know not to be surprised when the NY Times runs opinion pieces posing as news stories. It's a hallowed tradition. The first time I noticed it was in the 1980s, when we got the February break that every other school statewide already had. The Times reported that this was detrimental to working parents. How would they take care of the children
Donors Choose Belated Monday Orff and Robots Okay, so I got caught up in the business of holiday stuff and pandemic surge, and I forgot to post Monday. But I am continuing with making a modest weekly contribution to some classroom somewhere in this country. As I've said before, Donors Chose shouldn't be a thing because schools should be fully funded, but in the meantime, individual teachers in i
Los Angeles Charter School Games the System for More $$$ Parent advocate Carl J. Peterson writes here about a charter school in Los Angeles that figured out to game the system for more money and space. He writes that “Citizens of the World” collects signatures of parents who are not likely to apply for the school and uses them as expressions of intent to enroll. A Facebook post by Jirusha Lopez,
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_21.html Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement" - https:/
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all CHECK IT OUT: DIANE ON A ROLL TODAY Big Education Ape: KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/keep-up-catch-up-with-diane-ravitchs_21.html SomeDam Poet: Privatize the Planet by dianeravitch / 1h Our blog poet frequently favors with rhyme: P
Internet Data Caps Are Coming If you are a Comcast customer in the Northeast US, changes are coming. 2021 will bring caps for home internet customers in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, and DC, as well as selected slices of North Carolina and Ohio. There are reasons not to freak out. First,
As Louisiana Returns to Phase 2, Superintendents Want Shorter Quarantine As Louisiana moves back into a modified Phase 2 due to “the aggressive third surge of COVID-19 across all regions of Louisiana,” several Louisiana school superintendents are calling for “looser quarantine rules” for students who come into contact with individuals testing positive for coronavirus. When Louisiana moved into P
The importance of clean air in classrooms—during the pandemic and beyond The importance of clean air in classrooms—during the pandemic and beyond The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an increased focus on public health, particularly in school settings. From social distancing to testing regimes, education leaders are making serious changes to ensure that schools are safe for students, staff, an
Voters Have Spoken and They Support Children | First Focus on Children Voters Have Spoken and They Support Children A 2020 election-eve survey of voters by Lake Research Partners reflects a divided nation on politics but finds American voters bridge that divide in their common support of a better life for children. This vision includes ensuring that the “best interests” of children (81–13 percent
2020–21 Requirements for Collecting Free and Reduced-Price Meal Eligibility Data Used to Determine Supplemental and Concentration Grant Funding Tip Sheet: CACFP Meal Service During COVID-19 - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/tipsheetcacfpmealserv.asp Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators: 2020–21 Requirements for Collecting Free an
Gov. Cuomo: please call off the SHSAT, absolutely critical especially during a pandemic. The letter below was sent to Gov. Cuomo on Monday via his webform ; feel free to send your own thoughts on the matter. November 23, 2020 Dear Governor Cuomo, We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, write to request the issuance of an Executive Order to suspend the Specialized High Schools Admissio
The Have You Heard Graduate Student Research Contest Is Back! Are you a graduate student whose research on K-12 or higher education is ready for the podcast limelight? Then we have 30 minutes of prime audio real estate with your name on it. Have You Heard is a biweekly education policy podcast, featuring scholar Jack Schneider and journalist Jennifer Berkshire. Seeking to move past the headlines
What Biden actually promised about replacing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos On July 5, 2019, while talking with a crowd of K-12 teachers, Joe Biden promised that he would hire a teacher to replace Betsy DeVos as education secretary. Biden wasn’t the only Democratic presidential candidate to make such a promise. But now that he is the one who is going to be president, there is high interest abou
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Connecticut teachers unions call for all schools to move online-only after Thanksgiving unless coronavirus safety, transparency criteria are met - Hartford Courant - https://www.courant.com/coronavirus/hc-news-coronavirus-teacher-unions-call-for-remote-learning-20201123-zs5b5osjr5dt3ilp6bugvpwsyu-story.html#new_tab via @hartfordcourant
J4J Open Letter to President-Elect Biden The Journey for Justice Alliance (J4J), a grassroots education justice organization with dozens of local chapters across the country, highlighted candidate Joe Biden’s pledge to be “the best friend of public education” as they urged the President-Elect to choose a Secretary of Education committed to education justice. J4J’s open letter emphasizes the impo
Something That Always "Works" A two-year-old was standing at the gate, his fingers through the slats, crying after his mommy who had left. The grandmother of another child was sitting with him. I wanted to go take her place, not because she was doing anything wrong, but it was the first day of a summer session, I imagined she was there to enjoy it with her own grandson, and I see it as a big par
Kevin Welner: The Urgent De-Vos-Ing of the Department of Education I recently had the pleasure of reading Kevin Welner’s terrific new Onion-like book, “Potential Grizzlies: Making the Nonsense Bearable.” In tweets, I described Kevin as the Stephen Colbert and Groucho Marx of American education. Kevin and I had fun discussing the book on a Zoom sponsored by the Network for Public Education. ( WAT
Black students: Don’t let white efforts at miseducation deny your legacy Dear Black students: Don’t let white efforts at miseducation deny your legacy ‘The upholders of white supremacy have always tried to control us by obstructing our path to the schoolhouse through law, propaganda and duplicity. They are doing it again.’ Dear Black students, The last seven months have presented you with a whirl
What Happened to the School in New Orleans That Was First to Desegregate? You may recall the iconic painting of little Ruby Bridges, a first-grader, who was the first African American student to enroll in a previously all-white segregated school in New Orleans. If you don’t, be sure to read this article, which tells what happened to the William Franz Public School. Three scholars–Connie L. Schaf
To Test or Not to Test, That Is the Question Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether the mandated federal tests should be administered this spring. When the pandemic was first acknowledged last March, Betsy DeVos offered waivers to states that wanted to suspend the testing. Although Biden has publicly expressed disdain for standardized testing, there has been no hint of whether he will a
Charter School Promoters Complain About Inability to Pilfer More Public Funds | Dissident Voice Charter School Promoters Complain About Inability to Pilfer More Public Funds While they have constantly been at it, every now and then charter school advocates self-servingly complain more vociferously than usual about how they are unable to funnel even more public funds from public schools into the h
The False God Data Fails Again The dream of the Cult of Data is that for any issue, we simply design an instrument for collecting the data, analyze the Data, and select a solution suggested by the Data. Phrases like "data driven" or "data informed" are used to express the assumption that decisions backed by Data are inherently smarter, better, stronger, and wiser than Those Other Kinds of decisi
UFT Town Hall November 23, 2020 By special guest Mindy Rosier UFT President Michael Mulgrew % PM Thank you for coming on. Thank you for all you are doing. I want to use today to explain what we are dealing with. We have a lot to cover. I really wanted to do this Town Hall this week because it's Thanksgiving. Be safe, follow advice of the medical professionals. You all heard about instances of fa
As giving Tuesday approaches, please give generously to NPE and help us advocate for the public schools that you love. DONATE NOW In 2020, on our shoestring budget, here is some of what we accomplished. Important Investigations and Reports Broken Promises : This report is the first comprehensive examination of charter failure rates from 1999 to 2017. It documents that nearly 1 million schoolchil
WHAT’S A LITTLE LAW BREAKING AMONG FRIENDS? “The future is called ‘perhaps,’ which is the only possible thing to call the future. And the only important thing is not to allow that to scare you.” ― Tennessee Williams, Orpheus Descending I’ve been struggling this weekend with organizing some thoughts. Thoughts connected through two disparate sources – the release of ACT scores and my reading of Ka
NewBlackMan (in Exile) NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile_21.html Inside the Libertarian Plot to Tear Down Public Education by Mark Anthony Neal / 12h 'Historian Jack Schneider and journalist Jennifer Berkshire explore the right's systematic, decades-long attack on p
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_21.html All Ed Week Articles Are Freely Available For The Next Two Weeks by Larry
Ten Things I Used to Think I Used to Think was a writing and thinking prompt developed for students, part of the work done by Project Zero . Lately, we haven’t been all that interested in what students think , or how their thinking might change, given more information, dialogue and cogitation. Instead, we’ve been interested in raising their test scores by asking them to simply reproduce knowledg
Being White Is a Handout My 4.5 year journey as an undergraduate and the first five years teaching high school English were spent mostly in the Reagan era. While this was many decades before terminology such as “fake news” or “post-truth,” I literally lived during those years a painful and now embarrassing conversion from white denial and ignorance (believing in reverse discrimination, for examp
Schools bring mindfulness to the classroom to help kids in the Covid-19 crisis Mindfulness in schools is increasingly being used to help students with mental health and academic performance, but research on its effectiveness is not yet conclusive Doug Worthen guided his small class of ninth graders at Middlesex School through an exercise designed to focus their attention. On his screen, he saw t
Two School Districts Had Different Mask Policies. Only One Had a Teacher on a Ventilator. Eleven states let school districts decide whether students and staff must wear masks. One Georgia middle school where masks were optional became the center of an outbreak. On a balmy August morning in Emanuel County in eastern Georgia, hundreds of children bounded off freshly cleaned school buses and out of
What American teachers are telling their students about what Trump is doing Civics is a fundamental part of every American primary school curriculum. Yet there is no living American who has experienced a political moment as polarized as this one, where even teachers cannot speak of Trump or Biden without accusations of impartiality from either direction. Particularly now, as America’s democracy
A NEW NARRATIVE ABOUT THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, TOO [MEDIUM] For EduColor’s Medium blog, I wrote a bit more about the Secretary of Education using some inspiration from Vanessa Siddle Walker’s The Lost Education of Horace Tate , a must read: “I’ve witnessed how the narrative of public schooling and education writ large has forced parents to run towards alternatives, even when those alternative
Schools and the Economy–Not Yet a Faddish Idea Fashions in ideas, like clothes, change with the times. But when they are in fashion, they become the wisdom of the moment. Supply-side economics, embraced by the Republicans during the Reagan presidency, cut taxes and ran up unparalleled deficits. It was group-think wisdom. Sure there were critics but GOP champions called them nail-biting nay-sayer
What Is The Actual Purpose of Social and Emotional Learning I'm increasingly convinced that one of the reasons social and emotional learning (SEL) is such a matter of contention in education (and it has been, every time it has been it has been brought up under one guise or another) is that it requires us to look at the places where education bumps up against the really big questions-- what is th
Will President Joseph Biden Lead Us Toward Equity and Opportunity in the Public Schools? Betsy DeVos, the outgoing U.S. Secretary of Education, has been complaining about the public schools again. The public schools are, of course, the schools she is supposed to be supporting through the operation of her federal department. But as a lifelong promoter of vouchers for private and religious schools
The Skills That Will Make Tomorrow "Let's play Tiger Babies." "I want to be a polar bear baby." "You can't because tiger babies would eat polar bear babies." "That's not true! Polar bear babies eat tiger babies!" "That's not true!" I stepped closer because it was the sort of argument that could escalate, which is always the case when "truth" is at stake. And truth is always at stake when childre
A Lesson for Those Who'd Vilify Teachers It's always edifying to get the libertarian point of view, and it's not at all surprising to find it in the pages of the NY Post . Writer Matt Welch sheds copious crocodile tears over how schools are failing poor children. You know who they are. They're the kids UFT teachers wake up every single day to help and serve. Meanwhile libertarians fight to make
Close Connecticut’s Schools Now Stephen Singer, a teacher, calls on Connecticut to close its schools to save the lives of teachers and to keep students and their families safe. Hundreds of teachers have died from Covid-19. More than 1 million children have been diagnosed with the disease. Yet a bipartisan group of seven state Governors said in a joint statement Thursday that in-person schools ar
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_21.html This Week’s Resources To Support Teachers Coping With School Closures by
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES West Ada case dredges up debate over whether teacher strikes are legal in Idaho - https://idahoednews.org/IKXBm via @idahoednews Stuck on Mute: Kids in Juvenile Lockups Can’t Be Seen or Heard by Teachers During Remote Learning https://www.thecity.nyc/2020/11/19/21578814/kids-in-juvenile-lockups-cant-be-seen-or-heard-by-teachers-during-remote-learning via @THECITYNY No
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Here Comes Thanksgiving Edition Here Comes Thanksgiving Edition Well, the holiday certainly feels heavily weighted this year, doesn't it. Will people get together? Will people die because they couldn't bear not to see Grampa cut the turkey? And how hard will it be for some folks to think of something to be thankful for? Yes, this is going to be a fun week. In the meantime,
EdAction in Congress November 22, 2020 McConnell confirms more judges, refuses to act on COVID-19 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continues to focus on confirming conservative judges even as COVID-19 reaches new heights—nearly 12 million cases and a quarter-million deaths—and the expiration of previously enacted relief looms. Measures that expire at year’s end include the suspensio
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_21.html Excellent Guide To Having Conversations Includes A Lot Of Wisdom For Teac
Justin Parmenter: Don’t Blame Educators Who Get COVID Justin Parmenter, an NBCT teacher in North Carolina, published this article in the Charlotte Observer. As COVID-19 rates skyrocket in North Carolina and more educators lose their lives to the virus, an unmistakable trend is starting to emerge: school districts falling all over themselves to claim the infected employee didn’t get the virus at
Burbank: Parents and District Debate Banning Books The school district of Burbank, California, is embroiled in a bitter debate about book banning. The books in questions are about racism , and black parents are complaining that the books are racist. Among the books that parents want removed are: Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , one of the most censored books in American literatu
Mercedes Schneider Reviews Douglas Harris’s Book About New Orleans Mercedes Schneider reviewed Douglas Harris’s book Charter City in Commonweal . As a teacher in Louisiana and a close observer of the politics of education, Schneider is well positioned to assess the claims on behalf of the all-charter NewOrleans district. Harris is a respected economist who heads the Education Research Alliance a
A Role That Needs More Attention and Support: The Principalship A Role That Needs More Attention and Support: The Principalship By Paul Bonner Not too long ago, I walked up to a register in a grocery store. The clerk noticed that I had a school district ID and asked, “Are you a teacher?” I replied, “I’m a principal.” She looked at me, smiled, and said sincerely, “I never knew what my principal di
We Need Pro-Public Education Leadership in the Department of Education Let's make sure that Joe Biden chooses a public education advocate for the next Secretary of Education. We need a leader who rejects corporate reforms, high-stakes testing and school privatization. It is time to rebuild our public schools. Send your letter to the Biden team today. Use our letter or create your own. We Need Pr
Another Rich Guy Wants To Fix Education Joel Greenblatt is a hedge fund guy from NYC who, like many hedge fund guys, has it All Figured Out and occasionally writes books to share his insights with rest of us. Of course, that includes education. It was Greenblatt and fellow Rich Guy John Petry who recruited Eva Moskowitz to take their little charter school, Harlem Success Academy, and turn it int
A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door Virtual Book Chat Virtual Book Discussion Date And Time Wed, December 9, 2020 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM PST Add to Calendar Location Online Event About this Event In A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Doo r, education historian Jack Schneider and journalist Jennifer Berkshire trace the war on public education to its origins, offering the deep backstory necessary to understand the
President-Elect Biden: Keep Your Promises! During the campaign, Joe Biden made clear commitments to support community public schools. He promised transparency and accountability for privately managed charter schools, as well as a ban on federal funding for charters operated for profit. He also unequivocally took a stand against standardized testing in a public meeting with hundreds of educators
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 11/21/20 ‘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 TOP POSTS THIS