Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, January 3, 2021

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: So I Guess This Is A New Year Edition (1/3)





So I Guess This Is A New Year Edition

 I'm not sure I've ever felt less enamored of our habit of celebrating the passing of an arbitrary line in the sand that we drew ourselves, but it's not the most terrible human activity, either, so carry on. Also cross your fingers and say a prayer for everyone going back to school tomorrow. In the meantime, here's some reading from the week.

The Bloom's Deception  

Greg Ashman challenges some common thoughts about the beloved taxonomy. Are higher orders really more important?

Remember This Year

Audrey Watters does a version of her annual review of the year piece, pulling no punches as always, and reminding us about ed tech amnesia.

An Idiot's Guide To the Philosophy of Education (Part 3)

Othmar's Trombone has been quiet for a while, but this week he popped back up continuing his series of irreverent looks at key philosophers of education, so here you go.

Yes, Virginia

This is a cool little piece about the annually celebrated girl who wrote That Letter and received That Reply. Turns out she grew up to be a teacher.

Pandemic Offers Opportunity to Reduce Standardized Testing  

That Josh Starr, CEO of PDK International, would write this piece is not exactly surprising, but that Education Next, the mouthpiece of the Fordham Institution axis of reformsterdom, would run it suggests that something's in the air right now. Let's hope. Also, add this to your bookmarked lists of good arguments for suspending testing.

The critical story of the "science of reading" and why its narrow plotline is putting our children and schools at risk.

The National Council of Teachers of English offers an excellent critique of the highly-popular-among-people-who-don't-actually-teach science of reading movement.

Penn State Hockey: Gadowsky away from family since July

My nephew is a sports writer specializing in Penn State sports. Here's a different kind of covid piece, about the university's hockey coach, who has sacrificed being with his own family in order to do the coaching job. One more cost of getting sports running so other folks can feel normal.

Trump's school choice executive order

The indispensable Mercedes Schneider explains why we don't have to give that EO another thought.

The President's executive order is vaporware

Here's a guest post on the reformy Jay Greene's blog, also explaining why we don't have to give that EO another thought. 

Amplify and iReady Claim Kindergarten and First Grade Reading Loss. Guess why.

Is it any wonder that much of the chicken littling about learning loss is coming from folks who hope to make a bundle "fixing" it? Nancy Bailey breaks down some of the baloney being sliced up.

St. Louis Public Education Theft Continues

Thomas Ultican looks in detail at the steady dismantling of St. Louis schools and where the situation stands currently.

Why the academic achievement gap is a racist idea.

This piece from Ibram X. Kendi ran back in 2016, but it poped up again this week and it is well worth a reread.

And finally, this tweet just made me laugh this week. If you don't get it, I can't help you.




Here’s What Needs To Be Done To Rebuild K-12 Education In This Country - https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2020/12/19/heres-what-needs-to-be-done-to-rebuild-k-12-education-in-this-country/?sh=4b50ef0c3a1c by @palan57 on @forbes

Why A Classroom Connection Matters For The Department Of Education - https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2020/12/22/why-a-classroom-connection-matters-for-the-department-of-education/?sh=5ac0d40b1407 by @palan57 on @forbes




The New York Times Adds One Plus One And Gets Three
You might have been excited yesterday if you saw a New York Times editorial board headline talking about " The Wreckage Betsy DeVos Leaves Behind " and thought that maybe, for a change, the greyest lady was going to stands up for public education. But then you read it. Sigh. There is much that they get right. They open by noting that the department has not just failed, but refused to lead, during
Why Students Should Learn To Use Tech Tools
Because some day you might be involved in a national-level effort to overthrow the results of an election, and you might have to file a legal document like this one... I really wanted to save this somewhere so that I could pull it out as an example some day, because this is just a special kind of awesome.
Another Round Of Teacher Bashing
Remember back in the spring (approximately ten years ago in 2020 time), when teachers were hailed as heroes for their tenacity and adaptability? Actually, if you're teacher, what you probably remember is hearing that for what often comes next. And sure enough, here we are. The attitude bubbles up in lots of outlets, sometimes snide and subvocalized, and sometimes right up in your face. A perfect
Schools And Social Capital
I'm in the middle of reading Robert Putnam's new book ( The Upswin g ) which has gotten me to thinking about his previous work, Our Kids . What has struck me in particular about the latter is his writing about social capital and
Trump Issues School Vouchers Via Executive Order
Monday the White House (if Donald Trump wrote this thing, then I'm the Queen of Rumania) issued an executive order "expanding educational opportunity school choice" to create "Emergency Learning Scholarships for Students." It instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services ( that would be Alex Azar ) to use funds from the Community Services Block Grant program top provide "emergency learning
Democrats Need A New Theory Of Action
For four years, Democrats have had a fairly simple theory of action when it came to education. Something along the lines of "Good lord, a crazy lady just came into our china shop riding a bull, waving around a flamethrower, and dragging a shark with a head-mounted laser beam; we have to stop her from destroying the place (while pretending that we have a bull and a shark in the back just like hers
ICYMI: Christmas Recovery Edition (12/27)
We're getting there, and by "there" I mean into whatever future we're about to build in the new year. In the meantime, here's this week's reading list. The Attack on Dr. Jill Biden Is Cloaked Hatred of Teachers and Public Ed While folks have been compiling lists if bad Wall Street Journal takes in 2020, the Epstein hit piece is often overlooked--but it was bad. Nancy Bailey pushes back. (Ye
No Test In 2021 (A BS Test Reader)
Among the many things that the new secretary of education really needs to do upon taking office, a big simple one is this--cancel the Big Standardized Test for 2021. I've been banging the "Get Rid of the BS Test" for years, but all the reasons it's a lousy, toxic, destructive-and-not-even-useful force in education are amplified a hundred-fold by our current pandemess. Many wise folks have pointed

CURMUDGUCATION - http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES #REDFORED #tbats #COVIDVACCINE #newyear #BestOf2020

 Big Education Ape

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES 



COVID and Schools: The Data and Science Then and Now | Cloaking Inequity - https://wp.me/p2D92I-5Ln via @ProfessorJVH

Teachers start getting coronavirus vaccines -- but only in some places - The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/01/03/teachers-coronavirus-vaccines/

Newsom offers $2 billion plan to bring back in-person instruction – Daily Democrat - https://wp.me/paheFg-ckVM

Covid-19 Live News: Confusion and Shortages Impede Some U.S. Vaccination Campaigns - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/03/world/covid19-coronavirus#a-teacher-whose-2018-class-video-made-her-a-national-sensation-dies-from-covid-19-at-35

Two Teachers Reflect On Lessons Learned Amid The Pandemic : NPR - https://www.npr.org/2021/01/03/952969809/two-teachers-reflect-on-lessons-learned-amid-the-pandemic on @NPR

Sunday’s Must-Read Articles & Must-Watch Videos On School Reopenings | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=114523 on @Larryferlazzo

Plunging enrollment hits Los Angeles Catholic schools - Los Angeles Times - https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-03/plunging-enrollment-threatens-los-angeles-catholic-schools

How D.C. and its teachers, with shifting plans and demands, failed to reopen schools https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/washington-dc-failed-school-reopening/2021/01/02/af6d6b56-2532-11eb-952e-0c475972cfc0_story.html?tid=ss_tw

Disney, Pixar and Netflix are teaching your children the wrong messages about pain | Salon.com - https://www.salon.com/2021/01/02/disney-pixar-and-netflix-are-teaching-your-children-the-wrong-messages-about-pain_partner/

The year that was: 2020 blew up the bathroom https://nondoc.com/2021/01/03/2020-blew-up-the-bathroom/ via @nondocmedia

Trump Plans to Keep Fighting Even After Congress Certifies Electoral College Votes | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-t12 via @dianeravitch

Broadway Stars: “Georgia on My Mind” | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-t1O via @dianeravitch


Breaking News: Trump Called Georgia Secretary of State and Pressured Him to Change State Vote | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-t2u via @dianeravitch




Sunday, December 27, 2020 CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: So I Guess This Is A New Year Edition (1/3)
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: So I Guess This Is A New Year Edition (1/3) So I Guess This Is A New Year Edition I'm not sure I've ever felt less enamored of our habit of celebrating the passing of an arbitrary line in the sand that we drew ourselves, but it's not the most terrible human activity, either, so carry on. Also cross your fingers and say a prayer for everyone going back to school tomorrow. In
THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES #REDFORED #tbats #COVIDVACCINE #newyear #BestOf2020
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES COVID and Schools: The Data and Science Then and Now | Cloaking Inequity - https://wp.me/p2D92I-5Ln via @ProfessorJVH Teachers start getting coronavirus vaccines -- but only in some places - The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/01/03/teachers-coronavirus-vaccines/ Newsom offers $2 billion plan to bring bac
Americans’ Secular Faith in Schooling (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Americans’ Secular Faith in Schooling (Part 1) I have completed a draft of my next book called “Confessions of a School Reformer.” The first part of the Introduction to the book follows. Just see wherever we peer into the first tiny springs of the national life, how this true panacea for all of the ills of the body politic bubbles forth—education, education, education. Andrew Carnegie, 1886 [i]
Teachers start getting coronavirus vaccines -- but only in some places - The Washington Post
When will teachers get vaccinated? Some already have — but most are nervously waiting A small number of teachers and school nurses in a few states have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but most are still waiting amid a stumbling rollout of the vaccine across the country. Even as a new, highly contagious strain of the coronavirus has been confirmed in some U.S. states and a few thousand p
The New York Times Should Add a Former Teacher to Its Editorial Board | Diane Ravitch's blog
The New York Times Should Add a Former Teacher to Its Editorial Board The New York Times published an editorial correctly blasting Betsy DeVos as the worst Secretary of Education in the 40-year history of the Department of Education. Unfortunately, the balance of the editorial was a plea to administer tests to find out how far the nation’s children had fallen behind because of the pandemic. This
Treehouse teaching and laundry art: Educators find creative ways to reach kids - The Washington Post
Treehouse teaching and laundry art: Educators find creative ways to reach kids The year 2020 was tough for everyone — and unprecedented for the U.S. educational system, which was forced to go online overnight, with innumerable glitches at the start and long-term consequences that are still becoming clear. But while school districts grappled with health metrics and decisions to open or close buil
A Warning: Who Is Paying for Your State’s Civics Courses? | Diane Ravitch's blog
A Warning: Who Is Paying for Your State’s Civics Courses? If you have a few minutes to do some research, you might wonder about the connections among these three links: First is from the extreme rightwing group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), funded by DeVos, Charles Koch, and major corporations. ALEC has 2,000 members who are state legislators. They get a free trip ever
A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007
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/2021/01/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos.html ‘I No Longer Give Grades on Student Writing Assignments, and It’s the Best T
Education Matters: Greene and the school boards silence is deafening
Greene and the school boards silence is deafening The pandemic is out of control as staff and students are about to return, and all we get is silence from the superintendent. Veteran teachers are about to get a pay cut and the school board a raise, and they have been silent on that as well. The district is pushing more children and staff back into schools without commenting on how both will be k
NYC Educator: What Is De Blasio Waiting For?
What Is De Blasio Waiting For? School buildings open tomorrow, despite an explosion of COVID in Fun City. You look at this and you have to ask yourself why exactly it's so important. There are a number of possibilities. The most obvious is that the upper middle class white community has leaned on him to keep schools open. I am, frankly, shocked at some of the people who have clamored for buildin
CURMUDGUCATION: The New York Times Adds One Plus One And Gets Three
The New York Times Adds One Plus One And Gets Three You might have been excited yesterday if you saw a New York Times editorial board headline talking about " The Wreckage Betsy DeVos Leaves Behind " and thought that maybe, for a change, the greyest lady was going to stands up for public education. But then you read it. Sigh. There is much that they get right. They open by noting that the depart
John Thompson: What Teachers Should Do When Schools Re-Open | Diane Ravitch's blog
John Thompson: What Teachers Should Do When Schools Re-Open John Thompson, historian and retired teacher in Oklahoma, followed the debate about what to do “after COVID,” and he shares his wisdom here. I’ve been wrestling with two quandaries regarding post-COVID schools. Yes, in the short-run, the tactical use of digital technology has been prioritized, but the longer term priority must be human-
Will they close school buildings in NYC in January? | JD2718
Will they close school buildings in NYC in January? There are so many issues with the QUESTION! Schools are open – the question is about the buildings Notice “school buildings”? That’s because our schools have remained open, and will remain open, for remote instruction. High Schools and Middle Schools are open – but those buildings are closed and will remain closed. Also, high school and middle
Isaac Asimov, January 2, 1920 | Live Long and Prosper
Isaac Asimov, January 2, 1920 On the occasion of Isaac Asimov’s 101st birthday, I offer some quotes relevant to today’s political and cultural environment. ON IGNORANCE A Cult of Ignorance , by Isaac Asimov. Newsweek, January 21, 1980 It’s hard to quarrel with that ancient justification of the free press: “America’s right to know.” It seems almost cruel to ask, ingenuously, ”America’s right to k

YESTERDAY

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 1/2/21 #REDFORED #tbats #COVID-19 #TOPBANANAHEADLINES #edsec #newyear #BestOf2020
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 1/2/21 ‘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 THE TOP 

 Big Education Ape