D.C. schools chancellor plans to expand use of standardized tests

D.C. schools chancellor plans to expand use of standardized tests

Rhee plans to expand use of standardized tests

Rhee aims to regularly assess every student to measure academic progress and teacher effectiveness.

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JAY MATHEWS

Class Struggle

Posted at 7:30 PM ET, 07/ 8/2010

Intriguing alternative to rating schools by tests

Foote said, compared to averages for New York City high schools in general, "consortium schools post a lower dropout rate, higher college-bound rate, and higher daily attendance." I would like to see comparison of academic results, but the consortium schools are excused from the state standardized tests, and the regular schools don't require a literary essay, a research paper, a science experiment and a higher math application with external evaluation, more's the pity.

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D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee

One in four California kids have never visited a dentist | California Watch

One in four California kids have never visited a dentist | California Watch

One in four California kids have never visited a dentist

by Joanna Lin

Joanna Lin

Latino and African-American children in California, whether covered by private insurance or Medicaid, visit dentists less frequently than their white counterparts. Overall, 24 percent of kids in the state have never been to the dentist.
The findings are part of a study on racial and ethnic disparities in dental care for children, published this month in the journal Health Affairs. The study analyzed data for nearly 11,000 children ages 11 and under in the 2005 California Health Interview Survey.
"We know that racial, ethnic disparities do exist" in dental care, said Nadereh Pourat, lead author of the study

ARTICLE

K–12

Despite state subsidies, class sizes begin to rise again in California schools

November 19, 2009, 4:15pm | Louis Freedberg

Most of California's largest districts are increasing K-3 class sizes, eroding the most expensive education reform in the state’s history.

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Less money for class-size reduction under Schwarzenegger budget

ARTICLE

K–12

VIDEO: Teachers say larger classes pose challenges

Educators discuss how class sizes affect their instruction at one San Fernando Valley school. 

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ARTICLE

K–12

MAP: Class sizes vary among state's largest districts

Explore this interactive map to see which K-12 districts are increasing the most in class size.

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ARTICLE

K–12

INTERACTIVE: Comparing student-to-teacher ratio nationwide

Select any state on this interactive graphic to see how it compares to California in terms of student-to-teacher ratio for public, K-12 schools.

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AFT Chief Discusses Evolution of Teacher Evaluations - Teacher Beat - Education Week

AFT Chief Discusses Evolution of Teacher Evaluations - Teacher Beat - Education Week

AFT Chief Discusses Evolution of Teacher Evaluations

by Stephen Sawchuk

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten had a sit-down chat with reporters after her keynote address to the AFT convention Thursday, and there was some in-depth discussion about what's probably the top teacher-quality issue on the table today: evaluation.

AFT officials have said for a while now that over 50 locals are piloting teacher-evaluation systems based on a framework developed by the union. I asked about these districts' progress in implementing the plans.

Some of them, like Pittsburgh, New Haven, Conn., and apparently now Cleveland, have put evaluations at the

Conservative Candidates Take Aim at Federal K-12 Role

As the GOP seeks to retake Congress, some hopefuls take sharp aim at the Education Department and the stimulus. (July 7, 2010)

Detroit Tries Something New: A School Run by Teachers

(July 8, 2010)

FEATURED BLOGS

TEACHER BEAT >•

AFT Chief Discusses Evolution of Teacher Evaluations

CURRICULUM MATTERS >•

AFT President Calls for a 'Rich, Well-Rounded' Curriculum

INSIDE SCHOOL RESEARCH >•

Federal Research Agency Proposes an Agenda

Some kids of Russian spies may stay, others to go - Boston.com

Some kids of Russian spies may stay, others to go - Boston.com

LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES

• Some kids of Russian spies may stay, others to go (AP, 7/8/10)
• Mass. House passes college name change bill (AP, 7/8/10)
• Civil rights expert named new Brandeis president (AP, 7/8/10)
• Conn. report: school abuse cases poorly handled (AP, 7/8/10)
• Conn. report: School abuse cases poorly handled (AP, 7/8/10)

LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS

• WALTHAM Waltham wants school bus bids to include cost of seat belts (Boston Globe, 7/7/10)
• NH school loses an option if forced to close (AP, 7/7/10)
• Conn. school coaches charged after player collapse(AP, 7/7/10)
• Student construction apprenticeship jobs start (AP, 7/7/10)
• Religion News in Brief (AP, 7/7/10)

LATEST HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS

• Red Cross seeks blood donors during hot spell (AP, 7/8/10)
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• Man arraigned in attack on Maine university campus(AP, 7/7/10)
• Kagan: Harvard Law's $476 million dean (AP, 7/7/10)
• Screams from Greek stage aim for doctors’ hearts(Boston Globe, 7/7/10)

Contribute A Post To The Next ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Contribute A Post To The Next ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Contribute A Post To The Next ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival

by Larry Ferlazzo

The August 1st edition of the Carnival will be hosted by David Deubelbeiss from EFL Classroom 2.0.
This blog carnival welcomes any blog posts, including examples of student work, that are related to teaching or learning English. I suspect David will create other ways you can submit a post but, for now, you can contribute

“The Would-Be World Cup Winners”

Say Good-Bye To “Next Stop”

Infographic: Earth’s Atmosphere Top to Bottom

Grier names new chief of high schools, again | School Zone | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Grier names new chief of high schools, again | School Zone | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Grier names new chief of high schools, again

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier has hired a new chief officer over high schools to replace David Simmons, who abruptly announced his resignation last month, citing "unforeseen personal circumstances." The new high school chief, Aaron Spence, comes from the same school district — Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia — as the middle school chief, Dallas Dance, whom Grier hired in March.

Spence was the director of curriculum and instruction and chief academic officer for theChesterfield County school system, which is less than one-third the size of HISD with about 60,000 students and is mostly Anglo. Spence and Dance were both selected this year for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's 2010 class of Emerging Leaders. According to ASCD, the programs's goal is "to prepare young, ambitious

Goal for High School Smoking Is Unmet - NYTimes.com

Goal for High School Smoking Is Unmet - NYTimes.com

Colleges Spend More on Recreation Than Class

By SAM DILLON

A new study documents a growing stratification of wealth across America’s system of higher education.

Goal for High School Smoking Is Unmet

By DUFF WILSON

A report calls for a resurgence of antismoking advertising to counter a marketing campaign by the tobacco industry.

CHEAT SHEET

To Stop Cheats, Colleges Learn Their Trickery

By TRIP GABRIEL

At the University of Central Florida, a testing center uses cameras and computers to try to cut down on cheating.

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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In Chicago, parents & new CTU leaders stand up to Daley on TIFs

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In Chicago, parents & new CTU leaders stand up to Daley on TIFs

In Chicago, parents & new CTU leaders stand up to Daley on TIFs

by Mike Klonsky

There's an alternative to mass teacher firings

TIFs are the city's tax increment financing districts. And they collect about $500 million in property taxes a year. Mayor Daley has the final say in how the money is spent. But the Chicago Teacher's Union and a group