Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Proposed kindergarten cutoff date would mean some California kids start school later - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Proposed kindergarten cutoff date would mean some California kids start school later - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
The Answer Sheet - How ed reformers push the wrong theory of learning -- Brady
The Answer Sheet - How ed reformers push the wrong theory of learning -- Brady
How ed reformers push the wrong theory of learning -- Brady
My guest is Marion Brady, veteran teacher, administrator, curriculum designer and author. By Marion Brady In alphabetical order: Mike Bloomberg, mayor of New York City. Eli Broad, financier and philanthropist. Jeb Bush, ex-Florida governor and possible 2012 presidential contender. Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. Bill Gates, business magnate and philanthropist. Joel Klein, chancellor of New York City schools. In education issues, mainstream media sometimes call these gentlemen, “The New Progressives.” They’re major movers and shakers in the current reform effort. None is, or has ever been, a teacher. Many think that’s a very good, even a necessary thing. It’s widely believed that American education is a mess, that teachers deserve most of the blame, and that they either can’t or won’t clean the mess up. What’s needed, it’s thought, are no-nonsense leaders – CEOs from business, lawyers, politicians, ex-military officers.
ASCD Inservice: What Makes Kids Do Good Work?
ASCD Inservice: What Makes Kids Do Good Work?
What Makes Kids Do Good Work?
Next week (08/31/10), the September issue of Educational Leadership takes on the topic of Meaningful Work, and discusses questions like
- How do you foster a "growth mindset" in students?
- How does answering "w
San Diego and San Jose rated reform-resistant The Educated Guess
The Educated Guess
San Diego and San Jose rated reform-resistant
Posted in Advocacy organizations, Charters, Program innovationSan Diego and San Jose are unrivaled as hubs of innovation in high tech, green tech and biotech. But in terms of fostering a climate for education innovation, San Jose is no Silicon Valley, and San Diego is in the Rust Belt with Detroit and Gary, Indiana.
At least that’s view of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which ranked those two metropolises near the bottom of 26 major cities in the study “America’s Best (and Worst) Cities for School Reform: Attracting Entrepreneurs and Change Agents,”which was released today.
Los Angeles didn’t fare much better, ranking 18th, but San Francisco, San Jose’s neighbor up Route 101, grabbed the #10 rank on the strength of its talent pool of social entrepreneurs and non-profit sector.
LAUSD, teachers negotiating use of test scores
Posted in Teacher Development, Tenure, Turning around failing schools, payThe Los Angeles Times’ impending plan to publish the performance rankings of 6,000 elementary school teachers, based on student test scores, has become the catalyst for sudden negotiations between Los Angeles Unified and its teachers union over teacher evaluations. One likely reason: Incorporating test scores into teachers’ personnel reviews could provide the legal basis in the future to deny releasing the scores, tied to individual teachers, to the public and to the Times.
The Times reported Sunday that United Teachers Los Angeles has accepted Deputy Superintendent John Deasy’s offer to restart talks on performance reviews of teachers. UTLA President A.J. Duffy declined to say whether that should include using test scores, although Duffy, who has flatly ruled out the use of test scores until now, is facing pressure to do so.
Monday, August 23, 2010
School Tech Connect: We Just Can't Afford It
School Tech Connect: We Just Can't Afford It
One of the best values on the Kindle is a subscription to The Nation. There's a terrific letter to the editor in the August 30th edition, written by Michael Ash, of the University of Massachusetts. He says this thing I've been meaning to say on this blog but can never formulate the words. So I'm just going to steal them here.
We Just Can't Afford It
There is a pension crisis, but it's not the overgenerosity of public-sector pensions. The
Ambitious School Overhaul Drive Hits Delays - NYTimes.com
Ambitious School Overhaul Drive Hits Delays - NYTimes.com
Ambitious School Overhaul Drive Hits Delays
Monica Almeida/The New York Times
Officials in San Bernardino, Calif., had to scale back plans for a makeover at Pacific High School.
By SAM DILLON
Published: August 23, 2010
Enlarge This ImageSAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Secretary of Education Arne Duncanset an ambitious goal last year of overhauling 1,000 schools a year, using billions of dollars in federal stimulus money.
Monica Almeida/The New York Times
Pacific High School was supposed to be converted into a charter school.
But that effort is off to an uneven start. Schools from Maine to California are starting the fall term with their overhaul plans postponed or in doubt because negotiations among federal regulators, state officials and local educators have led to delays and confusion.
In this sprawling district east of Los Angeles, for example,
Scholars Test Web Alternative to Peer Review
Andrew Councill for The New York Times
Dan Cohen, director of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, is among the academics who advocate a more open, Web-based approach to reviewing scholarly works.
By PATRICIA COHEN
Published: August 23, 2010
For professors, publishing in elite journals is an unavoidable part of university life. The grueling process of subjecting work to the up-or-down judgment of credentialed scholarly peers has been a cornerstone of academic culture since at least the mid-20th century.Now some humanities scholars have begun to challenge the monopoly that peer review has on admission to career-making journals and, as a consequence, to the charmed circle of tenured academe. They argue that in an era of digital media there is a better way to assess the quality of work. Instead of relying on a few experts selected by leading publications, they advocate using the Internet to
Sacramento schools eligible for federal refugee money - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Sacramento schools eligible for federal refugee money - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento BeeRead more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/23/2977680/sacramento-schools-eligible-for.html#mi_rss=Education#ixzz0xTqJd0lT
Sacramento schools eligible for federal refugee money
Published: Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 - 5:22 pm
Sacramento School districts are eligible for federal funding to help 1,801 refugee children in grades K-12 who have arrived in the county in the last three years, the California Department of Social Services announced today.
The department has received a $1 million federal grant to provide summer school and English-learner classes to help new refugees adjust to their new lives here after fleeing persecution or war in their home countries. Districts in several counties with large refugee populations are eligible to
Schools Matter: From Koch Industries to Art Pope to the Tea Party Five of Wake County
Schools Matter: From Koch Industries to Art Pope to the Tea Party Five of Wake County
From Koch Industries to Art Pope to the Tea Party Five of Wake County
Jane Mayer has an important piece of work in the New Yorker on what has to be the richest brotherly team of Obama-hating John Birchers in the world, the Koch Brothers. With limitless billions, they have funded over the years so many corporate socialist initiatives (corporate socialists are fascists without a national loyalty), from sludge tanks to astroturf groups to dirty tricks operations.
Making Movies That Matter Women's Conference
Making Movies That Matter
Making Movies That Matter
Making Movies That Matter
Penelope Ann Miller
I feel we need to support films that send powerful messages to kids about courage, values, and being true to yourself.
If we don’t get behind them and support them Hollywood won’t make them.
Last summer I had the incredible opportunity to be a part of Rob Reiner’s new film, Flipped. It’s a story about two 13 year-olds in the early 1960s – Bryce and Juli – who live across the street from each other and how they find themselves and each other through the trials of love and friendship.
The story “flips” between the viewpoints of these young characters and, as they grow, their perceptions of each other “flip” as well.
I play Juli’s mom in the film, alongside a fantastic ensemble of actors: Madeleine Carol &
Alfie Kohn, Data Denier � The Quick and the Ed
Alfie Kohn, Data Denier � The Quick and the Ed
Alfie Kohn, Data Denier
There’s a real need for healthy skepticism around our nation’s quest to collect and utilize education data to improve and deepen student learning. Complex formulas, such as those used to calculate value-added scores for teachers, need to be open to examination, testing, and improvement over time. Policymakers and educators need to better understand how to interpret and use assessment data, both from statewide summative tests and their own classroom activities. And we need smart policies, practitioners, and even skeptics to help us use better information about student learning t
ACLU asks Supreme Court to hear Va alcohol ad ban - Boston.com
ACLU asks Supreme Court to hear Va alcohol ad ban - Boston.com
ACLU asks Supreme Court to hear Va alcohol ad ban
By Dena PotterAssociated Press Writer / August 23, 2010
Text size – +
RICHMOND, Va.—The ACLU of Virginia asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to review a federal appeals court ruling that upholds a ban on alcohol advertising in Virginia's college newspapers.
In a 2-1 ruling in April, a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission ban is a minimally restrictive approach to combat problem drinking.
On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a petition asking the high court to review the ruling. The ACLU says the ban isn't constitutional because there is no proof it diminishes underage or binge drinking on campus.
"College students are bombarded with alcohol ads every day -- on television, on
LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES
- ACLU asks Supreme Court to hear Va alcohol ad ban(AP, 3:39 p.m.)
- Stimulus money to flow to Neb. schools next year (AP, 1:40 p.m.)
- NH town to decide fate of elementary school (AP, 6:08 a.m.)
- 40 years later, Wis. bomber is a 'ghost' (AP, 3:30 a.m.)
- LA unveils $578M school, costliest in the nation (AP, 8/22/10)
LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS
- Los Angeles to open costliest school in US, at $578m(Boston Globe, 5 a.m.)
- Cardboard cutout keeps Conn. Army daughter close(AP, 8/22/10)
- Conn. schools advised to add emergency drills (AP, 8/21/10)
- Sector Snap: Corinthian results weigh on schools (AP, 8/20/10)
- Ga. teachers group backs Democrat Barnes for gov (AP, 8/20/10)
LATEST HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS
- Lyme disease finds new foothold inland (Boston Globe, 8/22/10)
- Students offered bus discounts (AP, 8/22/10)
- Lobstering brothers return to UMaine (AP, 8/22/10)
- Colleges fight Obama education plans with boost in lobbying (Boston Globe, 8/21/10)
- Feds question stability of Conn's Mitchell College (AP, 8/21/10)
Eduwonk � Blog Archive � Odds And Ends
Eduwonk � Blog Archive � Odds And Ends
Odds And Ends
Two Johns have two takes on the LAT value-added imbroglio worth checking out. John Fensterwald looks at the school district’s positioning, and John Merrow comes out in favor of naming names.
Who Should Have Access to Teacher Data? - Teacher Beat - Education Week
Who Should Have Access to Teacher Data? - Teacher Beat - Education Week
Who Should Have Access to Teacher Data?
The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, has weighed in on the Los Angeles Times' value-added project. She agrees that parents, teachers, and principals have the right to access this kind of performance data, but argues making such data public to the public at large isn't appropriate.
In some ways, the L.A. Times series is really a litmus test about data, its usage, and who gets to access it. And it's unclear whether other journalists or districts are going to follow the paper's lead and try to obtain these data or to make them public. In the past, getting access to such information hasn't been easy: Researchers
Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency
Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency
| Governor Paterson Submits Plan to Distribute Education Jobs Program Funding |
| Governor David A. Paterson today submitted his plan to the United States Department of Education for distributing more than $607 million in federal funding from the recently passed Education Jobs Fund. |
(Media-Newswire.com) - Governor David A. Paterson today submitted his plan to the United States Department of Education for distributing more than $607 million in federal funding from the recently passed Education Jobs Fund. The Governor submitted his plan just one week after President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law. As part of this plan, the Governor and the State's legislative leaders have agreed that the State will distribute the more than $607 million in funding to school districts according to the State's primary funding formulae to restore, retain and create teacher jobs. "In this time of economic crisis, our State has been forced to make deep cuts across every area of our budget, including substantial cuts to education," Governor Paterson said. "These federal funds will help mitigate many of these cuts by retaining and creating teacher jobs. In just the week since this bill was signed into law, th |
United for Peace & Justice�:�Fall 2010 Calendar
United for Peace & Justice�:�Fall 2010 Calendar
It's time to take the streets again!
Join the Fall Campaign for Peace, Jobs and Justice for All!
Spread the word and organize where and when you can this fall!
Fall Calendar of Action
Aug 28th: March in Detroit for Jobs
Sept. (date tba): next Minuteman III ICBM test launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA
Sept 14: Drones on Trial, Las Vegas Nevada
Sept. 21: United Nations International Day of Peace
Sept. 20 - 22: High- Level "Millennium Summit" (Millennium Development Goals to eradicate global poverty), United Nations, NY
Sept 25-27: Appalachia Rising Summit and action, Call for a moratorium on mountain top removal Washington DC
Oct. 2 - 9: Keep Space for Peace Week
Oct. 2: One Nation Working Together in Washington DC - ALL out for a major Peace and Justice
ASCD Inservice: In Case You Missed It
ASCD Inservice: In Case You Missed It
In Case You Missed It
Didn't get a chance to catch up with ASCD, last week? No worries--here are some of the week's highlights:
- How do you build reflection, positive thinking, nutrition, and exercise into a hectic school routine? Mike Anderson on putting personal balance back into the teaching profession.
- Sara Schmidt says it's not education, unless it considers the whole child.
- Bueller parents, anyone? Jason Flom asks if you recognize any of these characteristics in the parents you commonly come across, and offers some suggestions for relating to more difficult types.
- Steven Weber on clear learning targets: "Classroom teachers should have a great amount of flexibility when it comes to 'how' to teach key concepts and skills, but 'what' to teach should be clearly defined by the team."
- Mike Fisher is seething over the LA Times' announcement of a forthcoming database linking individual LAUSD teachers to their students' standardized test data.
- A new school year means new opportunities for graduate students to start their own ASCD Student Chapter.
- Multiple intelligences expert Thomas Armstrong now has his own sectionon ascd.org.
Add your own highlights in the comments, and check this spot for our regular, weekly digest of ASCD activities.
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