Comparing Brown’s, Whitman’s ed platforms | Thoughts on Public Education

Comparing Brown’s, Whitman’s ed platforms | Thoughts on Public Education

Comparing Brown’s, Whitman’s ed platforms - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

Few voters, other than fighting-mad members of the CTA, will likely cast their ballots for governor based on Meg Whitman’s or Jerry Brown’s views on K-12 education. Education has been mostly a campaign sideshow – even though districts are struggling amid crippling budget cuts. California ranks abysmally low in national tests, and the state serves larger [...]

Brown’s comprehensive education plan tackles tough issues - by Thomas Timar

by Thomas Timar

By just about any measure, California’s education system is in bad shape. Both higher and K-12 education have been battered by huge budget reductions. State support for higher education is about half of what it was in 1980. Funding for K-12 is close to the bottom nationally. And as funding for education lags the nation, [...]

The Answer Sheet - 7 Class size myths -- and the truth

The Answer Sheet - 7 Class size myths -- and the truth

7 Class size myths -- and the truth

This was written by Leonie Haimson, executive director of the nonprofit Class Size Matters, and founder of the NYC Public School Parent blog. By Leonie Haimson Across the country, class sizes are increasing at unprecedented rates. An estimated 58,000 teachers were laid off in September, at the same time as enrollment was increasing in much of the country. In California, two thirds of the districts have seen jumps in class size, with many early grade classes rising from 20 to 30 students, after rules first established in 1996 governing the state’s class size reduction program were loosened. As Don Iglesias, superintendent of public schools in San Jose was quoted as saying, "This is not a choice that anybody is making because we think increasing class size is a wonderful thing for our schools. It's a choice because there's ineptitude in terms of our elected officials in Sacramento and their unwillingness

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hanging with the wrong crowd

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hanging with the wrong crowd

Hanging with the wrong crowd

by Mike Klonsky

If Rahm Emanuel were to become Chicago's next mayor, expect more of the same--more school closings, more teacher firings, more privatization. Why?


Emanuel is talking to all the wrong Chicago people about education. It's the same old Ownership Society crowd that dreamed up Renaissance 2010 (I know. We're not supposed to mention that word any more). Even the Civic Committee called the results, "abysmal."

They're the Pritzkers; they're Mayor Daley's patronage boys, like Juan

When schools have money… � School Finance 101

When schools have money… � School Finance 101

When schools have money…

by schoolfinance101

When schools and school districts have more money and spend more money, what do they spend it on?

We are now told to believe that everything we thought about the virtues of small class size back in the 1990s was misguided. That improving teacher quality trumps reducing class size any day when it comes to efficiently improving student outcomes. We are told to believe that teacher quality can be improved at nominal cost, whereas achieving similar gains via class size reduction would be absurdly inefficient and very costly. Yet to date, we have little evidence that we can actually achieve the same measured outcome gains achieved by reducing class size in the 1990s by instead improving teacher quality… and that this can easily be done at lower cost. In fact, many go so far as to argue that we can take the same average teacher wage, and instead of paying older teachers more and younger teachers less, we just have to pay better teachers more and worse ones less

An Argument for 21st Century Skills � InterACT

An Argument for 21st Century Skills � InterACT

An Argument for 21st Century Skills

by David B. Cohen

This post follows up on my prior one, which began…

When teachers are “off for the summer” we find all sorts of wonderful ways to work on our own learning and practices. This past summer I had the chance to read the book 21st Century Skills, and even a chance to talk with one of the authors, Bernie Trilling (who co-authored the book with Charles Fadel). The results of my reading and our conversation were put into an article in the Education Week Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook: “Adapting Teaching to a New Era.” However, within the constraints of that article, I couldn’t quite incorporate all of thought-provoking ideas and valuable information that Trilling shared with me, so I’m using this blog post to pass along a few more pieces of our conversation from this summer.

“If you’re not engaged and motivated, you won’t learn. Boredom is the enemy.” – The statement sounds obvious, and for skilled teachers, engagement is more than a pat word and an item on a performance

NYC Public School Parents: Tony Avella for State Senate

NYC Public School Parents: Tony Avella for State Senate

Tony Avella for State Senate

by Gary Babad

I usually write parody for the NYC Parent Blog, but this is not parody. I usually don’t make political endorsements on the blog, but this is a political endorsement. Why? Because so much hangs in the balance in NY State Senate District 11 (Northeast Queens), and Tony Avella warrants the support of parents, teachers, and anyone else who values public education in NY State.

Tony’s positions on education are long standing and unequivocal. He has been a fierce critic of Chancellor Klein’s and Mayor Bloomberg’s dictatorial control. He has called for the firing of the Chancellor, the hiring of a real educator for the position, and for the re-establishment true parent involvement in the schools.

Tony’s opponent, incumbent Senator Frank Padavan, was instrumental in the renewal of Mayoral control. And lest anyone wonder about Padavan’s relationship with the Mayor and Chancellor, during a hotly contested 2008 race, the DOE renamed the Glen Oaks school campus for Mr. Padavan – jumping the gun by a good number of

Queens Teacher: Professors Speak Out

Queens Teacher: Professors Speak Out

Professors Speak Out

by Queens Teacher

Heavy reliance on test scores for teacher evaluation is misguided.

Too many policymakers have recently adopted the misguided belief that improvements in students' scores on standardized tests in mathematics and reading can be heavily relied upon to evaluate, reward, and remove the teachers of these tested students.
However, even the most sophisticated use of test scores, value added modeling (VAM), is a flawed and inaccurate way to judge whether teachers are effective or ineffective.

The heavy use of VAM in a teacher evaluation system will misidentify large numbers of both effective and ineffective teachers. Leading authorities (such as the Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Education, and researchers

Beaverton School Board passes nondiscrimination resolution | OregonLive.com

Beaverton School Board passes nondiscrimination resolution | OregonLive.com

Beaverton School Board passes nondiscrimination resolution

Published: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 7:58 PM Updated: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 8:00 PM

Wendy Owen, The Oregonian
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BEAVERTON -- In the month since Beaverton School District asked that a gay student teacher be reassigned, school leaders have been jolted awake by the long-ignored harassment and discrimination of homosexuals across the district.

During an emotional school board meeting Monday night, parents and school board members talked about the need to change, and the board took the first official step by unanimously approving a resolution of nondiscrimination.

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The one-page resolution reaffirms the district's nondiscrimination and diversity policies, resolves that everyone is entitled to the same rights and privileges, and calls upon everyone in the district and community to "call out discrimination if and when it occurs, and to ensure that all persons in our schools are and feel welcome, valued, respected and safe."

"I like what we've written," said Lisa Shultz, board member. "But it's not enough. It will never be enough."

A couple of board members choked up as they talked about their concerns and the need for change. Over the past month, they have received letters and e-mails with stories of bullying,

Nice New Site For ESL/EFL Teachers | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Nice New Site For ESL/EFL Teachers | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Nice New Site For ESL/EFL Teachers Tibor Prievara, who teachers English in Hungary with whom my classes have sometimes had a “sister class” relationship, has been working with other English teachers in that country to develop a very useful website for ESL/EFL teachers. It’s called ...

“The Internet: Infographic” The Internet: Infographic is an….infographic showing Web statistics from around the world. I’m adding it to The Best Sites To Learn About The Internet.

Are You Ready To Laugh With Tears Flowing Again? Here’s Another Video… If you didn’t laugh and cry enough when you saw Be Prepared To Laugh With Tears Flowing After Watching “Collaborative Planning” Video, here’s another one (you’ll have to go to my blog to see it if you’re reading this on an RSS Reader):

The Best Sites Where Students Can Upload PowerPoint Presentations To The Web For English Language Learners, I think the best places to create online slideshows (including some that offer the additional language-learning opportunity of easily recording audio to go along with it) are listed at The Best Ways To Create Online ...

Schools Matter: Will Duncan Take His Own Departmental Statement on Bullying Seriously?

Schools Matter: Will Duncan Take His Own Departmental Statement on Bullying Seriously?

Will Duncan Take His Own Departmental Statement on Bullying Seriously?

by Jim Horn

Back in February, Arne Duncan applauded the decision to fire every teacher at the only high school in the poorest city in Rhode Island. Despite the fact that saner heads have since determined that the firing was unethical and unfair, Duncan said that officials were "showing courage and doing the right thing for kids."

When the corporate reformers hatched a plan to release flawed evaluation data in Los Angeles on thousands of teachers, Arne Duncan applauded, despite warnings from the National Academy of Sciences on the use of such data to make any kind of high stakes decisions. Instead of condemning the immoral and irresponsible action

Hidden video by conservative activist James O'Keefe renews NJEA, Gov. Christie dispute | NJ.com

Hidden video by conservative activist James O'Keefe renews NJEA, Gov. Christie dispute | NJ.com

Hidden video by conservative activist James O'Keefe renews NJEA, Gov. Christie dispute

Published: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 10:01 PM Updated: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 10:01 PM

Star-Ledger Staff
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Gov. Chris Christie comments on 'teachers unions gone wild'

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TRENTON — Some see it as a videotaped intrusion, a trumped-up attack produced by a self-styled muckraker who manipulates interviewees and takes comments out of context to prove a biased point.

Others see it as hard proof that the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, could care less about putting students first and see their jobs as lifetime sinecures, as its critics claim.

Either way, a series of undercover videos produced by "Gonzo journalist" and conservative James O’Keefe have reignited a statewide debate that again throws the embattled union into an unflattering spotlight.

The tapes, which purport to show union members cursing, discussing voter fraud and laughing about how hard it is to fire tenured teachers, were dismissed by the NJEA as a "complete fabrication." Much of the footage for "Teachers Unions Gone Wild" was shot at a bar at the East

Gray works to firm up donor support for education reforms

Gray works to firm up donor support for education reforms

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Video: Vince Gray holds first town hall meeting

On Tuesday night, Democratic mayoral nominee Vincent Gray fielded questions in the first of a series of town hall meetings before the Nov. 2 general election in the auditorium of the Community Academy Public Charter School in Ward 5.

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By Bill Turque

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 26, 2010; 7:09 PM

They are men of the same generation - both 67 - and they share the last name - Gray. But until they met for the first time on a Sunday evening earlier this month, that was about all C. Boyden and Vincent C. had in common. That was when the patrician Republican and former White House counsel introduced the Democrat and presumptive mayor-elect from Ward 7 as "my cousin Vinny" to a gathering of education philanthropists and reform advocates over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at his Georgetown home.

THIS STORY

• Gray works to firm up donor support for education reforms
• Vincent Gray, presumptive next D.C. mayor, to raise private money for transition
• Video: Vince Gray holds first town hall meeting

It was a light moment in the midst of a serious outreach effort, engineered by the Gray campaign. The objective was to reassure the influential network of private foundations - which have poured an estimated $20 million into D.C public schools over the past four years - that Vincent C. Gray is serious about sustainin