Tuesday, December 7, 2010

NJEA to reveal plans on teacher tenure system criticized by Gov. Christie | NJ.com

NJEA to reveal plans on teacher tenure system criticized by Gov. Christie

Published: Tuesday, December 07, 2010, 8:30 AM Updated: Tuesday, December 07, 2010, 8:34 AM

Jeanette Rundquist/The Star-Ledger
Follow

Story tools

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerNew Jersey Education Association President Barbara Keshishian at the podium with three members of the New Jersey State Board of Education meeting at the NJEA convention in Atlantic City in this November 2010 photo.

4 Comments

TRENTON —The state’s largest teachers union will unveil plans today to streamline the process for removing tenured teachers from the classroom, just days before the Senate Education Committee holds a hearing on tenure and its impact on public education.

Tenure, the job protection afforded to New Jersey educators after three years and one day on the job, has come under increasing fire from Gov. Chris Christie and some education advocacy groups.

Steve Wollmer, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, said Monday that the union "will address the legal process for removing tenured teachers (and) make it more efficient," by proposing a system that would "take the judges out of the picture. " and use arbitration instead.

He did not offer

Crimes of the State:Creating New Definitions | Dailycensored.com

Crimes of the State:Creating New Definitions

Written by Solomon ComissiongDaily Journal (Opinion), Media, Politics, War and PeaceDec 7, 2010

0digg

Crimes of the State: Defining What is and is not being done in “Our Name”

By: Solomon Comissiong

Definitions are important…however who defines “what” and “how” is even more important. Definitions often provide much needed substance to terms that are purposefully vague at best. Terms without contextual definitions, much like historical epochs, prevent individuals from gaining a comprehensive understanding of a broad range of important political issues. This, however, is not by accident. It has often been the modus operandi for duplicitous rulers (especially those not wanting to ever relinquish power) to obfuscate and create limited definitions as a means towards programming the masses. Governmentally sanctioned “educational” centers, to mass media, play integral roles in disseminating revisionist history and warped terminologies. As masses of non-critically engaged thinkers become older this scheme becomes more effective. They, in essence, like trained dogs, have been taught how and what not to think. Unfortunately, in most cases, the use of deductive reasoning, along with discursive logic—are underutilized skills. This well oiled system of mass

The American Spectator : Mutually Contradictory

Mutually Contradictory

By RiShawn Biddle on 12.7.10 @ 6:08AM

Barack Obama managed a spectacular feat last year when he convinced fellow congressional Democrats to set aside $5 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for what became his Race to the Top school reform initiative. Obama won some well-deserved praise for using those dollars, along with his bully pulpit (and that of his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan), to coax even states such as California to remove restrictions on the expansion of charter schools and subject teachers to private sector-style performance management. This has weakened the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, which have long counted on the Democratic Party (and their influence in statehouses) to dominate

Opinion: Education spurs innovation - Wendy Hawkins - POLITICO.com

Education spurs innovation

A teacher and student go over a science lesson.

Opinion: Students in the U.S. are falling behind in math, science and engineering. | AP PhotoClose

By WENDY HAWKINS | 12/7/10 4:32 AM EST

The new “basic” level of understanding required of all students today is significantly higher than in the past. They must understand math and science at levels that allow them to participate fully in the 21st century.

This means knowing how to use technology – an ever-more ubiquitous tool in every kind of work environment – effectively. Students must be scientifically and mathematically literate to understand the news of the day and how to budget for their families. They need to be able to manage their own health care effectively. They need to be able to understand crucial topics, like

Inquisitorial Squad or Dumbledore's Army? - Ed Thoughts

by Sabrina

While watching the latest Harry Potter this past weekend, I couldn't help making a lot of cheesy ed reform jokes after laying eyes on Dolores Umbridge again. "From the Ministry of Education comes Educational Decree Number 2001: The No Child Left Behind Act."

Her appearance (and my subsequent re-reading of HP5...love Order of the Phoenix!) reminded me of an important historical fact: it is typically totalitarian regimes that attempt to exercise the most control over education.

At the present moment, I don't think our government is such a regime...but they may very well be making us vulnerable to one in the future, with their mandatory emphasis on a narrow set of frequently (and intrusively) tested, low-level skills. We should be more concerned about students' ability to use both basic and critical

Seattle Public Schools community blog: Dammit Oprah! (Let's Get Diane Ravitch on Her Show)

Dammit Oprah! (Let's Get Diane Ravitch on Her Show)

by Melissa Westbrook

I tape Oprah because she sometimes does a worthwhile show but this, her last season with this format, has been dismal.

You can imagine my dismay when I saw that Oprah's show opened today with her favorite...Michelle Rhee. Turns out Rhee isn't taking any job (I'm sure she would have had Meg Whitman won the governorship in California). She's going to start a program for "kids". She complains there is no one to speak for kids.

First, I'm sorry but what an ego. There are many, many groups that speak for children in the country who have existed for a long time (even speaking for education). She claims that if you ask kids they all say they want a good teacher. I'm sure that's true but they also want a pony and an iPhone. We can all be for kids but we also know as adults we have to make decisions for them. It's always been a cheap argument to say "do it for the

Achievement ≠ Test Scores « JD2718

Achievement ≠ Test Scores

DECEMBER 7, 2010 AM31 1:12 AM

tags: standardized tests, test prep

by jd2718

Growth ≠ Test Scores
Learning ≠ Test Scores
Teacher Performance ≠ Increase in Test Scores

Achievement ≠ Test Scores
Growth ≠ Test Scores
Learning ≠ Test Scores
Teacher Performance ≠ Increase in Test Scores

And those who disagree – Rhee, Klein, Kaplan, TfA, Duncan, and even Obama, they don’t really disagree. For their own kids, those that have them, they don’t disagree. For their friends’ kids, they don’t disagree. For the children of the wealthy, they don’t disagree. For the children of the

Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, December 7, 2010