Monday, December 13, 2010

Damn Good Education Daily

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Test Scorer

truth-out.org - Standardized testing has become central to education policy in the United States. After dramatically expanding in the wake of the No Child Left Behind Act, testing has been further enshrined by the...

DianeRavitch

Why I’m Afraid The Gates Foundation Might Be Minimizing Great Tools For Helping Teachers Improve Their Craft

larryferlazzo.edublogs.org - I support developing more effective ways to evaluate teachers — using multiple measures. What I don’t support, however, is the present effort by the Gates Foundation that’s spending millions of dol...

Larryferlazzo

Bernie Sanders and The Idea That Everyone Matters (And I Mean Everyone) — The Jose Vilson

thejosevilson.com - Senator Bernie SandersOn Friday, I came back from another CoCoLoco meeting in which someone suggested I become an administrator (for the umpteenth time) because I was asked to be a table leader eve...

TheJLV

We Have A Failed School System, Not Failed Schools: Can Principals Learn to Support Teachers and Create Professional Learning Communities? Or, Will the Gorgons Devour Us?

mets2006.wordpress.com - The basketball coach looked distraught, “What’s the matter?” “Report cards just came out, one of my best players is ineligible*.” “What are you going to do?” “Guess I’m going to have to c...

DianeRavitch

pheedcontent.com - Dunbar High School Principal Stephen Jackson was fired at the end of last school year by the private management group in charge of the school, but put back in the job last week by interim D.C. Scho...

alexanderruss

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Green Dot’s Animo Justice Charter High School: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHARTER SCHOOL FAILS?

Green Dot’s Animo Justice Charter High School: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHARTER SCHOOL FAILS?

“The school was the only one in the Green Dot network that offered classes in English as a Second Language”

BERTHA RODRÍGUEZ SANTOS, NEW AMERICA MEDIA, NEWS REPORT, TRANSLATED BY ELENA SHORE | HTTP://BIT.LY/EPMLCZ

Dec 13, 2010 - LOS ANGELES—California leads the nation in charter school growth this year, according to a report released last month by The Center for Education Reform.

With 912 charter schools in the state, up 114 from the 2009-2010 academic year, charter administrators are being praised for developing what many believe is one of the most effective models for educating low-income students.

But far less attention has been paid to the closure rate of charter schools. According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, over

ASCD Inservice: Gates Goes to the Tape for Teacher Evaluations

Gates Goes to the Tape for Teacher Evaluations

Last week's big news came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is investing $335 million to overhaul the personnel departments of several big school systems. A large portion of the Gates's investment will finance research by dozens of social scientists and thousands of teachers to develop a better system for evaluating classroom instruction.

Educators and researchers will analyze thousands of hours of videotaped lessons to identify attributes of good teaching and possible correlations between certain teaching practices and high student achievement, as measured by value-added scores, the New York Times reports. The effort aims not just to evaluate teachers on multiple measures of

A few comments on the Gates/Kane value-added study « School Finance 101

A few comments on the Gates/Kane value-added study

by schoolfinance101

A few comments on the Gates/Kane Value-added study

(My apologies in advance for an excessively technical, research geeky post, but I felt it necessary in this case)

Take home points

1) As I read it, the new Gates/Kane value-added findings are NOT by any stretch of the imagination an endorsement of using value-added measures of teacher effectiveness for rating individual teachers as effective or not or for making high-stakes employment decisions. In this regard, the Gates/Kane findings are consistent with previous findings regarding stability, precision and accuracy of rating individual teachers.

2) Even in the best of cases, measures used in value-added added models remain insufficiently crude to account

This Week In Education: New: "Billionaires For Educational Reform"

New: "Billionaires For Educational Reform"

by Alexander Russo

The new group Billionaires for Education Reform follows in the long tradition of the Pastafarian movement and

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Test Scorer

Wednesday 01 December 2010

by: Dan DiMaggio | Monthly Review | Report

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Test Scorer
(Photo: Eastenhuh)

Standardized testing has become central to education policy in the United States. After dramatically expanding in the wake of the No Child Left Behind Act, testing has been further enshrined by the Obama administration’s $3.4 billion “Race to the Top” grants. Given the ongoing debate over these policies, it might be useful to hear about the experiences of a hidden sector of the education workforce: those of us who make our living scoring these tests. Our viewpoint is instructive, as it reveals the many contradictions and absurdities built into a test-scoring system run by for-profit companies and beholden to school administrators and government officials with a stake in producing inflated numbers. Our experiences also provide insight into how the

Teachers in high-poverty schools — Joanne Jacobs

Teachers in high-poverty schools

by Joanne

Teachers in high-poverty schools are only slightly less effective than teachers in low-poverty schools, concludes a study conducted in Florida and North Carolina. But the least-effective teachers in high-poverty schools are worse than the least-effective teachers in affluent schools, according to a new analysis (pdf) from the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, or CALDER. That means low-income students are more likely to be taught be a very bad teacher.

“Teaching experience seem to improve a teacher’s effectiveness in a low-poverty school, but less so in a high-poverty school,” writes Stephen Sawchuk on Teacher Beat. After awhile, teachers in tough working

Negotiations. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Negotiations.

by Fred Klonsky

I read that NY Congressman Anthony Weiner complained that Obama wasn’t acting like a Commander-in-Chief, but as a Negotiator-inChief. I thought, “Not really.”

Weiner was speaking as part of the rebellion by Democrats to the deal Obama was pushing to extend the Bush tax cuts for billionaires.

The tax-cuts-for-the-rich is a bad idea. And I agree with Senator Sanders, who spoke from the Senate floor for almost nine hours on Friday, calling it part of the war on working people.

But as someone with some negotiation experience, I’m not impressed with Obama as a chief negotiator. He sure

Don’t let the Dream Die! – Lily's Blackboard

Don’t let the Dream Die!

Dec 13th, 2010

by LilysBlackboard.

The clock is ticking. The House has passed the most compassionate and just piece of legislation we’ve seen for children in decades. They overwhelmingly said yes to giving the children of undocumented immigrants, who were brought here years ago by their parents, a path to citizenship.

Now, the Senate must act. Because of the special rules the Senate set for itself, they require 60 out of their 100 votes to allow the Dream Act to even be debated. A minority of Senators can stand in the way of a good thing happening to children who made no decision to come here.

These are our children. Many of them don’t remember their old country. We’ve invested in their education. We know them from Scouts and soccer teams and Sunday school. The kids who can take advantage of the Dream Act are kids

The mayoral control debate expands territory « Failing Schools

The mayoral control debate expands territory

DECEMBER 13, 2010

by markfriedman1

I have a strong feeling this post will need to be expanded and expounded upon as time goes on.

: NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov.-elect Mayor Robert Duffy, both aggressive supporters and advocates for mayoral control

I was reading Sabrina’s recent response post to yet another advocate for mayoral control, this time in Denver. The mayoral control proponents never cease to amaze me. Mayoral control as a governance system has been debated, researched, and attempted in several cities throughout the country. However, there’s still a lot of uncertainty in policy and research circles, which mayoral control proponents don’t seem to want to acknowledge.

There’s been so many alternative proposals put forth in political debates that the mayoral

Shanker Blog » Do Americans Think We Spend Too Much On Education?

Do Americans Think We Spend Too Much On Education?

by Matthew Di Carlo

Cost-cutting is all the rage in education policy. This makes a lot of sense during a recession (the next few yearswill be brutal), and even during good times we all want money to be well-spent. But much of the discussion on this topic is less about weathering the storm than about a long-term effort to stop the growth of spending on public education. The underlying assumption, hardly unique to education policy, is that people are tired of increasing school costs, and want to start cutting back.

So, I wanted to take a quick look at what Americans think of education spending, now and over time, using data from the General Social Survey (1972-2008), a nationally representative sample of U.S. opinions and other characteristics (run by the National Opinion Research Center). The question queries whether respondents

Schools Matter: Call Your Senators and Representatives: No on Bush Tax Cuts

Call Your Senators and Representatives: No on Bush Tax Cuts

by Jim Horn

The New York Times has a piece of propaganda on its front page making the ridiculous case that Bush tax cuts will bring great political rewards to the Dems. Let me put as clearly as I will this morning when I call up Senator Brown and Kerry:

Your vote on Obama's giveaway deal to the rich will determine my vote should you decide to run for reelection. This is the line in the sand for which there are no more lines behind it.

The same message will be delivered by phone to House members.

Call info here and here.

A turnover gap for minority teachers — Joanne Jacobs

A turnover gap for minority teachers

by Joanne

Black and Latino teachers are leaving the profession “in droves,” says Betty Achinstein, a researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the co-author of Change(d) Agents: New Teachers of Color in Urban Schools.

“Teachers of color” make up only 17 percent of the teaching force, despite the rising percentage of minority students, reports Miller-McCune. Schools are hiring more minority teachers, but also losing more, says Richard

Monday Churn: Quiet hearing for CDE | EdNewsColorado

Monday Churn: Quiet hearing for CDE

by EdNews staff

The Department of Education’s annual hearing before the Joint Budget Committee drew a big crowd of lobbyists, bureaucrats and others last Friday afternoon – not to mention a phalanx of CDE staffers – but they didn’t get much of a show.

Past hearings (the event is held every December) have provided lively discussions on testing, school finance and other big issues. But the 2010 version of the event didn’t provide any big policy discussions as CDE leaders worked their way through a 204-page document containing answers to 47 questions that had been posed earlier by JBC members. (See this story about the prior committee briefing on K-12 spending.)

The department’s document did provide one interest factoid – it would cost $3.2 million a year to add social

Michelle Rhee, the celebrity, goes national

Valerie Strauss

Monday, December 13, 2010

Michelle Rhee is going national.

Running the D.C. schools didn't give the superstar a big enough platform. So, with the U.S. education secretary's job already filled, she's on to her next act, heading a new organization, created around her, that has as its aim nothing short of transforming public education in America.

Just to make sure nobody missed the launch of Students First, at StudentsFirst.org, Rhee arranged to have it announced by - who else? - Oprah Winfrey, who this year anointed Rhee "a warrior woman." And in what is surely a journalistic coincidence, there was a cover story in Newsweek magazine on Rhee, written by - who else? - Rhee.

When you go to the Students First Web site, the first large image you see is not of Rhee with students, who are supposed to be first, but of Rhee with Oprah, celebrity to celebrity.

What Rhee wants to do is raise $1 billion - yes, BILLION- to lobby for the reforms she started in the District. Considering all of the billionaire philanthropists who love her

Daily Kos: I invite you to explore some different thoughts on education

I invite you to explore some different thoughts on education

by teacherken

I am currently reading a book by Parker Palmer, which while not specifically on education contains some interesting observations thereupon. First published in 1980, The Promise of Paradox: A celebration of the Contradictions in the Christian Life has an introduction by Henri Nouwen, who was a close personal friend of Palmer. In the portions I will share below the fold, among other things you will see reflections on the idea of multiple intelligences 5 years before the publication of Howard Gardner's seminal Frames of Mind, and remarks

The Answer Sheet - A Felliniesque education story

A Felliniesque education story

This was written by Marc Epstein, a history teacher at Jamaica High School in Queens, N.Y., for the past 15 years, and a former dean of students. His articles on school violence, curriculum, and testing, have appeared in Education Next, City Journal and a number of New York newspapers. He blogs for the Huffington Post, and he contributed to A Consumer's Guide To High School History Textbooks, edited by Diane Ravitch. Epstein earned a PhD in Japanese - American Diplomatic history. By Marc Epstein If you’ve taken a look at the newspapers lately and tried to make sense out of the debates swirling around public education, it might feel as if you’ve walked into the middle of a showing of Fellini’s Satyricon. If that’s the case, don’t be alarmed. You are witnessing a story that has no coherent beginning, middle, or end. It really doesn’t make sense. The New York

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Can we get beyond polarization on charters?

Can we get beyond polarization on charters?

by Mike Klonsky

Marv Hoffman, is Associate Director, Urban Teacher Education Program and Founding Director of Chicago's North Kenwood/Oakland Charter School. I enjoyed reading his recent call ( "Beyond Polarization: A Conversation About Charters and Turnarounds") for a less polemical debate on charters, which he maintains are "neither what’s wrong with CPS, nor are they the solution to the city’s educational problems.”

I agree with him on that, but take issue with him on the way he poses some of the alternatives, ie. between incremental ("doing nothing") and drastic change (privately-run charters and massive school closings and teacher firings). Marv takes a thoughtful balanced approach but clearly leans towards the latter.

What Are The Standards To Judge Reform Success? Part 2 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

What Are The Standards To Judge Reform Success? Part 2

by larrycuban

The dominant standard used by most policymakers, media editors, and administrators to judge success iseffectiveness: Have you done what you said you were going to do and can you prove it? In a society where “bottom lines,” Dow Jones averages, sports statistics, and vote-counts matter, quantifiable results determine success.

Even before No Child Left Behind, policymakers have relied on the effectiveness standard to examine what students have learned by using proxy measures such as student test scores, college attendance, and other indicators. For example, in the late-1970s policymakers concluded that public schools had declined because scholastic aptitudes test (SAT) scores had plunged downward. Even though test-makers and researchers repeatedly stated that such claims were false—falling SAT scores fueled public support for states raising

Queens Teacher: To Deformers: Lessons Learned From PISA Report

To Deformers: Lessons Learned From PISA Report

by Queens Teacher

What international test scores really tell us: Lessons buried in PISA report
By Valerie Strauss

This was written by William J. Mathis of Goshen, Vermont. He is the managing director of the National Education Policy Center.. and a former Vermont superintendent. The views expressed are his own.

By William J. Mathis
For the 27th, government officials have yet again been surprised, shocked and dismayed over the latest international test score rankings. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “We have to see this as a very serious wake-up call.” Former Reagan education official Chester E. Finn Jr. reported that he was “kind of

100th Blog Post at InterACT « InterACT

100th Blog Post at InterACT

by David B. Cohen

It’s another milestone for InterACT! Last month, we passed 25,000 page views. Then, we were nominated in the 2010 Edublog Awards, in the categories of Best Group Blog, and Best New Blog. And now, I’m pleased to offer you the 100th blog posting at InterACT. It’s been an interesting ride so far for Kelly, Martha, and me. I’d like to think that the three of us, along with a few guest bloggers, have made a pretty good start of it here in the blogosphere.

Kelly Kovacic holds the title of California Teacher of the Year for 2010, and in that capacity, she’s had the opportunity to speak to many audiences, travel to Japan with her fellow 2010 California Teachers of the Year, and meet the President of the United States. Her blogging on InterACT has helped us see the educational landscape

Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, December 13, 2010

Green Dot’s Animo Justice Charter High School: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHARTER SCHOOL FAILS?

“The school was the only one in the Green Dot network that offered classes in English as a Second Language”

BERTHA RODRÍGUEZ SANTOS, NEW AMERICA MEDIA, NEWS REPORT, TRANSLATED BY ELENA SHORE | HTTP://BIT.LY/EPMLCZ

Gates Goes to the Tape for Teacher Evaluations

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Test Scorer

Don’t let the Dream Die!

The mayoral control debate expands territory

Michelle Rhee, the celebrity, goes national