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Thursday, December 23, 2010

Reg Weaver Jumps on the Wrong Bandwagon

Reg Weaver Jumps on the Wrong Bandwagon

Reg Weaver Jumps on the Wrong Bandwagon



Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association, has joined the gainful employmentopposition bandwagon. For those of you who may not be regular Q&E readers, and who aren’t familiar with my colleague Ben Miller’s posts on the topic, the proposed gainful employment regulations would determine for-profit colleges’ eligibility for federal financial aid based on whether their students 1) can reasonably expect to repay their loan debt, based on expected earnings and total debt load and 2) whether students actually do repay their debt, based on student loan repayment rates.

In his op-ed in Ed Week, Weaver starts out with a promising, if often heard, argument that college is too expensive and too many students are priced out of higher education. Then, he asks “Can we honestly tell our children that debt from college, which often stretches to more than $100,000, is going to be worth it?”

“No!” I answer, as I’m reading his op-ed, prepared to read a hearty assault on colleges for not doing more to

Standardized Testing




Seattle Public Schools community blog: Over the Line?

Seattle Public Schools community blog: Over the Line?

Over the Line?

By now, I think that we are all aware of the rules around conflicts of interest for school district officials. There are other prohibited activities as well.

A question has arisen about whether Dr. Goodloe-Johnson encouraged other education folks, in this case the Council of Great City Schools, to use the MAP test as a measure of academic achievement in a study they were commissioned to do by the Gates Foundation. Did she try to sell MAP to CGCS on behalf of NWEA? There's no problem with that in general, but she shouldn't use her Seattle Public Schools email account to do it. More deeply concerning, some folks think her email contained a hint of quid pro quo in which CGCS would use NWEA's MAP for their study and Seattle Public Schools would, reciprocally, use CGCS to do the Alternative Education Review.

There is also a lot of reason to dismiss those concerns. Nothing is spelled out that clearly. In fact, the pitch that she made to Mike Casserly at CGCS wasn't much of a pitch at all. But she participated in an email conversation

What’s at Stake at the University of Puerto Rico — Crunching the Tuition Numbers « Student Activism

What’s at Stake at the University of Puerto Rico — Crunching the Tuition Numbers « Student Activism

What’s at Stake at the University of Puerto Rico — Crunching the Tuition Numbers

Brad Weiner, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, has a new blogpost up at Huffington Post attacking the UPR student strikers and defending the decision to bring police onto campus. There’s already a vigorous debate over his claims beginning to heat up in comments to his post, but there’s one piece of his argument that’s worth looking at in detail.

Weiner writes:

Many of the recent UPR student conflicts have received national and even international attention. As a result, my stateside colleagues invariably have many questions. I always try to carefully explain the issues. Inevitably, I get the following question: “How much do students at the University of Puerto Rico pay for tuition and fees?” My answer: $1200-$1500, depending on the number of credits. Per semester? No, per

Meet the New GOP Members of the House Education Committee - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Meet the New GOP Members of the House Education Committee - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Meet the New GOP Members of the House Education Committee

The House Education Committee is getting a makeover in the new Congress.

First off, it's changing its name back to House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the title it had from 1995 to 2007, when the GOP controlled the chamber.

Second, Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the incoming chairman, has named Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., as the chairman of the subcommittee overseeing K-12 policy. That would give him a spot in the "Big 8" lawmakers that the administration is courting in its push to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

You Congress geeks probably know that, in the past, former Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., a moderate with a lot of

Plan would give Ackerman more sway over hiring Philadelphia School District contractNotes from the news, Dec. 23 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Dec. 23 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Dec. 23

notes from the news imagePlan would give Ackerman more sway over hiring Philadelphia School District contractors The Inquirer
A draft proposal would involve Ackerman and Nunery in every step of a new, and more involved, procurement process.

New summer school numbers are smaller The Notebook blog
More than 58,000 students attended at least one day of S.L.A.M., but less than half that number attended 76 percent of the time or more.

DN Editorial: Many lessons in school budget deficit Daily News
Ackerman needs to assure us that less money for the schools won't lead to low achievement, and keep in mind the history of the state takeover nine years ago.

See also: Butkovitz: Increase state oversight on Phila. schools because of pending deficit The Inquirer
Dwight Evans: school district will face "huge challenge" with budget Hall Monitor blog
Shh! Be Quiet! Arlene Ackerman Is TRYING TO THINK! Philebrity

Renaissance provider applicants: new details The Notebook blog
The cover sheets to a request for qualifications give insight into prospective providers.

Wanted: Toys and coats for Pastorius School NewsWorks
School staff usually deliver goodies to school families in need, but found out late that it wouldn't receive toys to donate this year.

Yes, Chestnut Hill Has A Public School Chestnut Hill Patch
Profile of the school and interview with parents and other supporters.

1 In 4 Grads Can't Pass Military Exam Fox 29

Reflections of an Author- The Grinch Who Stole Learning City School Stories

El salón es una computadora con clases bilingües Al Día

Alleged school burglar caught South Philly Review

African American Museum exposes kids to recording arts Philadelphia Tribune

Corbett names Charles Zogby budget secretary Hall Monitor blog

Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.

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Project-Based Learning and Physical Education « Whole Child Blog - Whole Child Education

Project-Based Learning and Physical Education « Whole Child Blog - Whole Child Education
  • ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

    Project-Based Learning and Physical Education

    Physical education can be a place where relevant and authentic learning can occur. Buck Institute for Education's Andrew K. Miller shares a physical education project-based learning project and how students can benefit.

    Read more »

  • Sean Slade

    PE Criticism and Responses

    This year has seen a lot of debate, scrutiny, and op-eds on and around education. And physical education has not been absent from this debate. More often than not, it has been those education leaders or commentators who believe that we need to increase our emphasis on standardized testing who have led the criticism of physical education, physical activity, and even recess.

    Read more »

  • Klea Scharberg

    Children Are Less Active Today: Why?

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion works to improve health and well-being by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers. MyPyramid, the educational tool that replaced the Food Guide Pyramid in 2005, includes guidelines on finding a balance between food and physical [...]

    Read more »

Skip the fruit cake, Target gift card and cookies. Just leave me my rights. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Skip the fruit cake, Target gift card and cookies. Just leave me my rights. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Skip the fruit cake, Target gift card and cookies. Just leave me my rights.

DECEMBER 23, 2010
by Fred Klonsky

Ever since I first became a teacher, my reaction to holiday gifts from students and their families has been decidedly mixed.

I would be a real jerk not to appreciate the thought.

I’m not. And I do.

Early on I would get lots of home-made baked good.

Iffy. Know what I mean?

But as the community changed and we got more working moms, the gifts changed to lots of gift cards. Target, Einstein’s, Starbucks (a lot of Starbucks) and even Seven Eleven.

I stop for coffee at Einstein’s every morning, so I use those. There’s a teacher in the building who will take some of the others to a homeless shelter. I think the idea of handing out Starbucks cards

For-Profit Colleges Double Spending, Hire Ex-Congressmen to Beat Aid Rules - Bloomberg

For-Profit Colleges Double Spending, Hire Ex-Congressmen to Beat Aid Rules - Bloomberg

For-Profit Colleges Double Spending, Hire Ex-Congressmen to Beat Aid Rules

Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's John Hechinger talks about compensation for top executives at the 15 U.S. publicly traded for-profit colleges, including Strayer Education Inc., Apollo Group Inc. and Education Management Corp. Hechinger speaks with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)

Dec. 23 (Bloomberg) --For-profit colleges more than doubled spending on lobbying and hired six former members of the U.S. Congress this year to fight regulations that threaten the industry.

Ten education companies and their trade association spent $3.8 million on lobbying in the first nine months of 2010, up from $1.5 million in the comparable period last year, according to reports filed with Congress.

For-profit colleges are resisting a U.S. Department of Education proposal to restrict funding and objecting to a law that limits their revenue from government sources. The proposed restriction, called “gainful employment,” would tie eligibility for

Private school vouchers return to education agenda - Sacramento Living - Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee

Private school vouchers return to education agenda - Sacramento Living - Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee

Private school vouchers return to education agenda

Published: Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010 - 5:07 am

A decade ago, almost any discussion about reforming the nation's public schools included vouchers. The idea of letting students use taxpayer dollars to attend private schools appealed to conservatives, who liked the notion of subjecting public schools to competition. Some Democratic mayors, frustrated with the slow pace of school improvement, also rallied behind vouchers.

Then, vouchers got overtaken by other ideas about how to shake up public schools. Unions vehemently opposed vouchers, arguing they would starve public schools of funding. Vouchers were left out of the 2002 federal No Child Left Behind law, making it difficult for programs to gain a foothold in school districts. More recently, the Obama administration left vouchers out of its Race to the Top grant program, even as it endorsed other reforms such as charter schools and pay-for-



Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/23/3277797/private-school-vouchers-return.html#ixzz18wq5qAPs

U.K. Police Chief Proposes Banning Peaceful Student Protests | Education | Change.org

U.K. Police Chief Proposes Banning Peaceful Student Protests | Education | Change.org

U.K. Police Chief Proposes Banning Peaceful Student Protests

British students have rallied for weeks, protesting cuts to higher education that would raise tuition beyond what many can afford. College students, high school students andeven elementary school students have gotten involved, standing up for their ability to get an affordable education.

"We are no longer that generation that doesn't care, we are no longer that generation to sit back and take whatever they give us. We are now the generation at the heart of the fight back," said 15 year-old protester Rodney Owen McCarthy.

But because some of the protests have gotten violent, with some police even being accused of assaulting

ASCD Inservice: Who Is This Person We Call Teacher? (1969)

ASCD Inservice: Who Is This Person We Call Teacher? (1969)

Who Is This Person We Call Teacher? (1969)

Authors George E. Dickson and Samuel L. Creighton argue in the February 1969 issue of Educational Leadership that teachers are increasingly in the contradictory state of being more "militant" for social change, yet still overly conservative.

In "Who Is This Person We Call Teacher?" the authors lay out society's traditional view of teachers ("appreciators of excellence" and "enemies of shoddiness," among other traits) and issue a call for the profession to reconcile these two competing states.

Read the article: "Who Is This Person We Call Teacher?" (PDF)

Dickson and Creighton state that militancy is the "dominant characteristic that differentiates the contemporary teacher from his predecessor" and that this militancy is justified. In the wake of the social change of the 1950s and '60s, teachers were increasingly demanding better working conditions, more responsibility, and higher pay. Yet, the authors also express

The Answer Sheet - Test scores can't prove whether teacher experience matters

The Answer Sheet - Test scores can't prove whether teacher experience matters

Test scores can't prove whether teacher experience matters

This was written by Monty Neill, interim executive director at The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, known as FairTest. By Monty Neill According to Bill Gates and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, teacher experience does not matter very much. Duncan says we should not "pay teachers based on their educational credentials and seniority" -- that is, knowledge and experience. Gates also recently denigrated teacher experience and masters’ degrees. He cited Jennifer R King’s literature review, which shows that experience does matter, but mostly that which they gain in their first five years of teaching. But here’s the rub: They rely entirely on standardized test scores for evidence, even though the tests fail to provide adequate evidence for drawing these conclusions.