Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools 1-18-11 Get Involved- Read Education News

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools
Get Involved- Read Education News


Parents 4 democratic Schools

Posted by at

The Pitfalls of Putting Economists in Charge Of Education - Bridging Differences - Education Week

The Pitfalls of Putting Economists in Charge Of Education - Bridging Differences - Education Week

The Pitfalls of Putting Economists in Charge Of Education

by Diane Ravitch

Dear Deborah,

A few weeks ago, Mike Rose posted a list of his New Year's resolutions. One of them was that we should "make do with fewer economists in education. These practitioners of the dismal science have flocked to education reform, though most know little about teaching and learning." Mike suggested that so few economists were able to give useful advice about the financial and housing markets that we should now be skeptical about expecting them "to change education for the better."

I agree with Mike. It is astonishing to realize the extent to which education debates are now framed and dominated by economists, not by educators or sociologists or cognitive psychologists or anyone else who actually spends time in classrooms. My bookshelves are chock full of books that analyze the teaching of reading, science, history, and other subjects; books that examine the lives of children; books that discuss the art and craft of teaching; books about the history of educational philosophy and practice; books about how children learn.

Now such considerations seem antique. Now we are in an age of data-based decision-making, where

Posted by at

Politics: Mayoral Candidates Claim Childhood Bullying - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Politics: Mayoral Candidates Claim Childhood Bullying - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Politics: Mayoral Candidates Claim Childhood Bullying

by Alexander Russo

Mayoral candidates detail childhood bullying at student forum Clout Street: Chicago high school students who worry about being bullied found a sympathetic ear Monday among top mayoral candidates. Fielding questions that centered on safety at a public forum taped for TV, three of...Many Platitudes, Little Consensus When it Comes to Education CNC: While their responses demonstrated a basic knowledge of what issues impact education in Chicago Public Schools-from school-day length to teacher evaluations-some recommendations

Posted by at

This Week In Education: NCLB: The Case Against Reauthorization

This Week In Education: NCLB: The Case Against Reauthorization

NCLB: The Case Against Reauthorization

by Alexander Russo

image from www.tire-information-world.comEver notice that it's always Arne Duncan or the pointy-headed wonks talking about how bipartisan education is and how the conditions are (always) ripe for a speedy reauthorization -- but rarely the White House or the education groups or the savvy political operators who actually know what they're talking about? Truth is, there's no real consensus that now is a good time for a big push to redo the law and in fact it might be a particularly bad time that could lead to the dilution and erosion of the law's best elements. Ask the most experienced Washington insider you know if now's the time for a NCLB revamp and see what she or he says. (Then ask if they've worked on the Hill or ever done a major reauthorization.) Meantime, here are some of the best reasons to wait that I can think of:

image from www.tire-information-world.comReally bad timing. There's no really good time to do a reauthorization except perhaps during the first year of a new administration when the White House and Congress are controlled by the same party.

Posted by at

Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily
Damn Good Education Daily

educationceo.wordpress.com - “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7As I was laying in bed listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show’s tribute to Dr. King...

EDUCATIONCEO



danagoldstein.net - American schools are more segregated by race and class today than they were on the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, 43 years ago. The average white child in America attends a school that is ...

Larryferlazzo
dailykos.com - First, let's set the scene, or if you will, the justification used for the actions advocated by the "reformers" funded by the Billionaire Boys Club. At least since a Nation at Risk in 1983, the Am...

teacherken



toped.svefoundation.org - By Community college trustees and administrators never expected to be exempt from budget cuts. Not next year. But they are particularly irked over how Gov. Jerry Brown is framing the 6.5 percent, $...

jfenster



nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com - With all the furor over Cathie Black's comments about “birth control” and “many Sophie’s choices” in relation to school overcrowding, I hope the larger issues are not ignored. There is a huge schoo...

DianeRavitch
Posted by at

Clymer presses Philadelphia School District for answers | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/18/2011

Clymer presses Philadelphia School District for answers | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/18/2011

Clymer presses Philadelphia School District for answers

By William K. Marimow and Martha Woodall

Inquirer Staff Writers

The chairman of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee has stepped up his efforts to get answers to questions about escalating problems in the Philadelphia School District.

State Rep. Paul I. Clymer (R., Bucks) sent letters Jan. 7 to Robert L. Archie Jr., chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, and to the four other commission members asking for answers to several "serious concerns." One, he said, is Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman's Dec. 13 decision to suspend six whistle-blowers "who were trying to save taxpayers' money about controversial no-bid contracts."

Shana Kemp, a district spokeswoman, said on Monday that Archie planned to respond soon.

"We need to address these issues; they're very serious issues," Clymer said in an interview on Friday. "We're extending an olive branch, saying, 'Let's see if we can work together.' If we don't get a serious response, then we'll have to pursue other alternatives." He declined to elaborate on what those alternatives might be.

Clymer's letter is the most recent development stemming from The Inquirer's Nov. 28 disclosure that Ackerman



Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20110118_Clymer_presses_Philadelphia_School_District_for_answers.html#ixzz1BOTKjGdU
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else
Posted by at

South Bend Tribune: Being your child’s ‘Superman’

South Bend Tribune: Being your child’s ‘Superman’

Being your child’s ‘Superman’

Expert panel discusses parents’ role in education.

By KIM KILBRIDE
Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND - For a child to be successful, a panel of education experts said Monday, it takes more than a parent’s involvement in school.

The key, they say, is for moms and dads to be engaged with their kids on a daily basis.

“The research is clear,” said James Husband, Parent Academy coordinator for South Bend schools. “When parents are engaged with their children and their children’s school, they (kids) do better.”
Posted by at

BTU President Responds To Criticism Of Teacher Salaries | WBUR

BTU President Responds To Criticism Of Teacher Salaries | WBUR

BTU President Responds To Criticism Of Teacher Salaries

LISTEN NOW

BOSTON — A report by the Boston Foundation said the current payment system in Boston is outdated and salary increases in Boston are significantly higher than the average for other workers across the state. It’s another push to tie student test scores to teacher pay, as the foundation calls for an overhaul the teachers’ payment system in Boston.

“On average, Boston teachers received double-digit raises each of those four years, and they are now very well paid — the highest paid in the metropolitan area, and among the highest paid in the country,” said
Foundation president Paul Grogan.

But president of the Boston Teachers Union, Richard Stutman, said the report does not take into

Posted by at

Educators urge more oversight of charter schools - NorthJersey.com

Educators urge more oversight of charter schools - NorthJersey.com
Educators urge more oversight of charter schools
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY JANUARY 18, 2011, 8:01 AM
BY LESLIE BRODY
THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER

With the Christie administration poised to announce approvals for a new wave of charter schools today, some educators say the state needs to be more vigilant in making sure charters keep their promises to be models of reform.

Third-grade teacher Kim Wildt working on a reading assignment wit Nelson Rivera at the Community Charter School in Paterson.
ELIZABETH LARA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Buy this photo
Third-grade teacher Kim Wildt working on a reading assignment wit Nelson Rivera at the Community Charter School in Paterson.

While some charters, like North Star Academy in Newark, winner of a national Blue Ribbon for excellence, are shining successes, others underperform even in the most troubled districts.

Community Charter School of Paterson is a notable example; only 18 percent of its fourth-graders passed proficiency tests in language arts last spring and 33 percent passed in math, a problem its leaders attribute largely to growing pains. It opened 2 1/2 years ago.

Even charter boosters say the Education Department needs to set more specific standards and enforce them more carefully.

"In the past, the department's work on oversight was weak," said Greg Richmond, president of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, which is

Posted by at

More students choicing out of district | EdNewsColorado

More students choicing out of district | EdNewsColorado

More students choicing out of district

by Nancy Mitchell

A growing number of Colorado students are enrolling in schools outside their home districts, a trend fueled by the rise of statewide online and charter enrollment.

Nearly one in ten students this fall are attending a school either not located in, or not run by, the district in which they live, according to state figures released last week.

That includes thousands of students flocking to online schools based out of faraway districts and to nearby schools operated by the state Charter School Institute.

Learn more
  • Search our database to find how many students are leaving your school district – and where they’re going

Find your district’s choice numbers

by Nancy Mitchell

A growing number of Colorado students are crossing district boundaries to enroll in school. More than 66,000 students – or 8 percent of the state’s student enrollment – are choicing out of district this year, according to state records released Jan. 11.

Read the EdNews’ story “More students choicing out of district.”

To see the stats for your district, click on the name in the box below. You can see results for more than one

Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)