Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily

The Coming Left/Right Protest Against "ObamaSchool"

scholasticadministrator.typepad.com - The head of the Central Falls teachers' union is skipping the upcoming national conference on labor-management cooperation because she says the district is "not willing to establish real collaborat...

alexanderrusso

Space the Final Frontier « My Island View

tomwhitby.wordpress.com - January 20, 2011 by tomwhitby I recently involved myself in a discussion I have been engaging people in since the mid 1970’s. The Topic: Is it one space or two after a period when word-processing? ...

tomwhitby

The Answer Sheet - Harvard’s unofficial early admissions process

voices.washingtonpost.com - Harvard University doesn’t have an official early admissions process, but some students still learn before everybody else whether they are being looked on with favor by the admissions folks.Select ...

valeriestrauss

Webinars Made Easy. Award-Winning Web Casting & Online Seminar Hosting Software

gotomeeting.com - (GMT) Casablanca, Monrovia(GMT) Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London(GMT) Greenwich Mean Time(GMT+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna(GMT+01:00) Belgrade, Bratislava, Budapest, Lju...

alfiekohn

We Can Create the Profession Students Need

edweek.org - Published Online: January 18, 2011Published in Print: January 19, 2011, as We Can Create the Profession Students NeedCommentary ByBarnett Berry Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.There’s...

CohenD

This Week In Education: ObamaSchool: See You On The Mall (Or Picket Line?)

This Week In Education: ObamaSchool: See You On The Mall (Or Picket Line?)

Thompson: Virtual "Education" on the Cheap [image: Robot_07] A 15-year old Miami-Dade student explained to the New York Times that "for virtual education you have to be really self-motivated." But without warning, the district dumped 7,000 students into online learning classes in an effort ...

ObamaSchool: See You On The Mall (Or Picket Line?) [image: ScreenHunter_02 Nov. 23 08.33] Yesterday I joked about the coming Tea Party / liberal surge of antipathy towards what I'm calling "Obamaschool" only to find out that there's already a "Save Our Schols" event planned for July that includes ...

This Week In Education: Media: AP Buys Into Bloated Charter Claims

This Week In Education: Media: AP Buys Into Bloated Charter Claims

Media: AP Buys Into Bloated Charter Claims

by Alexander Russo

This AP story (Charter schools expand with public, private money) is best understood as a courtesy to the charter school folks who are having a big annual conference this week, or a "beat sweetener" (a story written to curry favor with powerful sources) or ... a mistaken reaction to a press release? Because charter schools aren't in great shape, no matter what the charter folks say. They've lost a lot of their national expansion funding; there's increasing awareness that the quality isn't uniformly any better than anyone else's; they're involved in less than 5 percent of the turnarounds going on

Maria Shriver's Tribute to Sargent Shriver | Maria Shriver

Maria Shriver's Tribute to Sargent Shriver | Maria Shriver

NJ Spotlight | Two Decades in the Making, School Voucher Bill Clears Big Hurdle

NJ Spotlight | Two Decades in the Making, School Voucher Bill Clears Big Hurdle

Two Decades in the Making, School Voucher Bill Clears Big Hurdle

Senate committee vote not just about voucher merits, but also recipients

print | email | share

By John Mooney, January 21 in Education |1 Comment

State Sens. Thomas Kean Jr., left, and Raymond Lesniak, the prime sponsors of the proposed Opportunity Scholarship Act, testify yesterday before Senate budget committee.

A key Senate committee yesterday voted for New Jersey’s first experiment with private school vouchers. That's not a final verdict but it's no small vote -- and a bitterly fought one -- for an effort literally two decades old.

Related Links

Latest Version of School Voucher Bill Heads for Senate Budget Committee

The five-hour budget committee hearing ended with a suspense-filled vote after dark.

With a mix of Republican and Democratic support, the committee voted out the Opportunity Scholarship Act by an 8-5 tally. That cleared the way for its next vote before the full Senate and brought applause and hugs from much of the overflow crowd in the Statehouse.

But with much jockeying still ahead, including before the Assembly, behind the scenes has been a delicate balancing act of deciding exactly who would qualify for the vouchers and how much would they get.

The latest version of the bill would make New Jersey’s

The New Republic: Media, Don't Publish Teacher Data : NPR

The New Republic: Media, Don't Publish Teacher Data : NPR

The New Republic: Media, Don't Publish Teacher Data Last week, a New York judge ruled in favor of media outlets wishing to publish data evaluations of the city's teachers. Seyward Darby of *The New Republic* argues that the media should focus more on shaming poor education policies rather than the ...

Proposed University Merger Riles New Orleans Louisiana's Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal is considering a move to merge two struggling universities there — historically black Southern University at New Orleans and the largely white University of New Orleans. For more on what the move would mean ...

Modern School: AFT Plan to Overhaul Teacher Discipline

Modern School: AFT Plan to Overhaul Teacher Discipline

Violence Prevention Undermined in SFUSD In 2009, the San Francisco Board of Education (BOE) eliminated violation prevention program funding and replaced it with a number of policy directives based on recommendations by the Coalition for Fair and Caring Schools (FairCare). The change was ...

AFT Plan to Overhaul Teacher Discipline Teachers accused of misconduct should have their cases decided within 100 days, said Kenneth Feinberg, the arbitration expert investigating teacher discipline at the request of the American Federation of Teachers. Feinberg will release his plan next ...

Balancing the Scorecard with Student Voices and other Measures of Teaching Effectiveness | Connected Principals

Balancing the Scorecard with Student Voices and other Measures of Teaching Effectiveness | Connected Principals

Balancing the Scorecard with Student Voices and other Measures of Teaching Effectiveness Here’s news that seems to be surprising some people: what students think about their teachers’ teaching is accurate and relevant. Any and all efforts to improve schooling for our fast-changing era must, I believe, respect, honor and care about ...

Who’s In Your Starting Five? “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn * * I read this quote recently and begin to think about the people I spend the most time with as a leader. I believe that you should always surround yourself with ...

Jose vs. Mr. Vilson, Part 2 – Do You Think Segregation Is A Good Thing For Minorities? — The Jose Vilson

Jose vs. Mr. Vilson, Part 2 – Do You Think Segregation Is A Good Thing For Minorities? — The Jose Vilson

Jose vs. Mr. Vilson, Part 2 – Do You Think Segregation Is A Good Thing For Minorities?

by Jose

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., The First Meeting (Melvin Hale)

Jose: First off, you and I both know I don’t even like the word “minority” because, in the words of Piri Thomas, there’s nothing minor about me.

Mr. Vilson: Whoa, buddy! HAHA!

Jose: You know what I mean. There’s just no way we’re ever going to get respect in this country if we keep

‘Parent trigger’ organizers need protection from harassment, intimidation | Thoughts on Public Education

‘Parent trigger’ organizers need protection from harassment, intimidation | Thoughts on Public Education

LAO: Charge perpetual students more - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office is recommending that the Legislature determine priority students for course registration at the state’s 112 community colleges and stop subsidizing courses of perennial students and repeat takers of ...

‘Parent trigger’ organizers need protection from harassment, intimidation - by Ben Austin John Fensterwald’s post last week on the “parent trigger” and its implementing regulations missed the mark in one or two spots. First and foremost, we completely agree with John and others who argue that more open dialogue and debate as part of the ...

The Answer Sheet - Are Common Core Standards really so different?

The Answer Sheet - Are Common Core Standards really so different?

Are Common Core Standards really so different?

This was written by Todd S. Farley, who worked for years in the standardized testing industry and authored the book “Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industry.” He previously wrote about his experiences on this blog, and, now, looks at the link between testing and the Common Core standards. (The company to which he refers to in this post will remain anonymous; he would not disclose it, and no, he did not actually "hack" in. Read on to find out what I'm talking about.) By Todd S. Farley If there’s one thing the uber-confident if minimally experienced education reformers can agree on, it’s that this country’s students need “high standards.” The thought is that the high expectations of “high standards” in our schools will allow the United States to overcome any educational deficiencies we face (even the huge hurdle of our terrible teachers). This clamoring to raise

Rhee moving organization to Sacramento

Michelle Rhee is moving the headquarters of her new national organization, Students First, to Sacramento, the city run by her fiance, Mayor Kevin Johnson. Johnson made the announcement during his annual State of the City address.

NYC Educator: Snow Picnic Out There

NYC Educator: Snow Picnic Out There

Snow Picnic Out There

by NYC Educator

I always go in on snow days. My wife speculates it's because I'm out of my mind, and some days it's tough to maintain otherwise. It gives me something to consider while navigating the icy roads to Fun City.

I remember once driving west on the Long Island Expressway, cars crashing to my right, cars crashing to my left, and hearing then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani advising me not to come in via my AM radio. I wrote his words on the board, for the amusement of the handful of kids as crazy as me.

There is a delayed opening procedure, introduced by

Rise & Shine: Cathie Black launches assault on ‘last in, first out’ | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Cathie Black launches assault on ‘last in, first out’ | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Cathie Black launches assault on ‘last in, first out’ - Appearing on “Inside City Hall,” Cathie Black said she also favors ending “last in, first out” rules. (NY1) - Black explains her opposition to “last in, first out” by appealing to the mind and the heart. (Post) - The Post says ...

Remainders: Mothers group wants to make it harder to graduate - A group of moms wants to do something about too-freely-awarded credits. (Young Mothers’ Ed Policy) - Miss Eyre explains why she *won’t* be joining Educators 4 Excellence. (NYC Educator) - A reward is available to anyone who can ...

City awards bonuses to fewer schools after test scores drop The number of city schools whose teachers are taking home bonuses fell to just 26 this year, with many past winners falling victim to the citywide decline in test scores. About 200 schools with many high-needs students are eligible for annual ...

Jay Greene Should Expect More from Research

Jay Greene Should Expect More from Research

Jay Greene Should Expect More from Research

by Bill Tucker

Jay Greene, discussing the use of evidence to inform policy, manages to range from the Gates Foundation’s Measures of Effective Teaching project to the evils of communism in a single blog post. Here’s the crux of his argument before it drifts off course:

I am now more aware of the opposite failing — believing that we can resolve all policy disputes and identify the “right way” to educate all children solely by relying on science. Science has its limits. Science cannot adjudicate among the competing values that might attract us to one educational approach over another. Science usually tells us about outcomes for the typical or average student and cannot easily tell us about what is most effective for individual students with diverse needs. Science is slow and uncertain, while policy and practice decisions have to be

Forget the Graphic Organizers, Does Taking Tests Help You Learn? - Copy / Paste by Peter Pappas

Forget the Graphic Organizers, Does Taking Tests Help You Learn? - Copy / Paste by Peter Pappas

Forget the Graphic Organizers, Does Taking Tests Help You Learn?

This should stir things up!

A New York Times story "Test-Taking Cements Knowledge Better Than Studying, Researchers Say" (January 21, 2011) reports...

Graph: NY Times

"Taking a test is not just a passive mechanism for assessing how much people know, according to new research. It actually helps people learn, and it works better than a number of other studying techniques.

The research, published online Thursday in the journal Science, found

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Texas' school-to-prison pipeline

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Texas' school-to-prison pipeline

Texas' school-to-prison pipeline

by Mike Klonsky

"...the single most important predictor [of incarceration] is a history ofdisciplinary referrals at school."

Mainly minority students in Dallas and other urban school districts in Texas are increasingly being charged with Class C misdemeanors for less-serious infractions that used to be handled with a trip to the principal's office, according to a new study.

The report from the nonprofit advocacy group Texas Appleseed, a nonprofit social justice advocacy group, is titled "Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline."The report examined student disciplinary data on 22 of the largest school districts in the state. It found that most have sharply increased the number of campus police officers - resulting in far more misdemeanor tickets being handed out to students.

"Disrupting class, using profanity, misbehaving on a school bus, student fights and truancy once