Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, March 26, 2011

This is What #EDUSolidarity Looks Like – The Full List « Outside the Cave

This is What #EDUSolidarity Looks Like – The Full List « Outside the Cave

The Little Things That Make It All Worthwhile

An old student of mine left this on my Facebook page yesterday:

“Remember that junior in high school who wrote a paper about the Seneca Falls Convention for History Day? Well, she is now a sophomore in college, and is actually going to that same place she wrote a paper on in 2008. YUP! Tomorrow I will be at the place where women suffrage began =) (I hope I don’t cry)”


This is What #EDUSolidarity Looks Like – The Full List

Watching EDUSolidarity take place on Tuesday was one of the most empowering and inspirational days of my life. It was amazing to see so many educators around the country (and even two internationally) stand up together to support our brothers and sisters whose unions are under attack. What started as an idea in the shower as a response to an old question, quickly ballooned to involve over 100 different bloggers sharing their thoughts and experiences. There is an incredibly wide variety of viewpoints here, and I would encourage people to read as many as they can. Moreover, I would encourage people to take the time to leave comments on those you read. I will be doing so in the coming days, as well as posting more in response to things I read.

It must be noted, that as this was an open tag, not all of the post reflect the views of myself or the other co-sponsors of this. Every post that was submitted has been included in the list.

The cosponsors are listed first, followed by the rest in alphabetical order by blog name. Click on the person’s name to read their EDUSolidarity post; Twitter handles, for those who shared, follow after locations.

Doug Noon – Borderland – Fairbanks, AS.
Jamie JosephsonDontworryteach – Washington, DC. Dontworryteach
Kate Nowakf(t) – Syracuse, NY. k8nowak
Sabrina Stevens Shupe – Failing Schools – Denver, CO. TeacherSabrina
Jonathan – jd2718 – Bronx, NY.
Anthony CodyLiving in Dialogue – Oakland, CA. anthonycody
Ed DarrellMillard Fillmore’s Bathtub – Dallas, TX.
Stephen Lazar – Outside the Cave – Gotham Schools – Bronx, NY. SLazarOtC
Nancy FlanaganTeacher in a Strange Land – Cedar, MI. nancyflanagan
Ken Bernstein aka “teacherken”teacherken at Daily Kos – Arlington, VA. teacherken
Jose Vilson – The Jose Vilson – New York, NY. thejlv
Sophie Germain – A Brand New Line – Santa Clara, CA. sophgermain
Sarah PuglisiA Day In the Life – Oxnard, CA.
Jeff Silva-BrownA Passion for Teaching and Opinions – Ukiah, CA. ukiahcoachbrown
Dan Anderson – A Recursive Process – Saratoga Springs, NY. dandersod
Mr. A. TalkAccountable Talk – New York, NY.
Frank Noschese – Action-Reaction – Cross River, NY. fnoschese
Lisa Butler – Adventures with Technology – Harrisburg, PA. SrtaLisa
Rachel LevyAll Things Education – Ashland, VA. RachelAnneLevy
Jason BuellAlways Formative – San Jose, CA. jybuell
The Reflective EducatorAn Urban Teacher’s Education – New York, NY. urbanteachersed
Apple A Day – Apple A Day Project – Boston, MA. appleadayproj
Amy ValensAugust to June: Bringing Life to School – New York, NY. augusttojune
ChanaBlogging at the Edge of Democracy – Durham, NC. democracysedge
Bud Hunt – Bud the Teacher – Fort Collins, CO. budtheteacher
ChazChaz’s School Daze – Queens, NY.
Marc BousquetChronicle of Higher Education – Los Gatos, CA.
David CoffeyDelta Scape – Spring Lake, MI. delta_dc
Leo CaseyDissent Magazine – New York, NY.
Brent NyczDon’t Settle – New York, NY. BNiche
Peter – Ed in the Apple – New York, NY.
Norm ScottEducation Notes – Rockaway Beach, NY.
Deven Black – Education on the Plate – New York City, NY. devenkblack
David AndradeEducational Technology Guy – Bridgeport, CT. daveandcori
educator4WI – educator4WI – Madison, WI.
Francis S. Midy – EduSolidarity Essays – Bronx, NY.
Suzanne Donahue – EduSolidarity Essays – Rockland County, NY.
Eric BrunsellEdutopia – STEM Blog – Appleton, WI. Brunsell
Esther BerksonEdwize – Bronx, NY.
Jason LeibowitzEdwize – New York, NY.
Jessica JacobsEdwize – Staten Island, NY.
Lissette VelazquezEdwize – New York, NY.
Marc KorashanEdwize – New York, NY.
Roseanne McCoshEdwize – Bronx, NY.
JennyElementary, My Dear, or Far From It – Springfield, VA. jenorr
Marie Levey-PabstEnglish Teachin’ Vegan – Boston, MA.
Christal WattsFive Feet of Feisty – Fairfield, CA. christal_watts
Jay Bullockfolkbum’s rambles and rants – Milwaukee, WI. folkbum
Fred Klonsky – Fred Klonsky’s Blog – Chicago, IL. fklonsky
ZenoHalfway There – Northern CA.
Mimi YangI Hope This Old Train Breaks Down… – El Salvador (formerly NYC). untilnextstop
Cathy B – I.M.O. In My Opinion – Detroit, MI. Cathy_Brackett
David B. Cohen – InterACT – Palo Alto, CA. CohenD
Ruben BrosbeIs Our Children Learning? – New York, NY. blogsbe
Lynne Winderbaumjd2718 (friend’s blog) – Rockland County, NY.
Larry Ferlazzo – Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of The Day – Sacramento, CA. larryferlazzo
Julia TsyganLearning (by) Teaching – Stockholm, Sweden.
Kathryn CoffeyLiteracy Gurl – Spring Lake, MI. literacygurl
Gregg LundahlLundahl – New York, NY.
Brian CohenMaking the Grade – Philadelphia, PA. bncohen
Mark Anderson – MAnderson’s Bubble – New York, NY. mandercorn
Nick Yates – Maryland Math Madness – Baltimore, MD. nyates314
CurmudgeonMath Curmudgeon – VT.
Chris Hill – Math is a Shovel – Seattle, WA. hillby258
Sue VanHattumMath Mama Writes – Richmond, CA.
Owen Thomas – MathEdZineBlog – Columbus, OH. vlorbik
John Goldenmathhombre – Grand Haven, MI. mathhombre
Miss AdventureMiss Adventure’s Adventures – GA.
Michael DunnModern School – San Francisco, CA. ModSchool
Bill IveyMy Blog at ISENET.ning.com – Shelburne Falls, MA.
Tricia DiPasqualeMy Life – Somerville, MA. PDiPasquale
Kristen FoussMy Web 2.0 journey – Cincinnati, OH. fouss
Courtney FerrellNo Teacher Left Behind – New York, NY.
Miss EyreNYC Educator – New York, NY.
Christopher SearsOmega Unlimited – Maysville, KY.
Stephen LazarOutside the Cave – Bronx, NY. SLazarOtC
John Mcrann – Outside the Cave (guest post) – Bronx, NY.
Penelope MillarOutside the Cave (Guest post) – VA. PetiteViking
AlexaPas Pour Tout Les Yeux (personal blog, mostly private) – Chicago, IL.
Chris Spiliotispassing notes – Enterprise, FL. _thelink
Pat BallewPat’s Blog – USA.
Peggy RobertsonPeg with Peg – Centennial, CO. PegwithPen
Brendan MurphyPhilosophy Without A Home – Waukegan IL. dendari
pissedoffteacherPissedoffteacher – Queens, NY.
Chris LehmannPractical Theory – Philadelphia, PA. chrislehmann
Gamal SherifProgressEd – Philadelphia, PA.
Alice Mercer – Reflections on Teaching – Sacramento, CA. alicemercer
Chuck OlynykRemember Fremont – Pomona, CA.
Nancy Cavillones – Se Hace Camino al Andar – Bronx, NY.
Shakespeare’s SisterShakespeare’s Sister – CO. shakes_sister
Sherman DornSherman Dorn – Tampa, FL. shermandorn
Chris JanottaSOS Million Teacher Blog Site – Tinley Park IL. SOSMTM
Ira David SocolSpeEdChange – Holland, MI. irasocol
Maria AngalaTeacher Sol – Washington, DC. TeacherSol
Mary Rice-BootheThe Education Traveler – New York, NY. Edu_Traveler
Jose VilsonThe Jose Vilson – New York, NY. thejlv
Timothy BoyleThe Notebook – Philadelphia, PA.
Samuel ReedThe Philadelphia Public School Notebook – Philadelphia, PA. sriii2000
Kelly Mueller – The Power of Accomplished Teaching – St. Louis, MO. lkelly46
Kelly Mueller – The Power of Accomplished Teaching – USA.
Rich TrashThe Trashman’s Disposable Reader – Queens, NY. RichTrash
David ReberTopeka K-12 Examiner – Lawrence, KS. David_Reber
Tuba BauhoferTuba Bauhofer – Kent. springrose12
Mary TedrowWalking to School – Winchester, VA. mtedrow
Katie SvobodaWhat’s on Katie’s Mind? – Sturgis, MI.
Paul Wagnerzenbassoon at Daily Kos – Hebron, IN. BssnistPaul

The Bartleby Project

The Bartleby Project

Join The Bartleby Project

"The Bartleby Project begins by inviting 60,000,000 American students, one by one, to peacefully refuse to take standardized tests or to participate in any preparation for these tests; it asks them to act because adults chained to institutions and corporations are unable to; because these tests pervert education, are disgracefully inaccurate, impose brutal stresses without reason, and actively encourage a class system which is poisoning the future of the nation." Read John Taylor Gatto's full statement on the Bartleby Project (it's long).

There is Hope

Unschooling on Twitter, Coxsackie-Athens Valedictorian Speech 2010, Charles Leadbeater: Education innovation in the slums, The Natural Child Project,Gever Tulley teaches life lessons through tinkering, A.S. Neill's Summerhill School

Opting-Out of No Child Left Behind - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes

Opting-Out of No Child Left Behind - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes

Opting-Out of No Child Left Behind

Mar. 25 2011 - 1:45 pm | 175 views | 0 recommendations | 3 comments

Michele Gray has a fascinating post up in what will be an ongoing series on her and other parents’ decision to opt their children out of their state’s No Child Left Behind tests. Confronted with one son who wanted to make a film about how tests were ruining his high school, and another son whose stress over the high-stakes tests led him to scratch his legs during his sleep, Michele decided to take the problem seriously. Her younger son Ted pointed her to Timothy Slekar, who wrote about the Bartleby Project – a nationwide

Oshkosh teachers union leader punished for emails | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

Oshkosh teachers union leader punished for emails | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com

Oshkosh teachers union leader punished for emails

OSHKOSH — The president of the Oshkosh teachers union received an unpaid suspension because he used district email to encourage others to use sick leave for joining political protests in Madison.

Oshkosh Education Association president Len Herricks sent a letter to all union members on Thursday in which he revealed at least part of his punishment and acknowledged his use of email was inappropriate.

"It's a decision for which I've taken responsibility and have accepted school board disciplinary

Wisconsin’s Walker Sued by Unions as Labor Law ‘Published’ - Bloomberg #wiunion #1u

Wisconsin’s Walker Sued by Unions as Labor Law ‘Published’ - Bloomberg

Wisconsin’s Walker Sued by Unions as Labor Law ‘Published’

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was sued by two labor unions over a bill restricting collective bargaining by public employees while a state bureau published the law after the secretary of state was ordered not to do so.

A union representing public works employees in Wisconsin’s capital city of Madison and another for firefighters and other public safety officers seek in the state court complaint filed yesterday to have the law invalidated.

Walker signed the law March 11 amid public protests outside the Capitol and after 14 Democratic state senators had boycotted the legislative session in an attempt to deprive the

State high court may not act immediately on collective bargaining law case | Ashland Current #wiunion #1u

State Headlines From Wisconsin Public Radio, March 25 | Ashland Current

State Headlines From Wisconsin Public Radio, March 25

State high court may not act immediately on collective bargaining law case
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio

A state appeals court says that key legal questions in a case challenging the new collective bargaining law should go directly to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. But a former justice says she doesn't expect the court to take the case right away.

The case alleges legislators broke the state's open meetings law when they hastily called a conference committee and then convened it to vote on the collective bargaining bill less than two hours later.
The Court of Appeals asked the Supreme Court to decide two issues: whether the court could legally strike down a law because of an open meetings violation; and whether a court could ban the

The Weekend Interview: Randi Weingarten for the Union Defense - WSJ.com

The Weekend Interview: Randi Weingarten for the Union Defense - WSJ.com

Weingarten for the Union Defense

Teachers Union Chief Randi Weingarten on charter schools, reformers Michelle Rhee and Joel Klein, and her star turn in 'Waiting for Superman.'


New York

Teachers unions are on the defensive these days. The Obama administration is pushing various measures long opposed by the unions: charter school expansion, pay-for-performance, teacher evaluations and more. States and localities are looking to change collective-bargaining rules and scale back costly, bloated education work forces that have grown even when student enrollment was flat or declining. And Hollywood, in recent documentary films like "Waiting for 'Superman,'" "The Lottery" and "The Cartel," has highlighted how teachers unions block or stifle education reforms to the detriment of the low-income minority kids who populate the nation's worst schools.

When I sit down for an interview with Randi Weingarten, who has been head of the American Federation of Teachers since 2008, my first question is whether those films are getting her recognized more in public these days.

"Actually, no," she responds, not particularly amused by the query. "I'm used to the use of scapegoating and demonization and finger-pointing as a mechanism to divert or distract from problem-solving."

"We want to improve public schools," says Ms. Weingarten. "Ninety percent of the kids in the

Weigel : That's Really Super, Super-Rhee

Weigel : That's Really Super, Super-Rhee

That's Really Super, Super-Rhee

The canonization of Michelle Rhee continues with this month's cover of Reason magazine.* Peter Bagge illustrates Rhee as a superhero carrying a school bus; AFT president Randi Weingarten is chasing her, wearing purple and bearing green kryptonite. It seems modeled after the classic Golden Age Superman/Luthor iconography, as opposed to the Modern age version of the characters in which Lex Luthor is a Saville Row-clad industrialist.

Today’s Collection Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Today’s Collection Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Jersey Jazzman: Educators, Watch What You Say... #wiunion #1u

Jersey Jazzman: Educators, Watch What You Say...

Educators, Watch What You Say...

Big Brother is watching:
University of Wisconsin Professor William Cronon, who has become the target of an open-records request by the state Republican Party -- which is seeking his e-mails from his university account, after he wrote blog posts critical of Gov. Scott Walker's new law curtailing public employee unions -- is firing back at the GOP, in a statement given to TPM.
Wisconsin GOP executive director Mark Jefferson has stood by the open-records request, and attacked critics of it as "chilling" efforts to know what public officials are doing: "I have never seen such a concerted effort to intimidate someone from lawfully seeking information about their government."
Jefferson's statement also said: "Finally, I find it appalling that Professor Cronin (sic) seems to have plenty of time to round up reporters from around the nation to push the Republican

Now It’s Hartford’s Turn To Show How NOT To Do Parent Involvement | Engaging Parents In School...

Now It’s Hartford’s Turn To Show How NOT To Do Parent Involvement | Engaging Parents In School...