Monday, December 19, 2011

Nonprofit's proposal would radically reorganize IPS to Eliminate Indy School Board #edreform

Nonprofit's proposal would radically reorganize IPS | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com:

Nonprofit's proposal would radically reorganize IPS

11:51 PM, Dec. 17, 2011 |
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Matthew Tully with Mind Trust CEO David Harris: Star columnist Matthew Tully talks with Mind Trust CEO David Harris about the group's proposal that would radically reorganize Indianapolis Public Schools.

Written by

Scott Elliott

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About the report

The 160-page report, "Creating Opportunity Schools: A Bold Plan to Transform Indianapolis Public Schools" was prepared for the Mind Trust by Public Impact, a North Carolina-based, nationally known education policy and management consulting organization.

The study cost $700,000; it was primarily paid for by a $500,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Education, along with support from two private foundations -- the Joyce and Broad foundations, both of which do work in education policy.

Public Impact is run by Bryan Hassel, a top national expert in school reform. He has written and edited two books on charter schools and school choice. Hassel has a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University and was a Rhodes Scholar, earning a master's degree in politics from Oxford University.

The report took 18 months to complete and included advice and research from a team of experts from across the country.

-- Scott Elliott

An Indianapolis nonprofit has unveiled an ambitious 160-page reform proposal to completely overhaul Indianapolis Public Schools.

If it came to fruition, the sweeping proposal offered by the Mind Trust would create one of the nation's most radical new organizational approaches to public education.

"If we're going to be serious about doing something transformational, we need an aggressive plan," Mind Trust CEO David Harris said.

Eduflack: Reconnecting McDowell County, WV

Eduflack: Reconnecting McDowell County, WV:

Reconnecting McDowell County, WV

by Eduflack

Readers of Eduflack know I often speak of my roots and connections to West Virginia. I am a proud graduate of Jefferson County High School in Shenandoah Junction, WV (Go, Cougars!) But I am particularly privileged to have served on the staff of one of the greatest U.S. Senators in our nation's history, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd.

Working for Senator Byrd, I was able to see much of what makes West Virginia and the nation great. I had the ability to travel the Mountain State's 55 counties, from its beautiful ranges to its research universities, its large cities to its company towns, its river rapids to its coal mines. Yes, West Virginia has much to be proud of. But it is also a state with communities ravaged by poverty, poor health, and struggling schools.

Which is I was so taken by an announcement made last week by the American Federation of Teachers. On

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

The Best Articles & Posts On Education Policy In 2011 — Part Two

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 7 hours ago

There have been so many excellent posts and articles about school reform (and videos, too!) this year that it’s been extraordinarily difficult to narrow them down. So, I gave up. I’m keeping The Best Articles & Posts On Education Policy … Continue reading →

This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 11 hours ago

I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a … Continue reading →

This Week In Web 2.0

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 13 hours ago

In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth sharing, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” It’ll be a short compilation of new decent sites that are worth … Continue reading →

The Weekly “Round-Up” Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 16 hours ago

Here are some recent good school reform-related posts and articles: 26 Amazing Facts About Finland’s Unorthodox Education System comes from Business Insider. I’m adding it to The Best Resources To Learn About Finland’s Education System. How Do Teachers Know What … Continue reading →

PostRank’s Listing Of The “Most Engaging” Education Blogs

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 20 hours ago

As regular readers know, I periodically publish posts sharing what some organizations list as the “most popular” sites or services. I find them interesting and sometimes useful (see The Best Places To Find The Most Popular (& Useful) Resources For … Continue reading →

“The Snowman”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 21 hours ago

David Deubelbeiss says this film is his favorite Christmas movie. It’s pretty neat, and he also has teaching materials that go along with it: The Snowman (1982) from Aelsi on Vimeo. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn … Continue reading →

Iraq Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 23 hours ago

With the last United States troops leaving Iraq today, I thought I’d make a few new additions to The Best Web Resources On The Iraq War: Last Flight Out Of Iraq is a Wall Street Journal slideshow. Photos: Last U.S. … Continue reading →

The Best Tweets Of 2011

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

Every month I make a short list highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I thought it might be useful for both … Continue reading →

Videos Of Students Celebrating Making Mistakes

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

Last week, I described a series of lessons I was doing on Celebrating Mistakes. Through these lessons, we learned about the importance of taking risks and not being afraid of making mistakes. Rather, we should celebrate them! Here are a … Continue reading →

More Year-End Collections Of Images

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

Here are the newest additions to The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2011: Zeitgeist 2011: How the World Searched is from Google. The Denver Post has a three part series of “2011 Best Photos of the Year”: Part One … Continue reading →

The Best “Words Of The Year” Features For 2011

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

There are several “words of the year” lists that come out annually. The might be useful for advanced English Language Learners, but I think they can be more effectively used in Theory of Knowledge classes (plus, they’re fun to read … Continue reading →

New Year Celebrations

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago

I recently updated The Best Sites For Learning About New Year Celebrations. Additional suggestions are always welcome…..

The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2011

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago

The websites on this list were not designed with education in mind, but which can easily be used for learning purposes — particularly, though not exclusively, for English language development. I only hope that creators of “educational” content can learn … Continue reading →

Teacher Home Visits

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago

As regular readers know, I’m an enthusiastic supporter of teachers make home visits, and the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project. Over at my other blog, I’ve just published a report on a recent Parent Teacher Home Visit Project national conference … Continue reading →

Education angst bared at JBC hearing | EdNewsColorado

Education angst bared at JBC hearing | EdNewsColorado:

Education angst bared at JBC hearing

by Todd Engdahl

Hopes, fears and frustrations about public schools, reform and state finances were at the boiling point Friday during the Joint Budget Committee’s hearing on the Department of Education’s proposed 2012-13 budget.

Deputy Education Commissioner Diana Sirko and Commissioner Robert Hammond

The hearing was part of the end-of-year routine during which the JBC is briefed by staff analysts on proposed budgets for state agencies and compile questions for department executives to answer at follow-up hearings. The hearing for CDE was Dec. 3 (see story), and Friday’s morning-long event was the opportunity for department executives to answer those questions (read their written responses).
The session was expected to focus on costs for proposed new state tests, a key issue because CDE wants

Monday Churn: Presidents’ parade

by EdNews staff

What’s churning:

The annual daylong cavalcade of Colorado colleges kicks off at 9 a.m. today before the Joint Budget Committee.
For most budget hearings, the agency director and aides show up to answer legislators’ questions.
Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia, who’s also director of the Department of Higher Education, and Colorado Commission on Higher Education leaders, will be in the witness chairs this morning. But the format of this hearing also provides time for individual college presidents and trustee leaders to pitch to the committee and take questions. So it’s a

AWOL At The Kvetching | California Progress Report

AWOL At The Kvetching | California Progress Report:

AWOL At The Kvetching

by megan

By Peter Schrag
Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget cuts prompted a quick and predictable response from the K-12 school lobby, aka the Education Coalition, among them state school superintendent Tom Torlakson, the teacher unions, the association of school administrators, the school boards, and the PTA.
And for the most part, the response was absolutely proper, especially when it focused on the unfairness and stupidity of the cuts to school transportation funds. As they said at a phone-in press event last week, those cuts will hit the state’s poorest and neediest students the hardest.
read more

No Exit: Many Drug Courts Don’t Reduce Re-Arrest Rates

by megan

By Margaret Dooley-Sammuli
Drug Policy Alliance
As I wrote last week, California’s counties have recently been given more authority (under AB 109, or “public safety realignment”) to develop their own policy responses to drug law violations. Given that drug offenses account for a huge proportion of all people involved in the criminal justice system at the county level, this is as big a challenge as an opportunity.
This isn’t just about reducing the number of people behind bars for a drug law violation, but about keeping them out of the criminal justice system all together – and about getting them out once they’re in.
read more

8 Stories Buried By the Corporate Media That You Need to Know About

by megan

By Rania Khalek
AlterNet
As 2011 comes to a close, we will see lists of the year’s most memorable events and most important people, as is the pattern every year. But not all stories are created equal. When the corporate media bury significant developments in the back pages of the paper or the second to last paragraph of an article, it’s easy for stories to go unnoticed.
As usual, this year was packed with critical, newsworthy and insufficiently covered stories that should have, but didn't, make the front page. Below are eight explosive must-read stories of 2011 that you may have missed.
1) Our Planet Saw the Largest Increase in Carbon Emissions Since the Industrial Revolution
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Monday, December 19, 2011