Friday, December 30, 2011

Great Lakes Center For Education Research Practice:Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report finds Study finds more questions than answers about the benefit of full-time virtual schoolsEAST LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 25, 2011) — Full-time virtual schools are expanding despite no high-quality evidence that they are effective, according to a new report released today.Cash-strapped states and school districts are using online education — including full-time virtual schools with no face-to-face contact between students and teachers — ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Bring Democracy To Jersey City

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Jersey Jazzman: Bring Democracy To Jersey City:Bring Democracy To Jersey Cityby DukeHey, Jersey City! If you're good, maybe ACTING Lord High Executioner Cerf will give you a hint about who he will install to run your schools:Some 40 people were stuck on the outside looking in for more than an hour on Dec. 22 when acting state education commissioner Christopher Cerf met with the school board in a closed session to discuss the ongoing superintendent search.Cerf and board members conferred ... more »

Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plate | Dailycensored.com

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Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plate | Dailycensored.com:Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plateby Adam BessieAre you a hedge fund manager or venture capitalist feeling guilty about being in the 1%?Do you need a philanthropic investment to help polish the image of your brand, sullied by the Occupy protests?Or are you a seeking a way to make huge profits off of the government you love to hate?If so, on January 12th in New York City, you’ll have an exciting ... more »

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - Anu Partanen - National - The Atlantic

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What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - Anu Partanen - National - The Atlantic:What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School SuccessDEC 29 2011, 3:00 PM ETThe Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.Sergey Ivanov/FlickrEveryone agrees the United States needs to improve its education system dramatically, but how? One of the hottest trends in education reform lately is looking at the stunning success of the West's reigning education superpower, Finland. Trouble is, when ... more »

DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of Funding

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DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of Funding:DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of FundingDOROTHY ROWLEY THURSDAY, 29 DECEMBER 20110diggNational Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data shows the efforts of former D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Michelle Rhee and current Chancellor Kaya Henderson failed to reduce achievement gaps, or guarantee to that children would receive at least an adequate, "average" education, regardless of the school they attended.The report also concluded that in the DCPS system which ...more »

Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’ | PolitickerNY

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Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’ | PolitickerNY:Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’By Hunter Walker 3:42pmScott Stringer (Photo: Facebook)Manhattan Borough President and possible 2013 mayoral candidate Scott Stringer blasted the New York City Department of Education at a press conference today following the publication of a New York Times report documenting the DOE’s failure to claim millions of dollars in federal Medicaid reimbursements for ... more »

That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken? « At the Chalk Face

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That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken? « At the Chalk Face:That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken?December 29, 2011I wish I could take credit for the pouting baby meme, but I think that’s Firedoglake. But I think SA’s Alex Russo gets the pouting baby merit award this week for starting a little online cat fight. So, the original catalyst was here, where in ... more »

Larry Ferlazzo: Education-Related Predictions for 2012

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Larry Ferlazzo: Education-Related Predictions for 2012:Larry FerlazzoEnglish teacherGET UPDATES FROM LARRY FERLAZZO Education-Related Predictions for 2012Posted: 12/29/11 03:40 PM ETI recently posted The Best (and Worst) Education News of 2011, and thought I'd take a stab at some prognostication for 2012.I think I batted close to 50 percent in last year's predictions -- that can't be that much worse than those made by professional pundits.Feel free to add your own predictions in the comments section -- and don't hesitate to ... more »

Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

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Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken Systemby Anthony CodyAlexander Russo has done an excellent job stirring the pot with his column yesterday asserting that "reform critics" like myself are "winning" the online debate.As I tried to point out yesterday, the online debate is rather meaningless if the real decisions about our schools continue to be made based on misinformation, bribery and political ... more »

2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacic « InterACT

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2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacic « InterACT:2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacicby David B. CohenKelly KovacicContinuing to wrap up 2011 at InterACT, today I highlight a few of the great posts that Kelly Kovacic contributed this year. (Prior installments include best guest posts and best posts by Martha Infante). As a result of her time as a California Teacher of the Year, Kelly has kept quite busy not only here in California, but also participating in national, and even ... more »

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!

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Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!:Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)I've been writing, working on my blog, experimenting, doing this for Flat Classroom but I'd like to share my favorite 5 posts for looking at yourself this 2012 in the common retrospection that we have this time of year. I don't make resolutions, I make appointments with myself to ... more »

2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left Behind - US News and World Report

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2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left Behind - US News and World Report:2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left BehindIt was a big year for the nation's central K-12 education policyBy MALLIE JANE KIMDecember 28, 2011 RSS Feed PrintThe nation's now unpopular key education policy saw more action in Washington this year than it did since it passed in 2001.No Child Left Behind has been overdue for a rewrite since 2007, and education experts agree final reform needs to ...more »

The Education Optimists: Whose Race to the Top?

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The Education Optimists: Whose Race to the Top?:Whose Race to the Top?Posted by Sara Goldrick-RabA new investigation into the charter schools run by Joe Biden's brother Frank, a self-proclaimed "PT Barnum" of charters, raises interesting implications for the Obama Administration's educational policy known as Race to the Top.As many, including the U.S. Department of Educationwhich oversees RTTT, have pointed out, states that embrace charter schools are winning the race. As DOE materials put it, "President Obama has called upon states ... more »

The 1% and Education Policy « Nashville Jefferson: A Nashville Education Blog

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The 1% and Education Policy « Nashville Jefferson: A Nashville Education Blog:The 1% and Education PolicyDECEMBER 29, 2011tags: ALEC, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Billionaires' Boys Club, Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Barkan, Matthew McKnight, obligatory Occupy Wall Street reference, philanthrophy, private dollars, Sara Goldrick Rab, The Broad Foundation, The Education Optimists, The New Yorker, Walton Family FoundationLook, it’s no secret that an elite club of education dilettantes philanthropists have been throwing money at various educational causes for a good while, and ... more »

Florida Gets Acquainted With Ohio’s Master of Charter School Disaster | Scathing Purple Musings

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Florida Gets Acquainted With Ohio’s Master of Charter School Disaster | Scathing Purple Musings:Florida Gets Acquainted With Ohio’s Master of Charter School Disasterby Bob SikesIts been a really bad few weeks for Maverick’s charter schools. New Times reporter Lisa Rab has beenestablishing a timeline. Freelance writer Doug Martin has been following the money. Now comes word the founder of Mavericks is in some real trouble in Ohio. Writes Vince Grzegorek in Cleveland Scene Magazine.The tale of Mark Thimmig is a ... more »

Hechinger Report | As Ohio moves to defund remedial courses, new models arise

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Hechinger Report | As Ohio moves to defund remedial courses, new models arise:As Ohio moves to defund remedial courses, new models ariseby Sarah ButrymowiczStudents at Kent State University (Photo by Sarah Butrymowicz)KENT, Ohio—As finals approached, nearly 240 students in a computer lab worked through basic algebra problems at Kent State University, where they and more than 3,200 of their classmates had been deemed unprepared for college-level math. They struggled to solve for x in equations like 3x + 1 = ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A biblical school reform metaphor

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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A biblical school reform metaphor:A biblical school reform metaphorby Mike KlonskyBut who's David and who's Goliath? There's a strange dynamic going on inside the online education reform debate in which the well-funded reformers play the role of wimpy David and the scrappy traditional educators are Goliath. --Alexander RussoI've got to hand it to provocateur metaphor-mixing Russo. He got some of my fellow SOSers and current reform critics to take the bait by referring to them as ... more »

Schools Matter: Gingrich Chooses Keegan for Her Strong Corruption Credentials?

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Schools Matter: Gingrich Chooses Keegan for Her Strong Corruption Credentials?:Gingrich Chooses Keegan for Her Strong Corruption Credentials?by Jim HornLisa G. Keegan has come a long way since her feature in the Peoria Times in 2006, which followed many months of avoiding questions emanating from a federal audit that noted the missing millions that someone raked away while she was running the Education Leaders Council during the champagne popping days for the ed industry under Bush II.Keegan served as McCain's mouthpiece ... more »

Presidential Proclamation -- National Mentoring Month, 2012 | The White House

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Presidential Proclamation -- National Mentoring Month, 2012 | The White House:Presidential Proclamation -- National Mentoring Month, 2012by The White HouseRelease Time: For Immediate ReleaseBY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATIONEvery day, mentors help young Americans face the challenges of growing into adulthood. By setting a positive example and sharing their time, knowledge, and experience, mentors play an essential role in preparing our Nation's youth for a bright future. During National Mentoring Month, we celebrate the contributions of ...more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Department of Education Just Won The Data Jackpot

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Missouri Education Watchdog: The Department of Education Just Won The Data Jackpot:The Department of Education Just Won The Data Jackpotby AnngieEmmett McGroarty, executive director of the Preserve Innocence Initiative of the American Principles Project and Jane Robbins, a senior fellow with the APP, wrote a great opinion piece that was featured in today's New York Post regarding the new access the Federal Dept of Education just granted itself to a wide range of data about your children. We are including ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Schools starve despite Michigan's billion-dollar surplus

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Schools starve despite Michigan's billion-dollar surplus:

Schools starve despite Michigan's billion-dollar surplus

by Mike Klonsky

T-Party Gov. Snyder says:"Let 'em eat cake."

Michigan is ending the year with an estimated $1.2 billion budget surplus. But T-Party Gov. Rick Snyder issitting on the money rather than funding the state's cash-starved public schools and rehiring laid-off teachers.

Democrats and some Republicans want public schools to get a major share of any surplus. The State Board of Education has also called for a significant portion of any budget surplus to be invested in education. Public school funding was cut more than 2 percent in the fiscal year that

10 education predictions for 2012 - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

10 education predictions for 2012 - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

10 education predictions for 2012

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Larry Ferlazzo, who teaches English at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. He writes a popular blog for teachers and is the author of three books. He is a member of the Teacher Leaders Network. A version of this excerpt appeared on his blog, “Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day.”

By Larry Ferlazzo

I’m going to take a stab at some prognostication for 2012. I batted close to 50% in last year’s predictions, which can’t be much worse than those made by professional pundits. Feel free to add your own predictions — and don’t hesitate to include “wishful thinking!”

My predictions for 2012:

1. Proponents of what is typically called “corporate school reform” —

Top Ten Rheeform Moments of 2011 | Twin Cities Daily Planet

Top Ten Rheeform Moments of 2011 | Twin Cities Daily Planet:

Top Ten Rheeform Moments of 2011

Comment

Reprint rights

BY ALEC TIMMERMAN, MINNESOTA PROGRESSIVE PROJECT

December 29, 2011

What is Rheeform? It is a catchall for the market based, destructive reforms that have become vogue since No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Michelle Rhee became the darling of the movement, gave it a personality, and a "liberal" that the plutocrats could hide behind.

The defining characteristic of market based Rheeform is what it does not do. Rheeform does not try and change how we teach. They want to change where we teach. How long we teach. What we teach. How we are hired, fired, and compensated. Who is allowed to teach. All of these are part of Rheeform, except, of course, how we teach.

This approach is not an oversight. The way we have taught for the last two hundred years has benefited and worked for almost all in power. The idea of a solitary teacher making a difference worked for them. The model of a teacher as some sort of independent contractor operating in an isolated classroom kingdom was effective for

How Do You Achieve Quality When You Have Less? « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

How Do You Achieve Quality When You Have Less? « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:

How Do You Achieve Quality When You Have Less?

December 29th, 2011 by Klea Scharberg

Many schools are experiencing shrinking resources, hiring freezes, and continued accountability pressures—and are responding by using time, material resources, and educators’ skills in innovative ways. With 85 percent of U.S. school districts anticipating cuts to their funding this school year, how can we serve our students and ensure that each child, in each community, is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged?

In the December/January issue of ASCD’s Educational Leadership, teachers and school leaders share how they’ve made scarce resources go further, in terms of staff expertise, materials, coaching, and even the hours for learning in the day. What priorities should schools set when facing serious cutbacks? Spend some time during the school break to read up on what the experts say and

The Educated Reporter: Stories that Made a Splash: Our First Annual “Educated Reporter” Awards

The Educated Reporter: Stories that Made a Splash: Our First Annual “Educated Reporter” Awards:

Stories that Made a Splash: Our First Annual “Educated Reporter” Awards

by Emily Richmond

There were many memorable education stories in 2011, but instead of a traditional “best of” list, I’d like to try something a little different. Here are a few examples of education journalism that made a difference, made me think and made me hopeful for the future of the profession:

The Ripple Effect Award (for the first pebble in the pond): The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's series of reports on widespread cheating in the public schools in which teachers were encouraged by administrators to change students’ incorrect answers on high-stakes standardized tests. The local fallout from this scandal has been substantial, including the resignation of the superintendent. But more importantly, the stories have led to more scrutiny and tougher questions in other districts. Better oversight and accountability, especially when it's coupled by responsible watchdog media, can only be a good thing for public schools.

The Water Cooler Award (for one of the most talked-about stories of the year): Paul Tough's New York Times Magazine story on the role of "grit" in learning. Tough both an incisive reporter and a fine storyteller. The story

ASCD Inservice: Our Five Most Popular Posts in 2011

ASCD Inservice: Our Five Most Popular Posts in 2011:

Our Five Most Popular Posts in 2011

What professional reading stuck with you this year? Here at Inservice, these were the five posts that were the most-viewed for 2011:

Myth of Bell-to-Bell Instruction Vs. "Golden Rule of 15 Minutes"

In this post, math teacher Kadhir Rajagopal describes his instructional style, in which he's never up at the board doing traditional direct instruction for more than 15 minutes per class period. Hear how he uses mini-lessons and "interactive teach-back" to keep his students engaged and putting their new knowledge to instant use.

Seven Ways to Go From On-Task to Engaged

We see examples of on-task but disengaged behavior every day: students mindlessly copying notes from a screen, listening to a lecture but daydreaming about what to do after school, robotically completing a worksheet. So, how do we ramp up both on-task behavior and real, meaningful engagement for our students? This post by motivation expert Bryan

Schools Matter: "nothing left to do but opt out"

Schools Matter: "nothing left to do but opt out":

"nothing left to do but opt out"

by Jim Horn

From Tim Slekar posted at HuffPo:

"If you oppose state testing, please contact your Senator and Representative... they can change, what we cannot." Superintendent.
Since our district's superintendent has decided to actively fight the opt-out movement I have tried to engage him by sending him articles that document the folly of high stakes testing and writing letter's explaining the opt out motives. I thought that we might enter into a civil discussion concerning government mandated public school reform as defined by the corporate elite.

I came across a Marion Brady article posted by Valerie Strauss. The Brady article hit some excellent points so I decided to forward it to the administrators of our district -- superintendent included. I received a response rather quickly to the Brady article from our superintendent.

The superintendent said that he agreed that research does not support high stakes testing and

Last Stand for Children First: In Defense of the Rubber Stamp

Last Stand for Children First: In Defense of the Rubber Stamp:

In Defense of the Rubber Stamp

by Last Stand for Children

As Regional Director for Teacher Development with Last Stand for Children, I have attended quite a few Chicago Board of Education meetings. I have always loved these meetings for the model of efficiency that they are. Even though the Board knows how they will rule on things ahead of time, community members will wait in line for 2 or 3 hours so that they can have their voices heard on education matters that affect them and their families. The Board skillfully groups speakers on common topics into one two minute presentation so that everybody will have their voice heard. The speakers don't change anything and that's fine. They feel that they've had their voice heard and that's what democracy is all about.

All of that orderly democracy was ruined on December 14th when parents and community activists aligned to an agenda pushed forward by the militant

Thursday, December 29, 2011

What Happens When We Stop Writing Letters? « CAFFEINATED POLITICS

What Happens When We Stop Writing Letters? « CAFFEINATED POLITICS:

What Happens When We Stop Writing Letters?

DECEMBER 29, 2011

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There is a debate among some educators over the merits of teaching cursive writing. In an age of computers and gadgets is there still a place for something as ‘old-fashioned’ as knowing how to write legibly? (I think there is.)

There might also be a debate about something equally important–the importance of writing a letter. This week The New Yorker had a column that is worthy of pondering.

As you read the paragraph below ponder the loss of the letters from John and Abigail Adams.

If we stop writing letters, who will keep our history or dare venture upon a biography? George Washington, Oscar Wilde, T. E. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, E. B. White, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Vera Nabokov, J. P. Morgan—if any of these vivid predecessors still belong to us in some fragmented private way, it’s because of their letters or diaries (which are letters to ourselves) or thanks to some strong biography built on a ledge of letters. Twenty years ago, many o

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: A Teacher At PS 51 In The Bronx Fights Back

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: A Teacher At PS 51 In The Bronx Fights Back:

A Teacher At PS 51 In The Bronx Fights Back

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

oday quite disconcerting news came across the SBSB newsroom desk. Nancy Tomassi, a teacher at PS 51 in the Bronx has filed a lawsuit against the DOEalleging that the former building that housed PS 51 led to her unborn child being diagnosed with anencephaly which resulted in her ending her pregnancy.

The crack team at SBSB and myself would like to first take this time to show how support and sympathy to Nancy, her husband Mike, and their entire families i

Reflections from the Ohio Summit 2.5 Part II | Connected Principals

Reflections from the Ohio Summit 2.5 Part II | Connected Principals:

Reflections from the Ohio Summit 2.5 Part II

Posted by Dwight Carter on 12/30/11 • Categorized as Best Educational Practices,Leadership Essentials,Networked Learning,Technology Integration

On Thursday, December 8, 2011 I attended the Ohio Summit 2.5, which is a conference that showcases what Ohio schools are doing to integrate 21st Century skills and technology in the teaching and learning process. I wanted to attend the conference to hear some of the keynote presenters: Karl Fisch (@karlfisch), the creator of “Shift Happens: Did You Know 2.0″, Daniel Pink (@danielpink), author of A Whole New Mind and Drive, and finally Ewan McIntosh (@ewanmcintosh), Scottish educator. I’ve already shared my reflections about the state of Ohio’s Interim Superintendent’s opening remarks, which you can review here. This is part II of my reflections.

The first keynote speaker was Karl Fisch, Director of Technology and Mathematics teacher at Arapahoe High

Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report finds #edreform #ows

Great Lakes Center For Education Research & Practice:

Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report finds

Study finds more questions than answers about the benefit of full-time virtual schools

EAST LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 25, 2011) — Full-time virtual schools are expanding despite no high-quality evidence that they are effective, according to a new report released today.

Cash-strapped states and school districts are using online education — including full-time virtual schools with no face-to-face contact between students and teachers — as a lower-cost alternative to traditional public schools. In states such as Florida, virtual schools are used as a loophole in laws that limit the size of classes.

According to the report, authored by University of Colorado education professors Gene V Glass and Kevin G. Welner, full-time "cyber schools" are now operating in 27 states. In at least one case in Arizona, a private firm outsourced essay grading to low-paid workers in India.

"Private operators are gaining access to large streams of public revenue to run cyber schools," Glass said. "But school districts are not getting full information on the actual costs of these programs, so it's not clear if taxpayer money is being used effectively — or properly."

Cyber schools are subject to only minimal government oversight, according to the report.

"We have to make sure that cyber schools don't become just a cheap way of providing second-rate service to disadvantaged schools and students," Glass said.