Latest News and Comment from Education
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Performing Poorly: Tennessee Students Receiving Vouchers 20+ Points Behind Public School Peers - Vouchers give kids a losing ticket5 hours ago
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20th Anniversary of EdNotesOnline - Some Issues Never Go Away - The *iron law of institutions* states that people who run an organization care more about keeping their own power than helping the organization succeed.....16 hours ago
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Media Briefing from Superintendent Shuldiner, August 31, 2026 - I'm going to post what the West Seattle Blog is reporting. (The district was recording it and as soon as I see it posted, I'll put it up as well.) *Shul...20 hours ago
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Judicial candidate Warren Plunk dies, OK County special election to be called - [image: Warren Plunk]Oklahoma County attorneys will have a second chance to file for the District 7 Office 10 judicial seat after the death of candidate ...20 hours ago
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Three handy pages with facts about Michelle Rhee, StudentsFirst, etc.
THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Three handy pages with facts about Michelle Rhee, StudentsFirst, etc.:
Workers & Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FL « Continuing Change
Workers & Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FL « Continuing Change:
Workers & Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FL
Wisconsin … SW Florida residents and Wear Red for Ed has joined with the AFL CIO and many other activists/organizations to rally/protest the visit of Wisconsin’s Gov Scott Walker in Naples, FL today. We will be sure to let him know we do not need another Scott in Florida… we have Rick Scott…and he is one Scott too many!! Solidarity from Florida, all dressed in red for public ed ! If you are near Naples, FL… head over now. Event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/374659255883566/
The rush to endorse is unseemly. « Fred Klonsky
The rush to endorse is unseemly. « Fred Klonsky:
The rush to endorse is unseemly.
Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. And in return, grant schools flexibility: to teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn. That’s a bargain worth making. - Barack Obama, SOTUS, 2012
Based on a statement like that, why wouldn’t the NEA endorse President Obama for re-election at our RA last July? Or the AFT endorse him yesterday? Of course the devil is in the details.
Apparently it’s not enough for the Obama administration that standardized test scores are now used to evaluate students, schools, teachers and principals. In a
Occupy the DOE in DC Schedule: March 30th to April 2nd, 2012 | United Opt Out National #ows
Occupy the DOE in DC Schedule: March 30th to April 2nd, 2012 | United Opt Out National:
OCCUPY THE DOE IN DC SCHEDULE: MARCH 30TH TO APRIL 2ND, 2012
Our schedule is up! It is subject to revision. Please click HERE to find our schedule, map information for hotels and pertinent locations, a letter to share about our plans to occupy, posters and Occupy DOE Rules of Engagement. We encourage everyone to join the forum to begin making arrangements for carpools and hotels. See you soon.
Shaun Johnson, Morna McDermott McNulty, Laurie Murphy, Peggy Robertson, Tim Slekar and Ceresta Smith
United Opt Out Administrators
TWITTER TOWN HALL 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT)- El secretario de Educación DUNCAN SERÁ SEDE DE SALA CIUDAD TWITTER para la Excelencia Educativa HISPANO
Education Department on USTREAM: .:
EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN TO HOST TWITTER TOWN HALL ON HISPANIC EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Following President Obama’s State of the Union Address – in which critical topics like college affordability, dropout rates, teachers, and job training were addressed – U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will engage with the Hispanic community through a twitter town hall at 3 p.m. ET on February 8. The conversation will be conducted in both English and Spanish.
José Rico, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, will join Duncan for the virtual town hall. As head of the initiative, Rico helps carry out President Obama’s efforts to improve the academic achievement of Hispanic students. Duncan and Rico will discuss how Hispanic success in education is important to the country and respond to questions submitted on Twitter. The town hall will be moderated by Elianne Ramos and Cheryl Aguilar from LATISM, a nonprofit social media outlet aimed at advancing the social, economic and educational status of the Latino community.
The event will be streamed live online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/
WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE
ON EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE FOR HISPANICS
TWITTER TOWN HALL
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
TIME: 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT)
LIVESTREAM: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/
PARTICIPANTS: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
José Rico, director, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
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Toby Chaudhuri
978-884-8626
@TobyChaudhuri
Shanker Blog » A Look Inside Principals' Decisions To Dismiss Teachers
Shanker Blog » A Look Inside Principals' Decisions To Dismiss Teachers:
A Look Inside Principals’ Decisions To Dismiss Teachers
Despite all the heated talk about how to identify and dismiss low-performing teachers, there’s relatively little research on how administrators choose whom to dismiss, whether various dismissal options might actually serve to improve performance, and other aspects in this area. A paper by economist Brian Jacob, released as working paper in 2010 and published late last year in the journal Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, helps address at least one of these voids, by providing one of the few recent glimpses into administrators’ actual (rather than simulated) dismissal decisions.
Jacob exploits a change in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) personnel policy that took effect for the 2004-05 school year, one which strengthened principals’ ability to dismiss probationary teachers, allowing non-renewal for any reason, with minimal documentation. He was able to link these personnel records to student test scores, teacher and school characteristics and other variables, in order to examine the characteristics that principals
Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protesters - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protesters - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:
Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protesters
By Katy Murphy
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 9:55 pm in Uncategorized.
Education Department’s obsession with test scores deepens - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
Education Department’s obsession with test scores deepens - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:
Education Department’s obsession with test scores deepens
Apparently it’s not enough for the Obama administration thatstandardized test scores are now used to evaluate students, schools, teachers and principals. In a new display of its obsession with test scores, the Education Department is embarking on a study to determine which parts of clinical teacher training lead to higher average test scores
Education Secretary Arne Duncan speaks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting luncheon in Washington, last month. (Cliff Owen)among the teachers’ students.
This is explained in a notice placed in the Federal Register:
“Teachers who have experienced certain types of clinical practice features and who have completed those
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Worst Pro-Charter Statement Yet
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Worst Pro-Charter Statement Yet:
Worst Pro-Charter Statement Yet
Today, the Seattle Times ran an editorial by Lynne Varner ("Adding color to the education reform debate") which is, without a doubt, the worst statement in support of charters yet to appear.
Ms Varner proudly quotes a study which reports:
Ms Varner proudly quotes a study which reports:
"60% of the charter schools performed with similar or better success than the traditional public schools in reading and 53 percnet (sic) of charter schools performed with similar or better success in math compared to traditional schools."Those of us with math skills instantly recognize that this means that 40% of charters had WORSE results than traditional public schools in reading and 47% of them had WORSE results than traditional public schools in math. Rather than using this data to support the creation of charter schools, I would use these results to oppose
RheeFirst! » Michelle Rhee's Speaking Fee? That will be $50k, please… plus FIRST CLASS EXPENSES. Rhee First!
RheeFirst! » Michelle Rhee's Speaking Fee? That will be $50k, please… plus FIRST CLASS EXPENSES. Rhee First!:
Michelle Rhee's Speaking Fee? That will be $50k, please… plus FIRST CLASS EXPENSES. Rhee First!
The following email was originally posted on the NY Education News listserv, in response to an inquiry sent to Michelle Rhee’s booking agent for speaking events, Creative Artists Agency of LA.
*From:* Speakers@… [mailto:speakers@...]
*Sent:* Wednesday, March 16, 2011 10:35 PM
*To:* leonieh@…
*Subject:* RE: new client : Michelle RheeHi Leonie
Thanks for your interest. Michelle’s standard fee is 50K plus first class expenses from DC. We encourage all offers, even if not at her full fee, since certain groups are very appealing to her and her number one goal is to raise awareness of the problems
Anti-Charter School Resolutions in Washington State Including one from a PTA | Seattle Education
Anti-Charter School Resolutions in Washington State Including one from a PTA | Seattle Education:
Anti-Charter School Resolutions in Washington State Including one from a PTA
Even though the House and Senate charter school bills both died in committee last week the battle still rages on. This in part due to Rodney Tom, State Senator for Bellevue, who halted the review of all bills brought into the Senate education committee because the charter school bill was not allowed review and also due to the continued push by Stand for Children and the League of Education Voters. All have vested interests is seeing a charter school bill pass in our state this year. Unfortunately their interests have nothing to do with our children.
Several resolutions have been passed by Democratic districts and organizations and to follow is the list that I have so far. If anyone else has additional resolutions that I can post, please send them to me and I will publish
Editorial: Report cards for schools? Only if done thoughtfully - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee
Editorial: Report cards for schools? Only if done thoughtfully - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee:
Editorial: Report cards for schools? Only if done thoughtfully
Published: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 10A
California voters made a pact in 1988 when they approved Proposition 98.
The state would provide a guaranteed minimum level of funding for public schools. In exchange, schools would be held "accountable for the job they do and the tax dollars they spend." Every year each school would publish a School Accountability Report Card – the SARC.
A generation later, that report card still is not very readable and has little role in driving school improvement. A 2004 UCLA report concluded, "Running the school system without a useful and understandable SARC is like driving a $100,000 sports car with a broken speedometer, temperature gauge and gas gauge."
Unfortunately, political leaders faced with the overly complex, confusing system seem to lunge in opposite directions.
At one end, we have Gov. Jerry Brown, who famously said in October, "Adding more speedometers to a broken car won't turn it into a high-performance machine."
At the other end is Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who announced in his State of the City
Four Hyperactive Parenting Trends and the Fight of the Shrinking Middle Class | Re:education in Baltimore
Four Hyperactive Parenting Trends and the Fight of the Shrinking Middle Class | Re:education in Baltimore:
Four Hyperactive Parenting Trends and the Fight of the Shrinking Middle Class
Buy this book.
More and more parents of at-least-modest means are taking their children’s education into their own hands. Without further ado, four trends:
1. Homeschooling (a.k.a. “DIY Education”)
In Why Urban, Educated Parents Are Turning to DIY Education (Newsweek/Daily Beast, January 30, 2012), education writer Linda Perlstein interviews homeschooling moms – only moms – who answer the “why” of the article’s title in highly personal ways. None talks about finances. Linda (I know Linda, or I’d call her Perlstein) mentions that some homeschooling parents work full-time or take on part-time gigs. But I have a hunch you’ve got to have a pretty conventional family dynamic – married, with male parent winning the bread – to pull this off. Maybe I’m wrong. But someone needs to pay for health insurance, cover the mortgage and clothes and food, maybe make a car payment and put some money away for college.
What about household finances? Securing high-quality childcare and school options, especially if a couple has more than
Jindal and the Moon | The G Bitch Spot
Jindal and the Moon | The G Bitch Spot:
Jindal and the Moon
Bobby Jindal Is Mooning LA–CenLamar
Jindal’s voucher plan is comically infeasible and impractical. From The Times-Picayune:
Under Jindal’s plan, about 380,000 students would qualify to receive state aid for tuition at a private or religious school, (Senator) Landrieu pointed out.
But even if every private elementary school in the state could immediately grow its enrollment by 10 percent to accommodate an influx of voucher recipients, only about 8,000 seats would be available. Include private high schools and that figure rises to about 11,200.
Jindal, by the way, did not dispute these numbers. He didn’t dispute that his voucher plan cannot and will not work, that there is no possible way he could ever deliver on his promise. Instead, his spokesperson said that Senator Landrieu was “missing the point.” No, no, she’s not. She’s
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