Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Engaging Parents In School… - “Lack Of Responsibility In Parent Trigger Laws”

Engaging Parents In School… - “Lack Of Responsibility In Parent Trigger Laws”:


A Bright Future for Family and Community Engagement?”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 6 hours ago
A Bright Future for Family and Community Engagement? is a good post from Learning First. It’s a report on a Webinar I’ve previously posted about….

“Lack Of Responsibility In Parent Trigger Laws”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 8 hours ago
Paul Bruno has written a thoughtful piece over at This Week In Education titled Lack of Responsibility In Parent Trigger Laws. It’s definitely worth reading….

“Parent Jiggernaut Follow-Up: Opting out vs. Opting In”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 2 days ago
Parent Jiggernaut Follow-Up: Opting out vs. Opting In is a thoughtful post by Rachel Levy. It discusses the issue of if parents should “opt-out” of having their students take standardized tests.

“Parent Engagement: Do you have a policy on that?”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 2 days ago
Parent Engagement: Do you have a policy on that? is a new post at Parent Involvement Matters. It was written by Myrdin Thompson. It’s worth a read….

Interesting Parents As Partners Webcast Coming Up On Monday

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 3 days ago
How to Work Together not Against Each Other: Parents as Part of the Educational Change Conversation is the title of this Monday’s Parents As Partners Webcast. It looks pretty interesting. You can learn more about it at the link….

“Engaged Families And Communities” Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 4 days ago
The NEA Priority Schools Campaign has a lot of useful parent engagement materials at their “Engaged Families And Communities Resources page. It’s definitely worth a look….

“UK Study: Parents, Not Teachers, Key to Education”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 5 days ago
A report on a new British study begins this way: A study by the Royal Economic Society, to be presented this week, finds that parental effect on test results is five times that of teachers’ influence. I haven’t gotten a chance to read the study yet, but plenty of other studies have found that non-school [...]

Parent Trigger Fails Yet Again In California

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 5 days ago
A Southern California school district found– again — that a Parent Revolution petition to initiate the parent trigger came up short. Here’s a Storify from the meeting: [View the story "Parent Trigger Fails Yet Again In California" on Storify]

“MSN.now”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 hours ago
I periodically post “most popular” lists of websites (and books) that I think educators might find useful. Of course, there are a number of ways to gauge “popularity.” I just view these lists as opportunities to check-out some new sites, … Continue reading →

The Best Resources For Lessons On Trayvon Martin

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 22 hours ago
I thought it would be useful for readers, and for me, if I began collecting teaching resources on the tragic Trayvon Martin case. I hope people will contribute additional resources. Here are my picks for The Best Resources For Lessons … Continue reading →

More Easter Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 23 hours ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About Easter And Passover: Nobody Minds Dyeing the Egg, but the Chicken Is Another Story is from The New York Times. Palm Sunday observed around the world is a … Continue reading →

Mythbusters Rube Goldberg Machine

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here’s a Mythbusters Rube Goldberg Machine. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Rube Goldberg Machines:

My Upcoming Book On Teaching ELL’s Is On Schedule

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Katie Hull Sypnieski, my co-author, and I just finished reviewing copy-edits on our manuscript for our upcoming book, The ESL / ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels. It was … Continue reading →

A Perfect April Fools Day Post On Value-Added Measurement

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
In light of irresponsible decisions by newspapers in Los Angeles and New York to publish teacher ratings, Matthew Di Carlo over at The Shanker blog has published a perfect April Fools Day post titled Measuring Journalist Quality. The best education … Continue reading →

A Neat Way To Use A Video In Class

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I posted about a very moving video about a blind dog that was rescued from the garbage, and shared that I was going to have my English Language Learner students watch it and then write sentences describing what they had … Continue reading →

“Round-Up” Of Recent Good Articles & Posts On School Reform

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Here’s a collection of recent education policy articles and posts: Integral to “value-added” is a requirement that some score low is from Gotham Schools. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles About The New York Court Decision Releasing … Continue reading →

“Draw A Stickman” Gets Even Better!

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Draw A Stickman was on The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2011 list. Here is how I described it there: Draw a Stickman is an amazing adventure where you…draw a stick and he comes to … Continue reading →

Monthly Email Newsletter Sent-Out

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
I just sent out my free monthly email newsletter to about 2,000 subscribers. If you’re interested, you can subscribe here.

March’s Best Posts

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
I regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see my previous Best Posts … Continue reading →

March’s “The Best…” Lists — There Are Now 874 Of Them

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Here’s my monthly round-up of new “The Best…” lists I posted in February (you can see all 874 of them categorized here): The Best Resources For Learning About the Health Care Debate — March, 2012 The Best Fun Videos About … Continue reading →

“Url2pin” Makes Any Website “Pinnable” On Pinterest

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Url2pin is an extremely easy web tool to use — just copy and paste a url address into it and — within seconds — you have a “pinnable” image you can use on Pinterest. It’s very handy. One negative, however, … Continue reading →

Great Clip Of BIll Moyers Interviewing Howard Zinn

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Here’s a short clip of Bill Moyers interviewing the late Howard Zinn, author of The People’s History Of The United States, in 2009. I’ve also embedded the entire interview right below the clip.

An Extraordinarily Touching (& Must-Watch) Video

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Here’s an extraordinarily touching short video about a blind dog found among some garbage. It’s going to be hard for most people, including my ESL students, not to get a few tears in their eyes. I’ll show it to students … Continue reading →

My United States Class History Blog

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
As regular readers know, this year I’ve been teaching United States History to English Language Learners. I have completely overhauled and updated my class blog from three years ago, and now have a pretty complete blog with resources and assignments … Continue reading →

March’s Best Tweets — Part Two

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days 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. Now and then, in order to make it … Continue reading →

More Easter Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About Easter And Passover: Easter Egg Hunt Canceled Due To Aggressive Parents is from NPR. Here are the winners of Washington Post’s 2012 “Peeps Diorama Contest” (In case you’re … Continue reading →

“Thinglink” Could Be A Great Tool For ELL’s

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’m a big proponent of the Picture Word Inductive Model as a strategy for English Language Learners to develop reading and writing skills (I describe it in detail in this month’s ASCD Educational Leadership in my article, Get Organized Around … Continue reading →

History Of April Fools Day

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here’s a video I’m adding to The Best Sites For Learning About St. Patrick’s Day (& April Fools Day):

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 4-3 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


LAUSD: TEACHING DOWN INSTEAD OF RAISING THE BAR (LAUSD: ENSEร‘ANZA hacia abajo en vez de subir el listรณn) - Perdaily.com

LAUSD: TEACHING DOWN INSTEAD OF RAISING THE BAR (LAUSD: ENSEร‘ANZA hacia abajo en vez de subir el listรณn) - Perdaily.com: LAUSD: TEACHING DOWN INSTEAD OF RAISING THE BAR (LAUSD: ENSEร‘ANZA hacia abajo en vez de subir el listรณn)byLeonard Isenberg(Mensaje se repite en Espaรฑol)On average it is an undisputed fact that African American and Latino students at LAUSD fail to achieve to their potential. Taking cognizance of this reality should not get one labeled as a racist, but it does, since ... more »

The in box. Who does TRS Executive Director Dick Ingram speak for? « Fred Klonsky

The in box. Who does TRS Executive Director Dick Ingram speak for? « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Who does TRS Executive Director Dick Ingram speak for?byFred KlonskyRichard IngramThe story that you see below appeared in the Springfield State Journal-Register this morning. When the executive director of an public body speaks, especially on a substantive issue, it is a logical assumption that he is speaking not just for himself but for the board that he represents. Director Ingram’s remarks having ... more »

Broadie Class of 2011 Dallas ISD board names Mike Miles lone superintendent finalist | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com

Dallas ISD board names Mike Miles lone superintendent finalist | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com: MIKE MILESThe Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2011SuperintendentHarrison School District, Colorado“Educating at-risk students is the most important work of our time. Public education needs more than incremental reform; it needs a transformation. As a life-long public servant, I hope to continue to provide the vision, leadership, and tough decision making required to transform our school systems.”Mike Miles currently serves as superintendent of the Harrison School ... more »

Educator Excellence Task Force - Initiatives & Programs (CA Dept of Education)

Educator Excellence Task Force - Initiatives Programs (CA Dept of Education): Educator Excellence Task ForceState Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has appointed an Educator Excellence Task Force to focus on the Educator Quality element of A Blueprint for Great Schools. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has appointed an Educator Excellence Task Force to focus on the Educator Quality element of the Blueprint for Great Schools (released in August 2011) and designed to strengthen California’s teacher corps.The task ... more »

Support PURE! » What’s next? Evaluating pediatricians based on patient “growth”?

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » What’s next? Evaluating pediatricians based on patient “growth”?: What’s next? Evaluating pediatricians based on patient “growth”?byadminJudging pediatricians on the changes in the height and weight of their young patients as measured at their annual physicals from one year to the next makes just as much sense as using student “growth” on annual standardized reading and math tests to evaluate teachers.But that’s just what the Chicago Public Schoolswill be doingbeginning this fall, ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Arne Duncan's Education Reform = Doublespeak Nonsense

Missouri Education Watchdog: Arne Duncan's Education Reform = Doublespeak Nonsense: Arne Duncan's Education Reform = Doublespeak NonsensebystlgretchenFollowing yesterday's April Fool's posting comes a tongue in cheek, yet serious post on the education reforms set forth by Arne Duncan and the DOEd and how they impact education. The author sets forth a much different scenario than does Arne Duncan. While he states this reform is America's blueprint for educational success, this is not the belief of the blog writer; she believes ... more »

Check Out Parents Across America - You Will Be Glad You Did!

Parents Across America: Austin Independent School District Battles On for Charter IDEA In-District against the Will of Parents and the CommunityLorie BarzanoatParents Across America-15 hours agoBy Lorie Barzano Co-Chair of CoalitionSAUS (Strengthen Austin Urban Schools) A parent led group representing inner-city public schools working to ensure accessible, quality Public Education for all children and healthy, thriving Public Schools in Austin’s urban core In a special meeting on December 19, 2011, over the loud, repeated protests of thousands of parents and ... more »

Arne Duncan on school reforms: 'What will your next excuse be if you have enough money?' | MLive.com

Arne Duncan on school reforms: 'What will your next excuse be if you have enough money?' | MLive.com: Arne Duncan on school reforms: 'What will your next excuse be if you have enough money?'Published: Monday, April 02, 2012, 8:30 AMByDave Murray | dmurray@mlive.comFollow14ShareEmailPrintAP Photo/Ed AndrieskiU.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan speaks during a town hall meeting on reform in Denver in February. Duncan served as Chicago Public Schools superintendent before being tapped by President Obama.RELATED:Experts: Performance, politics keep districts from using ... more »

Next step in education reform could be schools grading parents - Providence special education | Examiner.com

Next step in education reform could be schools grading parents - Providence special education | Examiner.com: Next step in education reform could be schools grading parentsAdd a commentMaria BucchinoVideo:Florida teachers to grade parentsEducation reform has focused on grading teachers and schools based on students' performance. It seems that schools are fed up with taking all the blame and have been stating that parents should be graded. The goal seems to be parent involvement, but this may not be the best ...more »

ED Celebrates National Financial Literacy Month | ED.gov Blog

ED Celebrates National Financial Literacy Month | ED.gov Blog: ED Celebrates National Financial Literacy MonthPosted onApril 2, 2012byGuest BloggerFinancial literacy plays an important role in promoting the financial health and stability of individuals, families, and our national economy. The economic crisis has highlighted how essential it is to have information, education, and tools to help people make informed financial decisions.In honor of National Financial Literacy Month, experts from federal and state agencies and nonprofit, educational, and private sector organizations will... more »

How Do New Teacher Evaluation and Pay Models Affect Students? - Dana Goldstein

How Do New Teacher Evaluation and Pay Models Affect Students? - Dana Goldstein: How Do New Teacher Evaluation and Pay Models Affect Students?byDana GoldsteinThe Fordham Institute is a Washington education policy think tank that supports market-driven reforms. It has publisheda paperlauding the teacher pay system in Harrison District 2, which is one of the most unusual in the country: The Colorado Springs district has abolished seniority and education-based raises entirely, and now pays teachers exclusively according to how much they ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Diane Speaks

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Diane Speaks: Diane SpeaksbyMelissa WestbrookI just wanted to put forth some of what Diane Ravitch talked about in her recent appearance here in Seattle at the elementary/middle school principals convention.She opened by pointing to the Chehalis Caribbean band who had been entertaining the crowd beautifully as people filtered into the room. To big applause she asked, "Where does that show up on a test?"She pointed out thatnonation whose K-12 students are performing well are usinganyof the ... more »

Shanker Blog » Still In Residence: Arts Education In U.S. Public Schools

Shanker Blog » Still In Residence: Arts Education In U.S. Public Schools: Still In Residence: Arts Education In U.S. Public SchoolsbyMatthew Di CarloThere is a somewhat common argument in education circles that the focus on math and reading tests in No Child Left Behind has had the unintended consequence of generating a concurrent deemphasis on other subjects. This includes science and history, of course, but among the most frequently-mentioned presumed victims of this trend are art and music.A newreportby the ... more »

Diane Ravitch: Mississippi Charter schools a bad idea » Archive » Meridian Star

Mississippi Charter schools a bad idea » Archive » Meridian Star: Mississippi Charter schools a bad ideaDiane RavitchSpecial to the StarJACKSON — Mississippi is on the brink of passing legislation to permit privately-managed charter schools to open. This is a bad idea. Charter schools have been in existence for twenty years, and grand claims are made for them, but don’t believe the hype.I live in New York City, where our mayor has opened over 100 charter schools. As they expand, ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: War On Teachers=War On Women, Jersey Style

Jersey Jazzman: War On Teachers=War On Women, Jersey Style: War On Teachers=War On Women, Jersey StylebyDukeJosh Hennepoints out how Governor Christie seems to have a problem with women:March is Women’s History Month. Unfortunately, it’s worth noting that Gov. Chris Christie’s own public history with women — through both word and deed — is pockmarked with marginalization, mockery and even malice.It’s been this way right from the start. In 2010, with the stroke of a pen, Gov. Christie eliminated a $7.4 ... more »

Divisive Right Wing Rhee Attacks Minnesota Teachers

MN Progressive Project:: StudentsFirst Attacks Minnesota Teachers: StudentsFirst Attacks Minnesota Teachersby:dan.burnsMon Apr 02, 2012 at 09:36:41 AM CDTLast week I got two items in the mail from something called "StudentsFirst." Here's one side of one of them:Don't those young'ns look thrilled, to be learning (and, presumably, crushing standardized tests) the StudentsFirst way!More below the fold.dan.burns::StudentsFirst Attacks Minnesota TeachersThe purpose of the mailings, was to try to get me to encourage Governor Dayton to signH.F. 1870,which would allegedly "reform" teacher t... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: World Autism Awareness Day

Seattle Schools Community Forum: World Autism Awareness Day: World Autism Awareness DaybyMelissa WestbrookToday is the fifth annual World Autism Awareness Day. The theme this year, from Autism Speaks, isLight It Up Bluewith landmarks like the Empire State Building going blue tonight. This starts a month of awareness events to shine a light on the issues around autism. World autism Awareness Day was started in 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly.It is estimated that 1 in every 88 children in ... more »

High-stakes testing cheats children out of a quality education | Get Schooled

High-stakes testing cheats children out of a quality education | Get Schooled: High-stakes testing cheats children out of a quality education3:47 amApril 2, 2012,byMaureen DowneyThe folks at FairTesthave been raising the alarm about excessive testing and its impact on education long before most people.Here is a response tothe AJC investigation into nationwide disparities in test resultsfrom Robert Schaeffer, public education director of FairTest: the National Center for Fair Open TestingBy Robert SchaefferAcross the U.S., the politically mandated misuse of standardized ... more »

Mishandled finances not uncommon in charter schools | The Columbus Dispatch

Mishandled finances not uncommon in charter schools | The Columbus Dispatch: Mishandled finances not uncommon in charter schoolsByJennifer Smith RichardsThe Columbus DispatchMonday April 2, 2012 6:56 AMComments: 1ShareThisSpend first, ask permission later, and don’t bother with receipts.The loose financial systems at some of Ohio’s charter schools have led to questionable spending in recent years. Some schools hired treasurers with spotty track records; others hired qualified treasurers but disregarded their advice when they insisted on better checks and balances.The recent case ... more »

U.S. in and out of step with top ed systems | Thoughts on Public Education

U.S. in and out of step with top ed systems | Thoughts on Public Education: U.S. in and out of step with top ed systems - by Kathryn BaronbyKathryn BaronAndreas Schleicher looks the part of a diplomat. Tall and slim, with thick gray hair, and impeccable English spoken with a European accent. He is also the consummate diplomat when it comes to assessing the United State’s standing in education. In most countries, low results on the Programme for International Student ... more »