Where Teachers Learn « Diane Ravitch's blog

Where Teachers Learn « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Where Teachers Learn

by dianerav

Diana Senechal is a brilliant writer. She wrote a fascinating book titled “Republic of Noise.”
She teaches in the summer at the Dallas Institute of Culture and the Humanities. Who knew that Dallas has a vibrant learning center where teachers read the great books? I did, because I visited a couple of years ago and was blown away by the teachers and their enthusiasm for Shakespeare.
This is Diana’s report about this summer’s institute. Every city should have an institute like this one:

Literature as Teacher Education

Diana Senechal

In a lovely tree-shaded wooden building, in July, teachers convene for three weeks not to analyze data, discuss 

The “Confessions” Are Wrong

by dianerav

Marcus sent a comment and disagreed with the “Confessions of a Teaching Fellow”:

This is absolutely a misrepresentation of the summer training. Diane, I have a lot of respect for you and have followed you for many years. If you can push this out with such disregard for the truth, I have to question the rest of your platform and ideas. You are a published author and while you may not have the responsibility to fact check here, you do know journalistic best practices.There is no such thing as Do it Now. Do It Again is a technique that helps students

Why Algebra « Deborah Meier on Education

Why Algebra « Deborah Meier on Education:

Why Algebra

by debmeier

Math education is high on the list of both professional and lay “hot” topics. Everyone has an opinion. Andrew Hacker’s critique in Sunday’s New York Times  was a pleasure to read, given that I agree with him. But he also managed to base his argument on unassailable facts. For example, only 7% of the job positions in America actually require algebraic knowledge. But 57% of all college entrants fail to finish college largely because they can’t pass algebra! The same goes for high school diplomas. The price they pay for this failure is disproportionate to its importance Hacker argues.
Such weighty and critical decisions, which influence the life careers of millions and the future of America (so we’re told), are rarely based upon a serious look at the “evidence”–mathematically objective data. When it comes

On the Evidence for Algebra

by debmeier

Math education is high on the list of both professional and lay “hot” topics. Everyone has an opinion. Andrew Hacker’s critique in Sunday’s NYT was a pleasure to read–given that I agree with him. * But he also managed to base his argument on unassailable facts. For example, only 7% of the job positions in America actually require algebraic knowledge. But 57% of all college entrants fail to graduate with a BA largely because they can’t pass algebra! The same goes for high school diplomas. The pice they pay for this failure is disproportionate to its importance–Hacker argues.
Such weighty and critical decisions, that influence the life careers of millions and the future of America (so we’re 

Why Local School Board Members Pose the Biggest Threat to Florida’s Anointed All-Knowings | Scathing Purple Musings

Why Local School Board Members Pose the Biggest Threat to Florida’s Anointed All-Knowings | Scathing Purple Musings:

Why Local School Board Members Pose the Biggest Threat to Florida’s Anointed All-Knowings

by Bob Sikes

Coleen Conklin isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers. A serious advocate for public schools, Conklin raised the possibility of a lawsuit targeting Rick Scott and the legislature in April 2011 for failing to fund education. She even toyed with the idea of taking on powerful state senator John Thrasher this fall but decided to run again for the Flagler County school board seat she’s held since 2000. Conklin granted an extensive interview with FlaglerLive. Lets look at some highlights.
On charter schools:

Charter Schools are public schools. They provide parents with a choice. The movement was originally designed to give parents and educators an opportunity to come together and give students whose educational needs were not being met an educational alternative. However the 

Mother Crusader: Greg Richmond Takes Local Control From Illinois. Next Stop, New Jersey.

Mother Crusader: Greg Richmond Takes Local Control From Illinois. Next Stop, New Jersey.:

Greg Richmond Takes Local Control From Illinois. Next Stop, New Jersey.

by darciecima

Greg Richmond, CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, would like you to believe he knows what New Jersey's public school system needs.  


Don't believe him.  


Pay particular attention to this section of his NJ Spotlight editorial.

Even as nine new public charter schools prepare to open in September to serve families in predominantly low-income communities, there continues to be overwhelming demand for charter schools. Indeed, 20,000 New Jersey students are still on waiting lists for public charter schools.

Opinion: Cheating: Just another pathway to success? Youth think so : page all - NorthJersey.com

Opinion: Cheating: Just another pathway to success? Youth think so : page all - NorthJersey.com:

Opinion: Cheating: Just another pathway to success? Youth think so

TUESDAY JULY 31, 2012, 4:55 PM

BY VICTOR DORFF

THE RECORD

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CHEATING was, is and probably always will be a fact of life. Recently, technology has provided new ways to cheat, but advanced electronics can’t be blamed for our increasing willingness to tolerate it.
Once upon a time, being an honorable person included the notion that your word was your bond, and integrity was a crucial element in establishing a good reputation. At least, that was part of the narrative that made up our social compact.
My teaching experience tells me, however, that lying and cheating are seen by a lot of kids today as a crucial part of any path to success. The only shame is in getting caught.
Students tell me that math is the easiest course in which to cheat because they can program calculators before a test and cheat undetected. An English teacher told me she no longer counts her vocabulary quizzes in her students’ grades because she hasn’t found a way to stop them from copying the answers. And our school’s not-uncommon policy is basically to forgive a first offense and to enter it into the 

Confessions of a Teaching Fellow « Diane Ravitch's blog

Confessions of a Teaching Fellow « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Confessions of a Teaching Fellow

by dianerav

This just arrived in my email box. The writer signed her name:
There has been so much debate about educational reform and about Michele Rhee and her Students First organization. I am compelled to describe my experience this past June with the Rhode Island Teaching Fellows Program, a Rhee brainchild. The Teaching Fellows work along the same lines of The New Teacher Project but the Teaching Fellows is an alternative route to teacher certification. The premise is to attract people from the public sector and after 5 weeks of training they will be employed as first year’s teachers in high needs urban schools. The catch phrase is “Let’s close the achievement gap” and get your teaching certification in an alternative route program-well yes I know all about the achievement gap and only starting to realize all the components at work and I decided to re-enter school to become a teacher and this program sounded perfect. I could not have been more wrong!  
We start week one learning this militant type tactics of behavioral control-such as “Do it again” “Do it now” and “Slant” to name just a few-we practice this over and over again in a highly structured environment where our every move is scheduled and monitored. We are told where to sit, when to stand and when to speak-they occasionally 

Pop Quiz about “The Irreplaceables”

by dianerav

This just in from California educator Robert Skeels:
POP QUIZ:
What do you call plutocrat funded “research” that isn’t peer reviewed and is conducted by an organization that has already drawn a priori conclusions? Answer: A policy paper.
Pretty much everything one would ever need to know about The new Teacher Project (TNTP) is summed up here:
TNTP is “a leading voice on teacher quality.” – American Enterprise Institute
With extreme right-wing credentials like that, how can TNTP go wrong with Arne Duncan? Nice the ED 

Why won’t the IEA take a position on the pension cost shift? « Fred Klonsky

Why won’t the IEA take a position on the pension cost shift? « Fred Klonsky:

Why won’t the IEA take a position on the pension cost shift?

by Fred Klonsky

Many IEA members were surprised when they read here that the IEA has taken no position on Governor Quinn and House Speaker Michael Madigan’s pension cost shift.

IEA has not yet taken a position on the proposal. On one hand, if implemented, a cost shift could ensure that the employer’s pension contribution, which is currently the state’s and has often been ignored, would actually be paid.

On the other, if not done in the right way, passing the state’s costs to local districts would place additional financial hardships on districts, many of which are already suffering due to underfunding by the state. And, a shift could increase the already wide funding gap between wealthy and poor districts 

Should Schools Act “in loco parentis?” « Diane Ravitch's blog

Should Schools Act “in loco parentis?” « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Who Is Irreplaceable?

by dianerav

A new report was released by The New Teacher Project, asserting that our schools were losing the very best teachers. They are the “irreplaceables.”
The report got the red treatment, with Secretary Duncan there to salute its findings. And it was funded by three billionaire foundations: Gates, Walton, John and Laura Arnold (big supporters of Michelle Rhee).
It seems that schools are losing their “best” teachers (the irreplaceables) and holding on to the ones who should have been fired.
Context helps. After Michelle Rhee left her brief teaching stint for TFA, she became an entrepreneur, as most 

Should Schools Act “in loco parentis?”

by dianerav

A thoughtful comment by  a reader about consultants, parents, and the responsibility of schools:

Amazing that so many private and parochial schools work well with NO consultants.Ditto that!Our typical son graduated from his Jesuit high school in June….a brilliant school with no consultants. Disagree, though, that public schools have become parents, medical facilities, etc. That

School Tech Connect: Boondoggle

School Tech Connect: Boondoggle:

Boondoggle

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

The whole thing. 

We have extended the military-industrial complex into education "accountability," and none of it's worth a single penny.  The total cost of what will eventually be known as the Common Core Debacle will be very hard to calculate, in the end. A colleague recently pointed out that his district is spending $65k this year on this contraption, which is pretty much a test-generator with a reporting function, all scientifically "aligned" with the Common Core.

Mind you, it's more time testing for kids. It's also a huge time investment to set up, and an IT person will have to be in charge of it because I guarantee you it's going to be complex. Plus all the training and arguing and 

Injecting Politics

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

I totally missed this Ben Joravsky column until right now. Just go read it.

Sigh. When I hear from Jean Claude Brizard that an elected school board would inject politics into the running of 

Onion “Point/Counterpoint” Raises Real Issues « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Onion “Point/Counterpoint” Raises Real Issues « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Onion “Point/Counterpoint” Raises Real Issues

by millerlf

July 17, 2012 The Onion

My Year Volunteering As A Teacher Helped Educate A New Generation Of Underprivileged Kids

By Megan Richmond, Volunteer Teacher
When I graduated college last year, I was certain I wanted to make a real difference in the world. After 17 years of education, I felt an obligation to share my knowledge and skills with those who needed it most.After this past year, I believe I did just that. Working as a volunteer teacher helped me reach out to a new generation of underprivileged children in dire need of real guidance and care. Most of these kids had been abandoned by the system and, in some cases, even by their families, making me the only person who could really lead them through the turmoil.
Was it always easy? Of course not. But with my spirit and determination, we were all able to move forward.
Those first few months were the most difficult of my life. Still, I pushed through each day knowing that these kids really needed the knowledge and life experience I had to offer them. In the end, it changed all of our lives.
In some ways, it’s almost like I was more than just a teacher to those children. I was a real mentor who was 

Indian River SB Member Assails Ed Commish Robinson, Calls for Return of Local Control | Scathing Purple Musings

Indian River SB Member Assails Ed Commish Robinson, Calls for Return of Local Control | Scathing Purple Musings:

Indian River SB Member Assails Ed Commish Robinson, Calls for Return of Local Control

by Bob Sikes

Reminding readers that Florida’s education commissioner Gerard Robinson is an “appointed” official, Indian River school board member Claudia Jimenez supported her board’s passage of a Resolution on High-Stakes Testing. She concluded her opinion piece in TCPalm this way:

The cumbersome and counterproductive emphasis on testing fails its stated goal of using student evaluations to improve public education. Instead of focusing on how to fix educational problems, the focus is how to punish and defund struggling schools.
Easy solutions abound, but legislators forget that schools deal with human beings with varying talents and abilities. Traditional public schools cannot choose the most promising to educate; they must educate all children. School districts need flexibility, support and adequate funding to address this diversity.
FSBA courageously stated their views and I’m glad we spoke up. FSBA strongly advocates for 

Why school reform will continue to be so hard | EdSource Today

Why school reform will continue to be so hard | EdSource Today:

Why school reform will continue to be so hard

July 31st, 2012 | Add a Comment | 
By Peter Schrag

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Peter Schrag

Listening to even the best people in California’s school reform discussions doesn’t leave much clarity about the direction our money-starved education system should go or much confidence that things will get perceptibly better any time soon.

Many of those good people know what’s needed. It’s just that they don’t all know the same thing, or don’t know it at the same time. That much at least was apparent once again at a forum in Sacramento last week on school finance sponsored by PPIC, the Public Policy Institute of California.

What they agreed on was that the fixes of the last 30 or 40 years – what state School Board President Michael Kirst called “the historical accretion” of programs – wasn’t working. It has become, State Sen. Joe Simitian said, “the Winchester Mystery House” of school finance, rooms added willy-nilly to solve one or another problem.

Neither the policymakers nor the reformers are entirely – or maybe even mostly – to blame. In a 

Modern School: Obama’s Plan to Improve Science Education by Overworking Teachers

Modern School: Obama’s Plan to Improve Science Education by Overworking Teachers:

Obama’s Plan to Improve Science Education by Overworking Teachers

by Michael Dunn

It is perplexing to many that we continue to have high unemployment and simultaneously have to import foreign workers to fill so many high tech jobs because of the dearth of sufficiently educated domestic workers. There have been numerous attempts to rectify this problem, but they all suffer from similar fallacies such as the myths that our education system is broken or deteriorating or that our teachers are terrible or disinterested or unwilling to persevere in the profession.

Indeed, 30,000 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers leave the profession each year according to Good Education and this, no doubt, takes a terrible toll on the consistency and integrity of STEM programs. However, K-12 education loses thousands of 

Teachers Don't Suck !: I'm Not At All Suprised - How About You?

Teachers Don't Suck !: I'm Not At All Suprised - How About You?:

I'm Not At All Suprised - How About You?

by Walt S.

I read this letter on the Internet and thought my readers might be interested too.


For the last couple of years THE BEAST (a.k.a our anger-management disordered Governor) has been going after the NJEA and public school teachers in general. Now one of the new things he has implemented was a brand new evaluation procedure that would evaluate tenured and non-tenured teachers twice to four times a year. The school districts were told that they had to chose one of 4 evaluation models and it had to be up and running by this year. Well in order to do that the districts have to order the specific software that goes with the particular evaluation procedure that they have chosen. Knowing that they have 

Paul Vallas and Bridgeport’s illegal Board of Education: The law applies to you too. - Wait, What?

Paul Vallas and Bridgeport’s illegal Board of Education: The law applies to you too. - Wait, What?:

Paul Vallas and Bridgeport’s illegal Board of Education: The law applies to you too.

by jonpelto

Bridgeport’s “Education Reformer Extraordinaire” Paul Vallas and the illegal Board of Education have approved hundreds of thousands of dollars for consultants.

Paul Vallas and the illegal Board have approved hundreds of thousands of dollars for new software programs.

These purchases were done without fulfilling the legal requirements of Bridgeport’s Municipal Code:  (Codified through Ordinance of January 3, 2012, Supp. No. 10, 3-12.)

The legal requirements are not hard to understand.

And inquiring minds want to why Team Vallas believe that the law applies to 

The Project School debacle | Hoppe

The Project School debacle | Hoppe:

The Project School debacle

Posted by David Hoppe on Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 3:00 PM

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"Meet the new boss," The Who's Pete Townshend once sang. "Same as the old boss."

Those lines have been roiling through my head in the days since Mayor Greg Ballard announced he wanted to close The Project School, one of the city's charter schools.

The Project School has had more than its share of problems. Of its 311 K-8 students, only 28.9 percent passed the latest round of ISTEP tests — one of the poorest showings of any school in the state. Financial management has not been a strong point, either. According to media reports, The Project School is millions in debt; it is alleged to have improperly used $63,500 in federal grant money to cover salaries and operational expenses.

Although The Project School disputes the interpretation of some of these numbers, they remain serious issues; they demand scrutiny and open th

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Did someone say no teacher strike? And what will charter teachers do? « Fred Klonsky

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Did someone say no teacher strike? And what will charter teachers do? « Fred Klonsky:

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Did someone say no teacher strike? And what will charter teachers do?

by Fred Klonsky

Rahm seems always to be trying to convince himself that there won’t be a teacher strike this coming school year.
He thought he had it nailed down with Senate Bill 7. But the 98% strike authorization vote disabused him of that.
Then he tried to spin his failure to get the CTU to agree to a longer work day for its members as a meaning there 

Missouri Education Watchdog: Once Common Core Standards are Instituted, DC Public School District Won't have to Pay Students to Attend School.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Once Common Core Standards are Instituted, DC Public School District Won't have to Pay Students to Attend School.:

Once Common Core Standards are Instituted, DC Public School District Won't have to Pay Students to Attend School.

by stlgretchen

High stakes testing AND paying to students to attend school will develop that love of learning.

Common Core standards and RTTT mandates will entrance students so strongly, they will flock to classrooms and listen intently so they can be assessed every three weeks to see what they've retained.   The love of learning is re-instituted and the educational problems in schools will be solved!  Finally!  RTTT and Common Core and the billions of dollars needed for implementation will solve the problems of 

Schools Matter: Scientific American takes an unscientific approach to science education

Schools Matter: Scientific American takes an unscientific approach to science education:

Scientific American takes an unscientific approach to science education

by skrashen

Science Education: The Problem is Poverty, not Lack of High Standards

Sent to Scientific American, July 31, 2012

Scientific American thinks that high science standards are the reason some states do better than others on science tests (Can the US get an ‘A’ in Science? August 2012). There is no evidence this is so. The two top states, in science, as mentioned by Scientific American, are Massachusetts and Minnesota. They also rank near the bottom of the country in percentage of children living in poverty.

Study after study has shown that children who come from high-poverty families do poorly on standardized tests, and the factors related to poverty, insufficient food quality and quantity, lack of health care, and lack of access to 

PolitiFact Finds Gerard Robinson’s FCAT Claim False | Scathing Purple Musings

PolitiFact Finds Gerard Robinson’s FCAT Claim False | Scathing Purple Musings:

PolitiFact Finds Gerard Robinson’s FCAT Claim False

by Bob Sikes

Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson has made it to the big leagues . PolitFact , the Tampa Bay Times -Miami Herald project usually reserved for elected officials, decided to weigh in on Robinson’s June 15 whopper:

“The FCAT neither drives the curriculum nor narrows the educational experience of Florida students. These assessments average two to three per student per school year and account for less than 1 percent of the instructional time provided during the year. It is worth noting that local school boards require students to take many more assessments than those required by the state.”

PolitiFact decided to narrow their inquiry to Robinson’s one percent claim although its noteworthy that he, too, is advancing the company line (Like Bush’s key lobbyist, Patricia Levesque) that its  districts fault for their being so many tests. Robinson’s one percent nonsense was dispatched by interviews with three south Florida