Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee advising Ohio General Assembly on School Funding:

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee advising Ohio General Assembly on School Funding

by Greg on December 5, 2012 · 2 Comments

At the request of Governor Kasich, Michelle Rhee’s pro-charter school organization, Students First, will be presenting to members of Ohio’s House andSenate today during their respective Finance Committee meetings (9:00 & 3:00, respectively).  While we might initially expect Rhee’s group to be talking to the education committee, the fact that they are discussing “Public Education Reform” clearly identifies the reason for their invitation to present — the next state budget and a school funding model (two years overdue…).

Rhee is best known as starting out in Teach for America before her meteoric rise as the darling of education reform when she overhauled the D.C. public schools 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-5-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

What Do U.S. Schools Spend on Testing?

by dianerav

Brookings researcher Matthew Chingos estimates the annual cost of testing as $1.7 billion, but Anthony Cody says that is a very low estimate.
Since Texas alone pays $100 million every year to Pearson, it does sound like an underestimate, since the cost of the tests doesn’t really cover all the costs of assessment (and accountability).
Nor does it cover the cost of lost creativity, lost instructional time, and diversion of attention from more important 

When Is Incompetence a Virtue?

by dianerav

Jersey Jazzman hits it out of the park again.
You must watch the video. It is priceless.
The spokesman for the New Jersey hedge fund managers says it is time to get the experts out of the way and let people who know nothing whatever about education take charge. This is what as known today as “reform.” People who actually know something abou

Rhee’s Husband Fined for Ethics Violation

by dianerav

A California watchdog agency fined Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento $37,500 for failing to report donations of $3.5 million to two of his initiatives, one for education, the other for education.
Anyone can make a mistake, so we should be prepared to forgive his honest errors in not reporting these gifts on 25 occasions.
One of the recipients of his largesse is TFA, not surprising since his wife Michelle Rhee got her start in TFA.
Even more interesting is that the Walton family–that ultra-conservative family in Arkansas that opposes public education–gave him $500,000.
Funny, it seems like only yesterday that the Rhee-Johnson couple gave a lecture on ethics at the University of Hawaii.

The NYC Parent Blog on the Common Core Standards

by dianerav

Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters reviews the controversies surrounding the Common Core Standards.

Do You Prefer Cucumbers or Grapes?

by dianerav

This is a hilarious and graphic demonstration of how monkeys respond to unequal rewards.
It is a morality tale about merit pay.
Please watch the video.
Corporate reformers treat adults who teach like Capuchin monkeys, experimenting with the incentives and 

Reasons for Hope: The Pushback

by dianerav

We are all aware of the destructive policies that are being pushed into the schools, despite any evidence for their value and considerable evidence that they do harm.
The good news is that parents and educators are pushing back, in city after city and state after state. The resistance to overtesting, to attacks on educators, and to privatization is growing, as Mark Naison 

Do Not Read This Book. Ever.

by dianerav

Julian Vasquez Heilig has been doing research about charter schools.
He is interested is an Arizona charter chain called Great Hearts, because it just won authorization to open new charters in San Antonio.
Somehow he came into possession of a book written by a dissident employee, but Great Hearts went to court to demand that the book be quashed. Great Hearts said the book contained untruths. Furthermore, writing about the school violated the former employee’s agreement.
You can read about the controversy on Heilig’s website, where you will find 

Diane in the Evening 12-4-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Philadelphia Parents Take a Stand for Public Control of Public Education by dianerav *Contact:* Helen Gym, Parents United for Public Education: 215-808-1400 Jerry Mondesire, Philadelphia Branch NAACP: 215-848-7864 Michael Churchill, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia: 267-546-1318 *Press Conference: Private dollars vs. Public Interest* *Parents/NAACP to file Ethics Board complaint* *on Foundation and Boston Consulting Group* *Wed., Dec. 5, 2012* *1:30 p.m. 1515 Arch Street* *18th floor* Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia Home and Sc... more »

First sign of better times for schools under Prop 30 | EdSource Today

First sign of better times for schools under Prop 30 | EdSource Today:

First sign of better times for schools under Prop 30

December 5th, 2012 | Add a Comment | 
By Kathryn Baron

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Deferred payments to California schools and community colleges will fall to their lowest level in five years this academic year, and repayments for previous deferrals is starting sooner than expected. Instead of waiting until January, the state will pay back $1.57 billion it borrowed from K-12 schools next week, and the $300 million owed to community colleges is all scheduled to arrive this Friday rather than half this month and half next.

“It’s yet another indicator that the state’s fiscal condition is continuing to improve,” said State Finance Director Ana Matosantos, giving credit to “a sound budget, diligent debt management, and the passage of Proposition 30.”

But the eye-catching gift-wrap of this early holiday present may overstate what’s inside. “It doesn’t rise to the big public policy announcement that [Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration] has given us,” said Robert Miyashiro, Vice President of School Services of California, an education management and advocacy company. “It’s certainly welcome, but it 

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie and The Death of Hope in Newark

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie and The Death of Hope in Newark:

Chris Christie and The Death of Hope in Newark

by Duke

Diane Ravitch has a fascinating post up for those who follow both education "reform" and New Jersey politics. The post is by Pedro Noguera, a professor at New York University and noted expert on urban education. What's most interesting about Noguera's piece, to me, is how it confirms many suspicions I've had about how education has become politicized under the administration of Governor Chris Christie.

Noguera documents the demise of a three-year program to reduce the dropout rate in Newark: the Global Village Zone. As NJ Spotlight recently reported, GVZ was an attempt to address education reform on a more comprehensive scale:

The idea was to focus intensely on the needs of students and families at the city’s Central High School and its six feeder elementary/middle schools. There would be longer school days, summer classes, health clinics, and access to healthy food for the zone’s 3,500 students, in addition to extensive professional development for teachers and principals to 

Is Social Mobility Ending in America? | toteachornototeach

Is Social Mobility Ending in America? | toteachornototeach:

Is Social Mobility Ending in America?

by aristotlethewise

Is Social Mobility Ending in America? 

by Varun Anand
As a college student, I have successfully navigated the sometimes-treacherous American school system. While my elementary and high school years were both colored by public school experiences, I spent my middle school career in a private school. Even though I began my education in India and ended it in suburban Augusta, Ga., there was always one thing that remained constant — if I worked hard and studied hard, I could succeed in life, 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Remembering Metro, the school without walls

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Remembering Metro, the school without walls:

Remembering Metro, the school without walls

by Mike Klonsky

Progressive educators, alternative and small-school-ers will want to download a copy of Metro: The Chicago Public High School for Metropolitan Studies, 1970-1991. 

Metro was fondly referred to as “the school without walls,” and the city was its classroom. Derived from the radical concept that students should take responsibility for their own education and that urban institutions and businesses represented countless and varied opportunities for educational enrichment, the Chicago Public High School for Metropolitan Study, or “Metro,” was unique in the CPS system and the school was under fire from the Chicago Board of Education almost as soon as classes began in 1970. As I recall, Metro was ultimately closed and absorbed into Crane High School in 1991, which is now being closed and turned into a charter schools. And so it goes in Chicago's version of school reform.

The late, great Chicago educator, researchers and schools activist,Don Moore, then a Harvard doc student, was part of the Metro planning team.

Paula Baron, one of Metro’s history teachers, brings the school’s 

List: What Common Core authors suggest high schoolers should read:

List: What Common Core authors suggest high schoolers should read

Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 5, 2012 at 4:00 am

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 A Post story by my colleague Lyndsey Layton about controversy surrounding the Common Core English Language Arts standards — or, more specifically, the call for reading by high school seniors to be 70 percent non-fiction — has generated a lot of online interest. A number of the hundreds of comments on the story mention some of the  reading recommendations from the Common Core authors that Layton mentioned in the story, including “the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (2009) and “Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management,” published by the General Services Administration.” Here is the full list of reading “exemplars” for high school. The fiction category is divided into stories, poetry and drama, and the nonfiction category, or  “informational texts” offers suggested reading in English, History/Social Studies, and Science/ 

Special Education: Comparison of Wisconsin Public Schools to Voucher Schools « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Special Education: Comparison of Wisconsin Public Schools to Voucher Schools « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Special Education: Comparison of Wisconsin Public Schools to Voucher Schools

by millerlf

Following is an array of information concerning special education services and what is required by public, charter and private voucher schools in Wisconsin. This information is provided by Wisconsin FACETS, Disability Rights Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities.
For example, private voucher schools are not required to fulfill a student’s IEP. (Yet under  proposed legislation, AB 110, they will get full funding for special education services.)
Go to the following links. A page will appear with the link listed. Double click that link to get to the page:
School Choice – Charts 1
School Choice – FAQs 2

Defending Teachers and Teaching: Standardized Testing Cons | California Progress Report

Defending Teachers and Teaching: Standardized Testing Cons | California Progress Report:

Defending Teachers and Teaching: Standardized Testing Cons

Posted on 05 December 2012

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By Mark Naison

This is a daunting time to be a teacher in the United States of America. At work, almost every day brings word of a new test, a new assessment, a new rubric for accountability that makes teachers and students jump through another hoop.

Media and elected officials add to the stress and anxiety. It is rare that there isn't another public declaration of devotion to the cause of "Education Reform," which teachers have learned to interpret to mean another attack on their professional integrity and another chance to blame teachers for the nation's failure to be competitive on international tests, or reduce poverty and inequality.

But worst of all is the scripting of the classroom environment by testing and technology in ways which eliminate the spontaneity that makes teaching fun, and the relationship building that makes teaching meaningful.

The classroom has become a zone of surveillance. It is not too far fetched to imagine that video cameras will be eventually installed to make sure teachers are not deviating from th

Ammiano to Introduce Sweeping Prison Reform Legislation

by callen

By Dan Aiello
In the wake of California's election last month where voters passed two propositions aimed at reducing the number of inmates in California's overcrowded prison system, the State Assembly's Safety Committee Chair says he will introduce major prison reform this session targeting a correctional system failure rate that persists as the highest recidivism rate in the nation.
"With voters approving both propositions 30 and 36, I believe we are in a position to achieve significant prison reform to reduce our failure rate and begin decreasing our prison population," San Francisco Democrat Assembly member Tom Ammiano told the California Progress Report recently.
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My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Five | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Five | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Five

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

I’ve been writing this blog for six or seven years. I thought readers might find it useful for me to dig back in the “archives” and highlight my choices for some of the best posts that appeared during that time. … Continue reading →

Research Studies Of The Week

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

I often write about research studies from various field and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies … Continue reading →

Set Up A Virtual Social Network With “groupgel”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago

groupgel joins a long list of sites that let you set up private or public “social networks.” I’m adding it to Not “The Best,” But “A List” Of Social Network Sites.

Recent Useful Articles On The Common Core

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago

Here are some recent articles related to the Common Core Standards: The Common Core Ate My Baby and Other Urban Legends is a very useful article from ASCD Educational Leadership. I’m adding it to The Most Useful Resources For Implementing … Continue reading →

Infographic: A Surprisingly Interesting “History of the SMS”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago

I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About The History Of Technology: by AliciaPompei. Learn about business intelligence tools.

The Best Web Tools For Teaching Irregular Verbs & Verb Tenses — Contribute Your Suggestions!

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago

I was prompted to make this list by seeing a wonderful video at Michelle Henry’s site (I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — I think it’s one of the best, if not the best, ESL/EFL sites on … Continue reading →

The Best Short Video Clips About Hurricane Katrina

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 12 hours ago

We’re doing a unit in our ninth-grade English classes on New Orleans (see The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About New Orleans) and I thought I’d bring together a few short video clips to introduce the tragedy to our … Continue reading →

Video: “Street Compliments”

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

I’m adding this video to The Best Resources On “Gratitude”:

This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good Posts & Articles On Education Policy

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

Here are some relatively recent good pieces on education policy: Racing, Striving, Accelerating, Winning, Yada, Yada. And Reading is by Nancy Flanagan at Education Week. I’m adding it to A Beginning List Of The Best Posts & Articles On Accelerated … Continue reading →

Will $3 Million Buy A “Total School Makeover” For 20,000 Students? The Ford Foundation Says It Will

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

There has been plenty of publicity today about a new “public/private partnership” that is going to add “up to” 300 hours in a school year for 20,000 students in a number of districts. In a bit of what I would … Continue reading →

Jersey Jazzman: Corporate "Reformers" Make Teaching a Temp Job

Jersey Jazzman: Corporate "Reformers" Make Teaching a Temp Job:

Corporate "Reformers" Make Teaching a Temp Job

by Duke

Boy, isn't this corporate "reform" stuff great? It's turning teaching into a totally awesome, highly coveted job!

Right?

Kate Renkosiak (pictured) started work this fall as a new science teacher at Wexler/Grant, a K-8 “turnaround” school in Dixwell. She landed the job through Teach For America (TFA), a leading national not-for-profit that lures talented young people into urban classrooms on a mission to narrow the racial achievement gap.

Kate Renkosiak replaced Kait Shorrock, was also a TFA recruit. Shorrock was one of 16 TFA