Notable Deaths of 2012 - NYTimes.com:

Done Too Soon - Notable Deaths of 2012 - NYTimes.com

Remembering Etta James, Don Cornelius, Whitney Houston, Anthony Shadid, Adrienne Rich, Dick Clark, Donna Summer, Nora Ephron, Andy Griffith, Gore Vidal, Dave Brubeck and others who died this year.

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Seattle Schools Community Forum: End of 2012 - Wrap-up and Hopes and Predictions for 2013

Seattle Schools Community Forum: End of 2012 - Wrap-up and Hopes and Predictions for 2013:

End of 2012 - Wrap-up and Hopes and Predictions for 2013

by Melissa Westbrook

A rosy glow this morning across the horizon - maybe a good sign for things to come.

It was a HUGE year for public education - in Seattle, Washington State and the US.  For whatever reason, public education has become a huge issue.  Whether it's trying to break unions (in Wisconsin) or the push for more on-line learning opportunities (whether at school or at home), politicians had a lot to say this year.

Are we focusing on the right things?  I'm not sure we are.  I'm not sure that we won't look back in 10 years at much of the new education spending in this country and wonder if much of it was wasted on the wrong areas.  Or that there was too much effort made in directions that did not pay off.

One of the drivers of this - and it shouldn't be the biggest driver - is the large group of wealthy philanthropists who believe they know enough to try to determine the course of public education over the next 10 years.  And yet, they are not elected, hired or appointed so it is puzzling why their ideas should take precedence over anyone

Following Up on 2012

by Melissa Westbrook

Over at Friend of our Blog, Seattle Education, Dora Taylor has a great thread about the expose by FireDogLake about Cory Booker and the $100M gift to Newark Public Schools from Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.

Apparently the ACLU had to sue Cory "Superman" Booker for release of e-mails between him and Facebook executives.

It started on Oprah.

Facebook founder and Winklevii nemesis Mark Zuckerberg announced a $100 million donation to Newark schools to blunt PR damage from the release of The Social Network help school children. The money would not be going into the struggling city’s budget but would be privately controlled with Newark Mayor Cory Booker 

Radical Scholarship: Books by P. L. Thomas

Radical Scholarship: Books by P. L. Thomas:

Books by P. L. Thomas

Thomas, P. L., ed. (2013). Becoming and Being a Teacher: Confronting Traditional Norms to Create New Democratic Realities. New York, NY: Peter Lang USA.

-----. (2012). Ignoring poverty in the U. S.: The corporate takeover of public education. Charlotte NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

-----. (2010). Challenging genres: Comic books and graphic novels. Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

-----. (2010). Parental choice?: A critical reconsideration of choice and the debate about choice. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Co-authored with Schmidt, R. (2009). 21st century literacy: If we are scripted, are we literate? Heidelberg, Germany: Springer.

-----. (2008). Reading, learning, teaching Ralph Ellison. New York: Peter Lang USA.

-----. (2007). Reading, learning, teaching Margaret Atwood. New York: Peter Lang USA.

They shoot horses, don’t they? « Fred Klonsky

They shoot horses, don’t they? « Fred Klonsky:

They shoot horses, don’t they?

by Fred Klonsky

Popout“I’m 65.”
“You’re 64,” said Anne. “You don’t turn 65 for six months.”
“I’m rounding up. Besides, horses’ birthdays are the first of the year no matter what day they were born on.”
Which isn’t exactly true. It is only true for thoroughbred horses that jockey clubs put together for racing purposes.
“Yes, but you’re not a horse.”
“Sometimes I feel like a horse.”
I was thinking about the 1969 movie, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
It was one of the most depressing movies of all time, a metaphor for the Great Depression. The entire movie was 

Louisiana Educator: A special message

Louisiana Educator: A special message:

A special message

by Michael Deshotels

Best wishes to my readers:
I hope the new year brings better policies and much needed support for our public schools. I believe our public schools and teachers in Louisiana have been doing an excellent job for which they have received little appreciation and recognition. I yearn for the day when our teachers, who I believe are among the most dedicated of all public servants, are granted the right to teach as professionals. I believe teachers know what their students need to get the most of their education. But until they are really empowered to teach with creativity and to involve their students in the joy of learning instead of spending inordinate time in prepping for standardized tests, Louisiana will continue to suffer with the mediocrity called "education reform"!
(click here for the test teacher song)

Public Good and the Will of the Ownership Class « @ the chalk face

Public Good and the Will of the Ownership Class « @ the chalk face:

Public Good and the Will of the Ownership Class

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December 30, 2012 by kuhiokane

Our economy, that is, the economy owned by the one percent, is no longer centered on production and consumer purchases.  It is no longer a part of employment.  It is increasingly centered, controlled by credit creation which, in turn, is used to create profits and income in the form of interest payments until any economic surplus and stock of property becomes obligated to debt service. ( My understanding of our economy as discussed here is provided by reading Michael Hudson, a real economist).

Like the organized criminals that they are, most big banks and their lobbyists, those who are the greatest perpetrators of fraudulent activities that have led to the extraction of trillions of dollars from the ninety-nine percent, those brokers of corruption, continue to load up the economy with debt, leaving little for 

NYC Educator: Mayor Bloomberg Redefines Negotiation

NYC Educator: Mayor Bloomberg Redefines Negotiation:

Mayor Bloomberg Redefines Negotiation

by NYC Educator

Mayor Bloomberg is shocked and stunned that teachers want more money. How dare they make such frivolous demands when he's trying to enact a junk-science-based evaluation system? Clearly they don't grasp the nature of the emergency in city schools. Mayor Bloomberg simply cannot fire enough teachers under the current system, and unless he gets a legal basis to fire them for no good reason, he won't be able to fire them for no good reason.

Bloomberg is aghast that the UFT would claim teachers haven't had a raise in four years. Don't they get step promotions for experience? Aren't they raises? Just because all other city employees got 8% between 2008-2010, does that mean teachers should get it too? And those uppity teachers, rather than bow down to his financial superiority, say things like, "Cops and firefighters get step increases too."

It's difficult being mayor when people throw things like 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-31-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

When Non-Profits Are Very Profitable

by dianerav

The New York Times had a front-page story yesterday about a non-profit corporation that runs halfway houses in New Jersey.
It may be non-profit, but the owner and his family are making millions.
Does this remind you of anything else you have read lately?

Love Is the Answer

by dianerav

Please read about Mr. Wright, a brilliant physics teacher in Louisville.
An award-winning film was made about him, not just because of his vivacious, unorthodox teaching style, but because of his love for his son, who was born profoundly disabled. Please read the story about him in the New York Times and watch the video.
The video is amazing.
It will make you grateful for your blessings.
It will humble you.
It might change your life.

An Ally Offers His Help to You

by dianerav

Robert Rendo, a National Board Certified Teacher, has offered his talents as an illustrator to help all those fighting misguided reform. He writes:
dear diane,
i am a veteran teacher of 19 years, nationally board certifeid, and teach a low income immigrant population. i am also an editorial illustrator with works in the new york times, the chicago tribune, the sacramento bee, the society of illustrators, and the American photography/american illustration show. my work is a tool for advocacy, 

The Voice of a Data Point

by dianerav

This is a story written by Noa Rosinplotz, a sixth-grade student in the District of Columbia public schools. It first appeared on a Facebook page called “Children Left Behind,” a protest site for students and families. Noa sent it to her story, and she also wrote a letter, which follows the story. Students are not widgets; they are not pieces of clay. They don’t like what is being inflicted upon them. Once they become active, everything changes.
Please help Noa’s letter go viral!
The Little Datapoint and the Big Bad Test
Once upon a time, there was a little datapoint named Rosin Plotz, Noa. Her friends called her by her ID number, 9——, or 9 for short. She liked her job-most of the time. But 6 times a year, or 19 days in total, came the Big 

Diane in the Evening 12-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Time for Action by dianerav In response to Katie Osgood’s post, “A Message to Reformers,” Maureen Reedy wrote the following: “Katie, Diane and Friends, I am loving your article Katie, it is right on in every way. No more! No MORE!!! NO MORE!!!! I have contacted Ed Schultz, a production company in California, Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow who teaches at Ohio State, state senator and superintendents in Michigan, I have a panel ready to go with the media when we get someone to pick up the ball and run with it. I have been in touch with Paren... more »

Leadership Principles | Connected Principals

Leadership Principles | Connected Principals:

Leadership Principles

by Dwight Carter

Author and Leadership Consultant, Ken Blanchard, wrote in one of his books, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” I couldn’t agree more. However, I don’t think this has anything to do with positional leadership, but more about leadership principles. There are a number of people I consider leaders, from students to global dignitaries and everyone in between. I have learned and continue to learn what leadership is by observing others and reflecting on my own behaviors as a leader. Following are my most important principles that define leadership and how each principle is present or in the works at Gahanna Lincoln High School:
 Vision
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” -Proverbs 29:18. Vision creates a picture of what a group, team, or organization can become as the people involved work together towards a common purpose. Vision creates a powerful story about the organization and can inspire the high-quality, dedicated work of the people invoked. Without it, individuals will begin to do what they individually think is best, thus creating islands of excellence as 

Does a STEM degree guarantee a job? Not always. | Get Schooled

Does a STEM degree guarantee a job? Not always. | Get Schooled:

Does a STEM degree guarantee a job? Not always.

by Maureen Downey

Does STEM always spell success for college graduates?
Whenever I write about the efforts to bolster U.S. graduates in science, technology, engineering and math, readers send me notes about their problems finding work despite a STEM degree. And that includes math teachers.
(If you are interested in this topic, take a look at this Duke study on which countries produce more engineers and the job prospects for those graduates. The report concludes: Our research shows that companies are not moving abroad because of a deficiency in U.S. education or the quality of U.S. workers. Rather, they are doing what gives them economic and competitive advantage. It is cheaper for them to move certain engineering jobs overseas and to locate their R&D operations closer to growth markets. There are serious deficiencies in engineering graduates from Indian and Chinese schools. Yet the trend is building momentum despite these weaknesses…The calls to graduate more engineers do not focus on any field …

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Little Emperor, Rahm makes Chicago Sun-Times front page.

Fran Spielman

In year two of his whirlwind administration, Emanuel survived a seven-day teachers strike that he had helped instigate; parted company with a highly touted schools CEO who turned out to be a bad fit, and struggled to control a spike in homicides that became a national media obsession. -- Sun-Times

Jackson Potter

Why should people, by virtue of their money, be able to make decisions that everyone else has to live with but has no power to influence? -- Letter to Sun-Times