#reformshaming, the #commoncore edition – @ the chalk face

#reformshaming, the #commoncore edition – @ the chalk face:

#reformshaming, the #commoncore edition

by Chalk Face, PhD

Mr. David Coleman

At the Chalk Face’s #edreform #marchmadness, Round Two

Chalk Face, PhD at @ the chalk face - 35 minutes ago

Some predictable results, and a few upsets. We now have Round Two: The Erroneous Eight. Gates defeats 16 seed Broad, no surprise there, for the Donor Division. ALEC and USDE emerge victorious for “Good” Government. No surprise that Pearson and Achieve would make it to the next round in All 4 Profit. But the most [...]

#reformshaming, the #commoncore edition

Chalk Face, PhD at @ the chalk face - 1 hour ago

Mr. David Coleman

A Message to Parents from Your Child’s Teacher

Kris Nielsen at @ the chalk face - 11 hours ago

I made a new friend today! Christine McCartney is a New York teacher currently living and studying in Finland. She shared this video with me, which I’m happy to share with you. Watch to the end and then share. Filed under: KRIS NIELSEN: First, Do No Harm

Dear Mr. Katz

Kris Nielsen at @ the chalk face - 11 hours ago

I want to share an email exchange between me and NYSED Director of State Assessment, Steven Katz. This is after his memo to NY districts caught the eye of the opt-out group here in New York. First, my initial email: Mr. Katz, I’ve been a little confused about the language used in response to many [...]

Is #edweek just plain stupid or …?

Timothy D. Slekar at @ the chalk face - 11 hours ago

EdWeek can’t even cover blatant racism! Why? Why? Why? In the latest article that “reports” on the Chicago school closings we get this little snippet: Race has also come into play. Protesters say the closings will disproportionately affect the district’s black students and black communities, and question whether the schools students will go to are actually higher-performing [...]

From John Stoffel on #marchmadness and #commoncore

Chalk Face, PhD at @ the chalk face - 13 hours ago

It’s time for March Madness in Indiana. Sadly, I refer not to our state’s passion for basketball, but to our lawmakers’ debilitation of public schools through high stakes testing which students began this month. The concept of winning a basketball game is relatively simple: score more points than your opponent. However, any basketball fan knows [...]

CTU Prez Karen Lewis At the Chalk Face this Sunday 6PM EST

Chalk Face, PhD at @ the chalk face - 13 hours ago

Here’s the show link. Chat room and livetweet @thechalkface. Filed under: CHALK FACE: General News & Commentary Tagged: at the chalk face, chicago, ctu, karen lewis, school closure

#aft and #nea are wrong on Common Core and VAMs.

Timothy D. Slekar at @ the chalk face - 16 hours ago

I support teachers’ unions. However, the AFT’s and NEA’s national leaders need to be to openly criticized. At the leadership level they are unable to counter the “adults first” narrative and they are complicit in the corporate takeover of our public schools. First, teachers’ unions have been absolutely horrendous (except in Chicago) in demonstrating [...]

A new meme: #reformshaming

Chalk Face, PhD at @ the chalk face - 16 hours ago

Thank you Pet & Dog shaming for the inspiration. I suggest you make your own as well. Filed under: CHALK FACE: General News & Commentary Tagged: chicago, closing, rahm emanuel, reformshaming, schools

The in box. “My fellow teachers and I have hired a bus for the 27th. My dad said he would have my bail money.” | Fred Klonsky

The in box. “My fellow teachers and I have hired a bus for the 27th. My dad said he would have my bail money.” | Fred Klonsky:

The in box. “My fellow teachers and I have hired a bus for the 27th. My dad said he would have my bail money.”

by Fred Klonsky

I had to escape the noise and head to my community of the just in Three Oaks MI.

Phoning my 82 year old dad to explain what a “turn around” means and how I am out of a job.

47 year card carrying member of the masonry union.

His work ethic and union protection provided for me and his five children.

A personal email from Karen Lewis to remind me of the power of union.

My fellow teachers and I have hired a bus for the 27th.

We are gathering our community too.

My dad said he would have my bail money.

Onward we go.

- urbanteach

 

Every Chicago public school is my school.

by Fred Klonsky

Daily Kos: Leaves on the Current - the recovery continues

Daily Kos: Leaves on the Current - the recovery continues:

Leaves on the Current - the recovery continues

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

It will be 8 weeks this evening since we got the news about my wife's cancer.  Tomorrow evening will be the end of the 2nd 2-week cycle of chemotherapy, with another treatment-free week about to occur.  It seems a good point at which to reflect on where we are, and where we hope we are heading.
Most of all, the past two days mark a major achievement.
My wife is by training a cultural historian.  Since before I met her, she has had a strong interest in Virginia, in part because her mother's mother's family originates from Central Virginia.  In high school she became fascinated by George Mason and simply because of that interest wrote a detailed paper about this not as well known yet highly significant Founding Father.   When we moved from near Philadelphia because she had decided she really wanted to live in the DC area after a summer of a fellowship at the National Endowment for the Arts, she was insistent that we live in the Old Dominion and not DC or Maryland - which during my teaching career in Maryland gave me a somewhat longer commute.  Her award-winnin dissertation is on the social role of African-American dance in the pre-Civil War greater Chesapeake, which obviously focused on Virginia.  We were married in an Orthodox Church in Maryland, but held our reception in an historic mansion near Leesburg VA.  When we have considered moving, it has realistically only been to other places in Virginia - Charlottesville, Old 

Watch out! Tribune, Joyce Foundation team up to push school privatization Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Watch out! Tribune, Joyce Foundation team up to push school privatization:

Watch out! Tribune, Joyce Foundation team up to push school privatization

by admin

The Chicago Tribune published some pre-digested results of a new public education survey they carried out with support from the Joyce Foundation.
Shockingly, the poll results, according to the Tribune, suggest that most people approve of the Tribune’s positions on teacher accountability and school privatization.
Here’s what my look at the actual poll found:
Who responded:

• 50% of those polled were white. Less than 9% of CPS students are white.

• 30% of those polled make more than $ 75,000 a year. 87% of CPS students are from low-income families that qualify for federal free or reduced lunches.

• 43% of those polled do not know a Chicago Public School teacher or teachers’ union member. Really?

Of course, the Trib claims that results were “weighted” to assure a mix consistent with city demographics…but 

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Skip high school. Go straight to college. Here’s how!

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Skip high school. Go straight to college. Here’s how!:

Skip high school. Go straight to college. Here’s how!

by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen)

By Rylie VanOrsdol

In my fourteen years of life, I have been public schooled, online schooled, charter schooled, private schooled, Montessori schooled, and homeschooled. I’ve skipped a grade and completed a grade in three months online. After all the learning options I  have experienced, what I have found is that the traditional path was unable to meet my needs.

A recent adventure was collegiate middle school. This school seemed like a perfect fit for me! I was interested in the idea of a college-focused middle school as I love learning and a challenge. The school was a vastly different environment than the traditional-style schools I had previously attended. It was a comfortable and competitive environment which I enjoyed. About half way through the year there was a change in the head of school and staff. Following the change of staff was my change of heart. By the time I hit eighth grade I started disliking the school. This was an unusual feeling for me because I have always loved learning. I didn’t let it affect my grades but I knew something had to change.

My parents and I spoke. I’m lucky. They have always been supportive and willing to think outside the

Schools Matter: Feeding the College-to-Poorhouse Pipeline

Schools Matter: Feeding the College-to-Poorhouse Pipeline:

Feeding the College-to-Poorhouse Pipeline

by Jim Horn

Bill Gates and his plutocratic pals of the Billionaire Boys Club have successfully planted and nurtured the self-serving myth there is a huge talent shortage among American workers.  This myth has been fed, of course, by corporations looking to drive down wages by creating an oversupply of college graduates, and it has been promulgated by the college industry, both for profit and non-profit.

With an oversupply of applicants at brick and mortar schools, those fine institutions can cherry pick the high scoring middle class students and dump the rest into the for-profit non-profit online diploma mills, where the most needy end up with meaningless degrees (if they are lucky) and huge debt.

Among all 2007-08 bachelor's degree recipients:• 66% graduated with some education debt, while 10% had borrowed $40,000 or more.• 62% at public four-year institutions borrowed.• 72% at private nonprofit four-year institutions borrowed.• 96% at private for-profit institutions borrowed.

It's the new capitalist college caste system, and its need for unsustainable growth will likely provide the trigger 

Superintendent in Don Gaetz’ District Critical of Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings

Superintendent in Don Gaetz’ District Critical of Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings:

Superintendent in Don Gaetz’ District Critical of Parent Trigger

by Bob Sikes

I’ve always wondered whether Sen. Don Gaetz, the school board member and school superintendent had a different take on Parent Trigger than Don Gaetz, the politician. We will never know, but the school’s superintendent from one of the county’s he represents makes no bones about his opposition. Panama City News Herald reporter Matthew Beaton talked to Bay County Schools Superintendent Bill Husfeldt:

Bay District Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt has a simple response to the legislation: Stay out of our business.
“I wish that the legislators would leave decision-making about schools to the local districts,” he said. “I think this is another one of those things where the state is meddling in local districts’ authority.”
Husfelt said if parents don’t like or trust their school, they should approach their school board 

Is It the Standards Fault that They Worry Me? | Cooperative Catalyst

Is It the Standards Fault that They Worry Me? | Cooperative Catalyst:

Is It the Standards Fault that They Worry Me?

by Pernille Ripp

“..but this is what I teach my college students…”  My mother, who is an English professor, is looking at the new 5th grade common core standards.  I shake my head, sigh, and realize that I now have another mountain to climb when it comes to making school relevant, engaging, and exciting for students.

I have been hesistant to blog about the Common Core Standards, after all, this is my first year truly dealing with them and the prescribed curriculum that seems to come with them.  And yet, something keeps nagging me whenever I stumble upon them.  Something keeps bugging me at a deeper level than just the “Oh, it’s another change in education…” type of way.
Perhaps it is the curriculum that is now promising us to be even more rigorous in all of its alignment.  It seems to say that I wasn’t rigorous before or that we just dallied around in previous years, not to be trusted when left to our 

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluation: SOMEONE'S Got To Lose!

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluation: SOMEONE'S Got To Lose!:

NJ Teacher Evaluation: SOMEONE'S Got To Lose!

by Duke

Tim Matheney is the current Director of the Office of Evaluation at the New Jersey Department of Education. He is touring around the state these days, trying to sell the new, top-down, test-based teacher evaluation system,AchieveNJ. I've blogged extensively about my problems with this system, but let's give Matheney a chance to respond to its critics:

Pamela Keuett, a Neptune Township middle school science teacher, voiced concern over whether the new rating system will create competition as opposed to collaboration between educators.

Matheney said the new paradigm of measuring students’ progress will be weighed against other students from across the state that test within the same percentile, thereby creating a more collaborative environment.

“An individual student is compared to his or her academic peers in terms of how much growth they make over the 

Jack Hassard: School Closings in Our Cities: A Deep Ecological Problem - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Jack Hassard: School Closings in Our Cities: A Deep Ecological Problem - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Jack Hassard: School Closings in Our Cities: A Deep Ecological Problem

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by Jack Hassard.
Latest Story

In this post I am going to argue that it is a mistake for large school districts such as Chicago, New York, and Atlanta to close schools on the basis of achievement and cost effectiveness. The Chicago School District announced that they plan to close 61 schools which is 13% of the total schools in the district. This will be the largest mass school closings in U.S. history. If you map these schools and their communities, the Chicago school board acts as if these schools are unimportant, and indeed the children and youth that attend these schools, because they are poor, and failing state mandated tests, can be moved about at their whim. According to the president of Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, the decision to close more than 50 schools has been done with no planning.
Deep Ecological Considerations
In their research on what they call "green governance" Burns Weston and David Bollier (2013) offer an insightful analysis of the consequences of the way business enterprises in partnership with government are "fiercely commercializing" many resources that were protected or beyond the reach of such shenanigans. Bollier (2002) calls this a scandal, and refers to it as a "silent theft" and "the private plunder of our common wealth." The 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

"Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation"

 will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves"

Koi & Classroom Management

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 hours ago

Here’s a great story from Marvin Marshall, a great writer on positive classroom strategies:

Experience Being An Autistic Child In This Simulation

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 hours ago

Auti-Sim describes itself like this: The player navigates through a playground as an autistic child with auditory hypersensitivity. Proximity to loud children causes sensory overload for the player, impacting cognitive functions. This impact is represented as visual noise and blur, … Continue reading →

PBS News Hour Redesigns Their Teacher Resource Page

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 hours ago

The PBS News Hour has completely redesigned their webpage providing teacher resources. I had been thinking for awhile that I should add their site to The Best Places To Find Free (And Good) Lesson Plans On The Internet, and this … Continue reading →

Lesson Of The Week: What Does “March Madness” Have To Do With Theory Of Knowledge?

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 hours ago

(Have you developed a particularly creative and successful lesson for your K-12 English, Social Studies, or IB Theory of Knowledge class? If you have, and can describe it in 400 words or less (not including student hand-outs you might want … Continue reading →

What Should Be The Fate Of The Zillion Starred Posts On My Google Reader?

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

The upcoming demise of Google Reader has left me with a decision to make — What do I do about the untold zillions of backlogged posts I’ve “starred” and saved? Do I just export them to another RSS Reader, or … Continue reading →

Earth Hour Updates

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

Earth Hour took place earlier this evening. Here are new additions to The Best Sites To Learn About “Earth Hour”: AP Photos: Cities go dark for ‘Earth Hour’ Worldwide blackout: Landmark buildings across the globe switch off their lights to … Continue reading →

This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”

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

I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a … Continue reading →

My New Book, Self-Driven Learning, Is Now Available On Kindle

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

My new book, Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation, is now available on Kindle. In addition, the “Look Inside” feature is now activated on Amazon, so you can…look inside it.

The Best Resources For Images From The Planck Satellite

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 17 hours ago

The media has been awash with images from the Planck satellite this week. Here’s a short explanation from The New York Times: Astronomers released the latest and most exquisite baby picture yet of the universe on Thursday, one that showed … Continue reading →

This Is Hard For Me To Believe — Fewer Teens Get Their Drivers Licenses Because Smartphones Serve The Same Function As Cars?

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 20 hours ago

I am very open to being corrected, and I’m looking forward to asking my students about this, but I think The Los Angeles Times this week has provided a perfect example of mistaking correlation with causation (which makes it a … Continue reading →

Here’s The Latest Reflection/Goal-Setting Sheet I’m Using With Students

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 20 hours ago

I recently created a new reflection/goal-setting sheet that I asked my ninth-grade students to complete, and it went pretty well. In fact, some of my colleagues are also using it. A few students rolled their eyes, but it’s created a … Continue reading →

“Edcanvas” Has Just Leaped To The Top Of My List Of Useful Web 2.0 Tools

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

I’ve previously posted several times about Edcanvass, and it’s already on a number of “The Best…” lists. This week they added another great feature — the ability to easily record up to five minutes of audio on any image or … Continue reading →

Fascinating Research On Importance Of Students Knowing Their Family History

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

The Stories That Bind Us is a New York Times article sharing some fascinating research. Here’s an excerpt:

March’s Best Tweets — Part Three

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

Every month I make a few short lists 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. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new … Continue reading →

Easter & Passover Resources

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

I’ve just reviewed and updated most, thought not all, of the resources on The Best Sites For Learning About Easter And Passover list. Additional suggestions are welcome….

More On School Closings

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

Here are two new additions to The Best Posts & Articles On The Impact Of School Closures — Suggest More!: Press Release: New Study from CReATE: School Closures will Negatively Impact Academic Performance, Destabilize Communities Instead of closing schools, how … Continue reading →

Chinua Achebe On Needing “a balance of stories”

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

Chinua Achebe’s Legacy, in His Own Words is an Atlantic reprint of a great interview with Chinua Achebe, who died today. Here’s a quote:

More World Water Day Resources

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

Here are the newest additions to The Best Resources For Teaching & Learning About World Water Day: World Water Day 2013 is a photo gallery from The Boston Globe. Water Availability and its Impact on Global Agriculture infographic by DanforthCenter. … Continue reading →

NYC Educator: Is UFT's Delegate Assembly a Forum for Candidates' Debate?

NYC Educator: Is UFT's Delegate Assembly a Forum for Candidates' Debate?:

Is UFT's Delegate Assembly a Forum for Candidates' Debate?

by NYC Educator

There's a small ruckus on the MORE blog about whether or not UFT President Mike Mulgrew should debate his sole opponent, Julie Cavanagh. While the respondents are often more civil than the juvenile ravings that haunt the ICE blog, their arguments are bizarre, to say the least. As it happens, candidate Julie Cavanagh has an infant son, and the best argument they can seem to muster against her is that she doesn't attend the DA frequently enough.

The implication that she would neglect her duties, as a result, is beyond offensive. With all due respect, Mulgrew is not a full-time teacher. It is one of his primary responsibilities to conduct the DA. Cavanagh's primary responsibility is to teach her classes. If she couldn't be bothered doing that, we might have something to discuss. Or we might not. But to expect a young mother to teach a full day, tend to her infant child, and travel to meetings without fail is ridiculous at least, and misogynist at worst. 

When I go to the DA, I'm often amazed by what I see. I've watched Mike Mulgrew explain how we needed to