Google Doodle: Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez Day is celebrated on March 31 in California, Colorado and Texas.
Google Doodle
1 of 30
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Asimov’s “Cult of Ignorance” and Education Reform? – @ the chalk face
Asimov’s “Cult of Ignorance” and Education Reform? – @ the chalk face:
Asimov’s “Cult of Ignorance” and Education Reform?
What does an essay by science fiction giant Isaac Asimov in 1980 have to do with education reform in 2013?
Writing in Newsweek (1980, January 21) in the cusp of America’s shift into the Reagan era of conservatism that included the roots of the current education reform movement built on accountability, standards, and high-stakes testing, Isaac Asimov declared the U.S. “a cult of ignorance,” explaining:
Writing in Newsweek (1980, January 21) in the cusp of America’s shift into the Reagan era of conservatism that included the roots of the current education reform movement built on accountability, standards, and high-stakes testing, Isaac Asimov declared the U.S. “a cult of ignorance,” explaining:
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”While science fiction (SF)—a genre within which Asimov is legendary—is often misread as prediction (SF is
School vouchers don't work | Arkansas Blog
School vouchers don't work | Arkansas Blog:
School vouchers don't work
Posted by Max Brantley on Sat, Mar 30, 2013 at 5:15 AM
You just have to follow Diane Ravitch if you live in this land of Stepford legislators who accept pronouncements from the Billionaire Boys Club school reform lobby as holy writ. If a Walton says it — or somebody paid by the Waltons — it must be so. There is another side.
Speaking of the Waltons:
They finance a school up at the University of Arkansas's Walton branch campus in Fayetteville dedicated to churning out support for the BBC's anti-union, pro-voucher, pro-charter, pro-obsessive-testing political movement.
So it's interesting to read Ravitch's conclusion that school vouchers don't work when her opinion is based on research by Patrick Wolf of the Walton think tank at UAF (he gets an endowed chair, thanks to Walton money, in "school choice," if that gives you any idea what he's expected to favor). Ravitch:
Now that 17 states have authorized vouchers to “save kids from failing schools,” it
Daily Kos: 40 Years After Watergate, It's Almost Impossible to Hold Government Accountable
Daily Kos: 40 Years After Watergate, It's Almost Impossible to Hold Government Accountable:
40 Years After Watergate, It's Almost Impossible to Hold Government Accountable
is the title of this piece by Michael Winship. I am linking to an Alternet version of the piece.
It is written in the context of a recent conference on Watergate with many important participants present. Winship had himself been a journalist at the time. to give a quick sense of his attitude, let me quote the following:
It is written in the context of a recent conference on Watergate with many important participants present. Winship had himself been a journalist at the time. to give a quick sense of his attitude, let me quote the following:
Yet make no mistake — for all the general hilarity (and remember, to many, Richard Nixon had been the butt of jokes for decades before; Watergate was just the ultimate punchline), this was a true constitutional crisis. The abuse of presidential power was staggering, from the soliciting of illegal corporate campaign contributions used for hush money and delivered by bagmen, to the illicit actions of the aforementioned plumbers — an operation, by the way, that traced its roots all the way back to the early months of Nixon’s first term. Combined with the ongoing tragedy of Vietnam — including the secret bombing of Cambodia and the violent squelching of antiwar protest — Watergate shook the public’s confidence in government as it hadn’t been since the bleakest days of secession and the Civil War.The problem is that we seem forgetful. The efforts made to prevent another such crisis have long been eroded,
Poison seeds: The bitter harvest of the APS cheating scandal | Get Schooled
Poison seeds: The bitter harvest of the APS cheating scandal | Get Schooled:
In 2009, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education featured Atlanta’s Parks Middle School on its annual bus tour of high-achieving schools, and I joined the visit. I arrived early in my own car, beating the bus and getting a chance to chat with students for an hour.
The enthusiastic students expressed pride in their school, which was decorated with banners announcing its awards and distinctions. And there were many.
In 2006, Parks Middle made adequate yearly progress and surpassed Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall’s even more ambitious targets. That same year, the percentage of eighth-graders who passed the math section of the CRCT rose from 24 percent to 86 percent. In 2008, Parks earned national accolades after becoming Atlanta’s only middle school to meet all its academic targets.
Over the weekend, I dug into my old files — a box in my closet — for my notebook from Parks. Among the quick
Poison seeds: The bitter harvest of the APS cheating scandal
In 2009, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education featured Atlanta’s Parks Middle School on its annual bus tour of high-achieving schools, and I joined the visit. I arrived early in my own car, beating the bus and getting a chance to chat with students for an hour.The enthusiastic students expressed pride in their school, which was decorated with banners announcing its awards and distinctions. And there were many.
In 2006, Parks Middle made adequate yearly progress and surpassed Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall’s even more ambitious targets. That same year, the percentage of eighth-graders who passed the math section of the CRCT rose from 24 percent to 86 percent. In 2008, Parks earned national accolades after becoming Atlanta’s only middle school to meet all its academic targets.
Over the weekend, I dug into my old files — a box in my closet — for my notebook from Parks. Among the quick
Louisiana Educator: Parents and Educators Object to LDOE Takeover Policies
Louisiana Educator: Parents and Educators Object to LDOE Takeover Policies:
Parents and Educators Object to LDOE Takeover Policies
Please click on this link to view an open letter written to New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu, Steve Barr and the Oprah Winfrey Network by the John McDonogh advisory committee. I believe this advisory committee is made up of dedicated community leaders who would like to see a much better future for the students of John McDonogh High School. Their letter expresses legitimate concerns about the unfair negative depiction of the school by the Mayor, and more recently by the OWN network. The advisory committee members also object to charter operator Steve Barr using incorrect statistics to attempt to show false progress since he took control of the school. My opinion is that this entire incident is just one of many examples of the misuse of at risk students by non educators and con men who wish to profit personally at the expense of the students.
Another Good School Closed As a Result of Misguided Reforms
The following is a letter by the highly qualified principal of Delmont Elem in the EBR school system who is appalled to see her school closed by her local school system because of the threat of a takeover by the State Recovery School District. This is the same RSD that allows non educators like Steve Barr to take
Another Good School Closed As a Result of Misguided Reforms
The following is a letter by the highly qualified principal of Delmont Elem in the EBR school system who is appalled to see her school closed by her local school system because of the threat of a takeover by the State Recovery School District. This is the same RSD that allows non educators like Steve Barr to take
Is Scientology Sneaking Into Classrooms?
Is Scientology Sneaking Into Classrooms?:
Is Scientology Sneaking Into Classrooms?
Applied Scholastics, a teaching method explicitly linked to L. Ron Hubbard, has put a group of Phoenix charter schools in the hot seat.
 |
| Actor Tom Cruise attends the grand opening of Applied Scholastics International's new headquarters on July 26, 2003, in St. Louis, Missouri. Applied Scholastics is an international teacher training centre utilizing the learning methods developed by L. Ron Hubbard. (Photo: Getty Images) |
Scientology could be creeping into the curriculum at a group of charter schools in Phoenix, Arizona.
At the encouragement of the superintendent Robert Duffy, many of the kids at the six schools, which serve 1,000 students, are taught using Applied Scholastics, a teaching method researched and developed by Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard.
This can pose a serious problem for the schools, and for Duffy.
Although charter schools are privately run, they are publicly funded and under the First Amendment, public schools are required to be neutral concerning religion in all of their activities.
The ACLU Legal Bulletin, The Establishment Clause And Public Schools, explains that "the Supreme Court has long held that the Establishment
Sunday read. | Fred Klonsky
Sunday read. | Fred Klonsky:
Photo: Fred Klonsky. Anna Maria Island, Florida.
No matter what they do, how they measure it or what scheme they put in place, the results keep coming back showing that we’re pretty damn good. And they act surprised when even their stupid data keeps saying that.
But that doesn’t keep them from doing away with tenure.
Data collecting, Big Brother and the crazy Glenn Beck. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
The rich and powerful are just like us except they’re rich and powerful.
Michael Madigan’s $98 million dollar gift to UNO’s charter scam is now under investigation.
I suspect that Emanuel and his allies see these closures as the last chance for a knockout blow. For nearly a decade, the true believers in accountability thought that they had the teaching profession on the ropes. But, even inside their bubble, it is now clear that teachers are fighting back. If market-driven “reformers” don’t put us away quickly, their exquisite vision for data-driven schooling will unravel. So, across the nation, the mass closings of traditional public schools are their last assault on an education system which did not appreciate their theories.
I suspect that these “reformers,” secure in their ignorance of urban realities, still believe that their opponents are to blame. Had educators welcomed enough rookies willing to gut it out and to “put children first,” the short term
Sunday read.
No matter what they do, how they measure it or what scheme they put in place, the results keep coming back showing that we’re pretty damn good. And they act surprised when even their stupid data keeps saying that.
But that doesn’t keep them from doing away with tenure.
Data collecting, Big Brother and the crazy Glenn Beck. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
The rich and powerful are just like us except they’re rich and powerful.
Michael Madigan’s $98 million dollar gift to UNO’s charter scam is now under investigation.
I suspect that Emanuel and his allies see these closures as the last chance for a knockout blow. For nearly a decade, the true believers in accountability thought that they had the teaching profession on the ropes. But, even inside their bubble, it is now clear that teachers are fighting back. If market-driven “reformers” don’t put us away quickly, their exquisite vision for data-driven schooling will unravel. So, across the nation, the mass closings of traditional public schools are their last assault on an education system which did not appreciate their theories.
I suspect that these “reformers,” secure in their ignorance of urban realities, still believe that their opponents are to blame. Had educators welcomed enough rookies willing to gut it out and to “put children first,” the short term
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-31-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:
How Vouchers “Worked” in Cleveland
Superintendent: Garfield Teachers Will Not Be Punished
Arthur Camins: What Happens in Schools When Despots Rule
Good Grief! Teachers Get High Marks on New Evaluations
The Latest Idea for Education Reform
The New York City Way of Monetizing School Buildings
Vouchers Failed in Cleveland Too
Superintendent: Make This the Year We Said No
David Sirota: Who Is Behind School “Reform”?
How Vouchers “Worked” in Cleveland
A reader in Cleveland comments on today’s post about vouchers in Cleveland. He is responding to a comment by another reader, who defended vouchers:
“I’m from Cleveland. The vouchers worked! They raised the cost of per-pupil expenditures in our public schools and resulted in cuts to funding for arts and enrichment programs, making public schools a less desirable “choice.” See Freakenomics for their take on vouchers. That voucher students at best do more or less the same than their peers in public schools misses what I think is the most important point. The fragmenting of public funds through vouchers/charters compromises the opportunities of public school.”
“I’m from Cleveland. The vouchers worked! They raised the cost of per-pupil expenditures in our public schools and resulted in cuts to funding for arts and enrichment programs, making public schools a less desirable “choice.” See Freakenomics for their take on vouchers. That voucher students at best do more or less the same than their peers in public schools misses what I think is the most important point. The fragmenting of public funds through vouchers/charters compromises the opportunities of public school.”
Superintendent: Garfield Teachers Will Not Be Punished
Jose Banda, the Seattle superintendent of schools, will not discipline the Garfield High School teachers who boycotted the MAP tests as a waste of time and resources. He urged them to resume work as usual. They were heard, he said.
This was a wise decision.
Congratulations to the Garfield teachers for your courage and unity!
For a full copy of Superintendent Banda’s statement, and a critical assessment of the story, see the report here.
This was a wise decision.
Congratulations to the Garfield teachers for your courage and unity!
For a full copy of Superintendent Banda’s statement, and a critical assessment of the story, see the report here.
Arthur Camins: What Happens in Schools When Despots Rule
Arthur Camins has written numerous thoughtful essays about the current ruinous trends in American education.
Here he reflects on some important lessons from the Atlanta cheating scandal.
He writes:
“I’m waiting for the national editorials, leading policy makers and major foundations to speak out honestly about the lessons learned from the Atlanta cheating scandal. I’m waiting for them to change course. But, I am not
Here he reflects on some important lessons from the Atlanta cheating scandal.
He writes:
“I’m waiting for the national editorials, leading policy makers and major foundations to speak out honestly about the lessons learned from the Atlanta cheating scandal. I’m waiting for them to change course. But, I am not
Good Grief! Teachers Get High Marks on New Evaluations
This is an unintentionally hilarious story in the New York Times.
Reformers are upset to discover that an astonishing proportion of teachers are getting high marks on the new evaluation systems that have just been set up. The evaluations were supposed to identify the best teachers (to get bonuses, even if no one has any money for bonuses) and most importantly to weed out the “bad” teachers who were causing so many students to get low test scores.
But look at these shocking statistics:
In Florida, 97 percent of teachers were deemed effective or highly effective in the most recent evaluations. In
Reformers are upset to discover that an astonishing proportion of teachers are getting high marks on the new evaluation systems that have just been set up. The evaluations were supposed to identify the best teachers (to get bonuses, even if no one has any money for bonuses) and most importantly to weed out the “bad” teachers who were causing so many students to get low test scores.
But look at these shocking statistics:
In Florida, 97 percent of teachers were deemed effective or highly effective in the most recent evaluations. In
The Latest Idea for Education Reform
EduShyster has noticed a brilliant new reform idea. Tear down the school, build a high-rise with luxury apartments on the site, then let the rich live right on top of the children. What a brilliant idea.
As one young man says in the article quoted, “It’s a win-win.” Or a win-win-win.
As one young man says in the article quoted, “It’s a win-win.” Or a win-win-win.
The New York City Way of Monetizing School Buildings
Jonathan Pelto reflects on the latest educational reform: Tearing down schools and replacing them with luxury apartment buildings.
He writes:
Closing in on Rahm Emanuel’s title as “Emperor” when it comes to closing public schools…
True, few, if any can compete with Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel when it comes to the unprecedented effort to destroy public education by closing public schools, New York’s Michael Bloomberg covets the title and is making a dash to catch up with Emanuel’s unholy track record.
Call it the New York City School Closing Scheme 2.0 – The Bloomberg Way
The notion is built on the concept that why should we simply close neighborhood public schools when private
He writes:
Closing in on Rahm Emanuel’s title as “Emperor” when it comes to closing public schools…
True, few, if any can compete with Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel when it comes to the unprecedented effort to destroy public education by closing public schools, New York’s Michael Bloomberg covets the title and is making a dash to catch up with Emanuel’s unholy track record.
Call it the New York City School Closing Scheme 2.0 – The Bloomberg Way
The notion is built on the concept that why should we simply close neighborhood public schools when private
Vouchers Failed in Cleveland Too
Three cities have had vouchers in recent years. Milwaukee, Cleveland, and DC.
As I pointed out in an earlier post, vouchers did not improve test scores in either Milwaukee or DC.
They also failed to make a difference in Cleveland. See here also.
Voucher advocates should stop lying to poor parents.
Vouchers do not increase test scores.
They just serve to undermine public education.
Isn’t it time to pay attention to evidence?
Why so much faith-based policy?
As I pointed out in an earlier post, vouchers did not improve test scores in either Milwaukee or DC.
They also failed to make a difference in Cleveland. See here also.
Voucher advocates should stop lying to poor parents.
Vouchers do not increase test scores.
They just serve to undermine public education.
Isn’t it time to pay attention to evidence?
Why so much faith-based policy?
Superintendent: Make This the Year We Said No
Bedford Central Superintendent Jere Hochman poses the inevitable questions:
How did we let this happen?
Could we have stopped it?
What can we do now?
It must end. It will end. What is happening in education today is nothing less than educational malpractice. It is not education. It is bad for students.
Hochman writes:
Absolutely no excuse for cheating, threatening teachers, and the culture of lying.
But where were we in 2002 when NCLB was passed unnoticed under the shadow of 9/11? Why did those of us
How did we let this happen?
Could we have stopped it?
What can we do now?
It must end. It will end. What is happening in education today is nothing less than educational malpractice. It is not education. It is bad for students.
Hochman writes:
Absolutely no excuse for cheating, threatening teachers, and the culture of lying.
But where were we in 2002 when NCLB was passed unnoticed under the shadow of 9/11? Why did those of us
David Sirota: Who Is Behind School “Reform”?
This video by David Sirota of Denver gives a clear and concise explanation of how school reform became big bu$ine$$.
Diane in the Evening 3-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Pedro Noguera on Atlanta Cheating Scandal by dianerav Pedro Noguera, my colleague at New York University, said the following in an email this morning: *“How ironic. Not one banker in jail for ruining the economy but a superintendent is under indictment for cheating. Says a lot about our nation’s priorities. – pedro”* I asked and got his permission to post this. He added: “*I don’t condone cheating but I see what happened in Atlanta and the other districts where cheating has occurred as a direct result of th... more »
Ed Notes Online: Victory for Seattle MAP boycott teachers
Ed Notes Online: Victory for Seattle MAP boycott teachers:
District leaders concluded that none of the protesting teachers had responsibility for administering the exams, Banda said, so they were not insubordinate by failing to carry out their duties.
At many schools, Banda said, other school staff or parents are responsible for giving the test, not teachers.
“What I found out … is that it’s not the teachers that really do a lot of that stuff. You have a testing coordinator that’s primarily responsible for setting up the test.”
It’s possible that no teachers failed in their duties because other staff members stepped in to give the exam.
At Garfield, after teachers announced their boycott in January, administrators stepped in to give the exams. Banda had earlier told Garfield teachers they would face discipline for boycotting the tests. There were definitely
Victory for Seattle MAP boycott teachers
No punishment for teachers in Seattle test boycott
Posted by Linda Shaw
Superintendent Jose Banda announced today that no teachers would be disciplined for boycotting the exams known as the Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP, this winter.District leaders concluded that none of the protesting teachers had responsibility for administering the exams, Banda said, so they were not insubordinate by failing to carry out their duties.
At many schools, Banda said, other school staff or parents are responsible for giving the test, not teachers.
“What I found out … is that it’s not the teachers that really do a lot of that stuff. You have a testing coordinator that’s primarily responsible for setting up the test.”
It’s possible that no teachers failed in their duties because other staff members stepped in to give the exam.
At Garfield, after teachers announced their boycott in January, administrators stepped in to give the exams. Banda had earlier told Garfield teachers they would face discipline for boycotting the tests. There were definitely
Educators debate validity of MAP testing | Local News | The Seattle Times
Educators debate validity of MAP testing | Local News | The Seattle Times:
Educators debate validity of MAP testing
The set of exams now under attack in Seattle was originally developed in the ’70s by an informal group of school administrators from Washington and Oregon, an attempt to improve upon the tests of their day.
Seattle Times education reporter
GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Jesse Hagopian, left, a Garfield teacher, spoke out against MAP testing during a noontime teacher rally in February.
Four decades ago at the Jolly Roger restaurant in Chehalis, a group of school administrators dreamed up the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), the set of exams that is now under attack in Seattle.
The group met in Chehalis because it sits halfway between Seattle and Portland, where most of them worked. They chose the Jolly Roger because they liked its giant cinnamon rolls.
They were mostly research and testing directors, not teachers. They were dissatisfied with the standardized tests of their time, national exams that students took whether they lived in Connecticut or California.
So they created a new set of tests they hoped would provide better information about how all their students were doing — exams measured academic growth, rather than just overall achievement.
They focused the questions on material they knew their school districts were teaching and they made sure the results could be available within days, not the weeks or months it took for national tests. At
Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: College is costly: 7 innovative ideas for funding
Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: College is costly: 7 innovative ideas for funding:
College is costly: 7 innovative ideas for funding
For some, the hardest part about going to college is not deciding whether college is right for you, the admissions process, or the workload you have once you get there. For many the hardest part about going to college is paying for it. Regardless of where you go to school, College costs a lot of money.
For students who choose to go to college, here are some ideas for great places to turn for funding.
1. Your Community
Your community undoubtedly has at least a few civic and booster groups that offer scholarships. These scholarships might only be for modest amounts but every little bit helps, right? Beyond this, there are private organizations and businesses that also have scholarships to give out. Spend some time calling around to local businesses and asking about opportunities for scholarships or school sponsorships.
CAVEAT: most local scholarships require that the recipient attend a local or in-state school. This is probably not the best option if you want to go to school out of state or abroad.
2. The School Itself
The school you want to attend has a financial aid department. Contact them and ask them for scholarship and
Schools Matter: Grammar/spelling instruction fever in the UK
Schools Matter: Grammar/spelling instruction fever in the UK:
Grammar/spelling instruction fever in the UK
How to improve grammar and spelling
Sent to the Telegraph (UK)
According to the Telegraph, Kent County “Teachers (are) 'to be given lessons in spelling and grammar'” (March 31) so they can better prepare 11-year-olds to take tests in grammar and spelling.
Neither the Kent County Council nor the UK Department of Education appears to be aware that there has been extensive research on this topic, and the results are very consistent: (1) Direct instruction in grammar and spelling produces very limited results. (2) Nearly all of our knowledge of grammar and spelling is acquired, absorbed, through extensive reading.
These studies have been appearing in scientific journals regularly for over the last 100 years. If they are correct, Kent County can fire the consultants and use the money to buy more books for school libraries.
Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California
Just a few sources:
Cook, W. (1912) Should we teach spelling by rule? Journal of Educational Psychology 3, 316-325.
Cornman, O. (1902) Spelling in the Elementary School. Boston: Ginn.
Elley, W., I. Barham, H. Lamb, and M. Wyllie. (1976) The role of grammar in a secondary school curriculum. Research in the Teaching of English 10, 5-21.
Hammill, D., S. Larson, and G. McNutt. (1977). The effect of spelling instruction: A preliminary study.
Sent to the Telegraph (UK)
According to the Telegraph, Kent County “Teachers (are) 'to be given lessons in spelling and grammar'” (March 31) so they can better prepare 11-year-olds to take tests in grammar and spelling.
Neither the Kent County Council nor the UK Department of Education appears to be aware that there has been extensive research on this topic, and the results are very consistent: (1) Direct instruction in grammar and spelling produces very limited results. (2) Nearly all of our knowledge of grammar and spelling is acquired, absorbed, through extensive reading.
These studies have been appearing in scientific journals regularly for over the last 100 years. If they are correct, Kent County can fire the consultants and use the money to buy more books for school libraries.
Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California
Just a few sources:
Cook, W. (1912) Should we teach spelling by rule? Journal of Educational Psychology 3, 316-325.
Cornman, O. (1902) Spelling in the Elementary School. Boston: Ginn.
Elley, W., I. Barham, H. Lamb, and M. Wyllie. (1976) The role of grammar in a secondary school curriculum. Research in the Teaching of English 10, 5-21.
Hammill, D., S. Larson, and G. McNutt. (1977). The effect of spelling instruction: A preliminary study.
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