LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Huffman’s Willing Collaborators

This retired district superintendent says that State Commissioner Kevin Huffman has not been alone in his assault on public education on Tennessee. Aside from the support if an extremist governor, he has been able to count on the silence and complicity of the education establishment. He writes: “I wish I could share your optimism that a grassroots groundswell will turn the tide against the privat

4 by dianerav / 42min 

The Ethics of Loss Aversion

I recently received an email from a parent in North Carolina who told me that the legislators there want to adopt merit pay for teachers. They are very impressed with the Chetty-Rockoff-Friedman study that claimed that a great teacher could have lifelong effects on students, like raising their lifetime earnings by about $500 a year. And they are impressed by the Roland Fryer study claiming that te

by dianerav / 6min 

Are Children Products?

I wrote a post last night called “When Competition Is Pointless.” The very idea that a federal education program would be called “Race to the Top” is indicative of a religious belief that competition will provide a better education, even if it can (by definition) NOT produce equality of educational opportunity. We might well wonder when our federal goal changed from equality of opportunity to a “r

by dianerav / 2min

What if the International Tests Are Wrong?

The corporate reform assault on American public education rests in large part on the international test called PISA (Programme in International Student Assessment), where US students rank well behind other nations and have only middling performance. Of course, the critics who brandish these mediocre scores never admit that they are heavily influenced by the unusually high proportion of students li

by dianerav / 7min mark as read  //  save

Tennessee State Board Changes Licensing Rules on a Conference Call

As if to demonstrate their utter contempt for teachers, the Tennessee State Board of Education changed the licensure rules on a telephone conference call that was open to the public. The vote was 6-3. Some board members said the change should be delayed because the changes were not well understood by the board. Not all the board members agreed with voting to adopt a plan that had elements that con

1 by dianerav / 7min 

A Hero Educator Who Heads a Private School in Manhattan

What does it take to be a hero educator? It takes brains, courage, integrity, and a deep understanding of education and children. Steve Nelson, headmaster of the Calhoun School in Manhattan, is a hero educator because he has all these qualities. He wrote a brilliant article about why the Common Core won’t work. He knows that David Coleman, the architect of the Common Core, now heads the College B

3 by dianerav / 8min 

Philadelphia: Shame on Governor Corbett!

The public schools of Philadelphia are being slowly, surely strangled by Governor Tom Corbett and the Legislature of Pennsylvania. Or, maybe, not so slowly. The state has a constitutional responsibility to maintain a public school system in every district but the state leaders don’t believe in what the state constitution says. Let it not be forgotten that the state has been in charge of the public

by dianerav / 7min mark as read  //  save

Holding Kevin Huffman Accountable

EduShyster here describes Kevin Huffman’s relentless campaign to demoralize the Tennessee teachers and make Tenessee the worst state to be a teacher. She suggests that the time is soon coming when Huffman will be held accountable. Not by the state board, which rubber stamps his bad ideas even when they aren’t informed of the details. No, he will face the accountability of angry parents, teachers,

by dianerav / 1h 

A Passionate Plea from a Veteran Teacher in Tennessee

This is a great letter from a teacher to the state board of education on Tennessee: “Dr. Nixon, Speaking from 32 years of experience in education–both public and private–I beg you, implore you–yes, perhaps even grovel to you–to do your best to put to rest the issue of tying license renewal to student test scores. As I have never contacted the State Board of Education since I moved to Tennessee in

7 by dianerav / 1h 

Diane in the Evening 8-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Chile: Vouchers and InequalityPlease read the series of blog posts by Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig of the University of Texas on the subject of Chile, vouchers, social segregation, and inequality.by dianerav / 12min  LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog |

by mike simpson / 3h 

8-20-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Why Leticia James for Public Advocate? Watch this Video

This is nothing more than an attempt to beat the clock to the end of this administration to privatize public schools and bust unions... Tish James at PEP, Dec. 2012.Leticia James for Public AdvocateNot many people know of her and her chances of winning are not great but I’ve admired her for some time for her stands on charter schools invading public schools and other issues.If you are involved in

3 by ed notes online / 9min 

MORE Weekly Update: Come to our summer series on building an active UFT chapter in your school

... come to our Summer Series event on August 22nd at Local 138,and our newly redesigned website at morecaucusnyc.org View this email in your browser Weekly Update #64 August 23, 2013 Share Tweet Forward to Friend Join MORE Today MARCH ON WASHINGTONRealize the DreamSat, 8/24 COMMITTEES:High Stake Testi

1 by ed notes online / 7h 

8-18-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Howler Howls at Krugman and Press CorpsThis column comes quite close to being deceptive. As a matter of fact... it goes over that line....The breakdown of the mainstream press corps has been a giant problem for decades. Another huge problem: the way the guild will airbrush this problem away.  Daily Howler on Krugman column.I'm a Paul Krugman fan. It is the first thing I read in th

by mike simpson / 51min 

8-20-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

Farewell, John; Hello, Hanna!

I’m feeling a little anxious tonight.  You ever get that feeling where you’re about to jump into a situation that can make a big difference, but can also get you in a lot of trouble?  Well, I feel that I am on the verge of making a big difference.  And, really, the only person who […]

13 by Kris Nielsen / 54min 

@thechalkface and @slekar mix it up with @henryrollins

Let’s see.  We’ve interviewed historians, educators, journalists, activists, moms, dads, and students.  Today we got to talk to badass celebrity Henry Rollins.  I know Shaun already posted a link to the show but here is another one.   In case you’re not sure who Henry Rollins is here’s a quick wickipedia excerpt: Henry Rollins (born February […]

by Timothy D. Slekar / 1min 

A BIG thank you to @henryrollins for being At the Chalk Face today

I mean, did you ever see this coming?  I didn’t. I want to apologize for the one caller who stayed diligently on hold today. I didn’t feel cool with clicking over to callers. I had to do the show from a Starbucks today because of work, and that schools don’t let BlogTalkRadio pass their firewalls.  […]

by Chalk Face, PhD / 1h 

Opting Out is not just in the spring anymore.

For New York Parents: The spring 3-8 state assessments get a great deal of attention, but there are other mandated tests that could be used to evaluate teachers.  These additional tests cause our children to lose more instruction time and impact all grade levels- preK-12.  Families need to say enough is enough and boycott any […]

4 by Chris Cerrone / 1h mark as read  //  save

A Public School System from Hell

MONDAY, AUG 19, 2013 07:01 PM EDT   At Salon.com “Indescribably insane”: A public school system from hell

by freetoteach / 1h 

Quick note on PD in #k12

A quick thought. When consultants do training on products, why do they feel the need to immediately disclaim that they don’t do sales or receive commissions? I know the materials are paid for, but what is this besides sales conference?

by Chalk Face, PhD / 12min 

“Honesty is such a lonely word…”: Jeb Bush Lacks Credibility

It is becoming a disturbing refrain in my head whenever I visit Twitter: Where’s the media? Jeb Bush offers a string of claims, no relevant evidence, and the all-too-usual glossing over of real educational problems in “Toward a Better Education System: A set of bold, proven reforms is the key to raising student achievement.” This commentary […]

5 by plthomasedd / 3min   

8-19-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:  How YOU Doin’?A friend asked me just a day ago, “How are you holding up? Sending a child off to college and the start of school can be very stressful.” I will admit that I went a bit of a rant – and fortunately for me the friend understood. How am I doing? Turns out – not […]by antiqueteacher60 / 2min  8-18-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk FaceSCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CH

by mike simpson / 9h 

8-20-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Groups In Maine Look To Get Ballot Measure To Repeal Common Core Passed

And the Common Core opposition juggernaut rolls on:AUGUSTA, Maine—Two Maine groups opposed to new educational benchmarks most states are using for reading, writing and math are working toward a statewide vote to repeal them, a step that is believed to be the first in the country. Maine is one of the 45 states that have adopted the Common Core Standards since 2010 with the aim of better preparing s

by reality-based edu... / 32min 

Commenters At NRO Respond To Jeb Bush

 A commenter responds to Jeb Bush's call for an education marketplace to improve public education:"The reason there has been little innovation in public education is there has been little competition. We are confronted with opposition from unions and bureaucracies because they fear the loss of jobs and bloated pensions. We need an education marketplace that gives families a myriad of options. Th

by reality-based edu... / 3min 

Elmore Leonard

Dead at 87.His rules for writing: These are rules I've picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what's taking place in the story. If you have a facility for language and imagery and the sound of your voice pleases you, invisibility is not what you are after, and you can skip the rules. Still, you might look them over.  1. Never o

by reality-based edu... / 20min 

Forget The Bandwidth, Give Schools More Counselors, Psychologists And Social Workers

President Obama wants to increase Internet access and bandwidth in schools.So does Scott Stringer.What I am going to say may be heresy in this over-technologized age where everybody is on their cell phones every moment of the day checking their email, Twitter account and Facebook page.But forget the Internet access and broadband increase for schools.It's not that important.Seriously.Do you know wh

by reality-based edu... / 41min 

Needing To Quantify Everything

Diane Ravitch:The other day, I was involved in an extended online discussion about proficiency and accountability with about 50 people, mostly inside the Beltway. These are big names, people who make decisions that control your child’s life in school. I got more and more exasperated as the various think tank experts waxed on about how and why parents NEED to know how their child compares to childr

by reality-based edu... / 2h  

8-19-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:  Education Reformers Are Trying To Smear Common Core Critics As Know-Nothings And CretinsFormer NY Times editor and current columnist Bill Keller attacked opponents to the Common Core standards as a "very loud, often paranoid, if-that-Kenyan-socialist-in-the-White-House-is-for-it-I’m-against-it crowd." Keller acknowledges that there are opponents to the standards on the left

by mike simpson / 8h

Tony Bennett Resignation Splits Education Insiders: Poll:

Tony Bennett Resignation Splits Education Insiders: Poll

Posted: 08/20/2013 8:15 am EDT

Only 50 percent of education "insiders" surveyed think that Tony Bennett, Florida's former Republican education commissioner, should have resigned after initial reports of a grade-changing scandal.

The survey respondents didn't split along party lines either, Whiteboard Advisors said. The Washington-based consulting firm provided its results first to The Huffington Post.

Bennett resigned from his Florida post on Aug. 1, just days after the Associated Press reported the contents of emails from his stint as Indiana schools chief. The emails showed that Bennett had adjusted the latter state's school grading formula after an influential charter school, Christel House Academy, initially received a low grade.

Whiteboard Advisors, which specializes in school policy, sends a monthly survey to 50 to 75 anonymous insiders, including current and former senior staff from the U.S. Education Department, White House, Congress and think tanks. In the latest survey, it asked, "Should Tony Bennett have resigned?"

Precisely half answered yes, half answered no.

"The only person who can really ask that question is Tony Bennett himself," said Anne Hyslop, a New America Foundation education expert who broke down the 

The Educated Reporter: Proceed With Caution: Using Polling Data in Education Reporting

The Educated Reporter: Proceed With Caution: Using Polling Data in Education Reporting:

Proceed With Caution: Using Polling Data in Education Reporting

On Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 9 a.m. EDT, I’ll be chatting live with Bill Bushaw, executive director of Phi Delta Kappa, about the new Gallup poll findings. You can use this link to ask questions in advance of the conversation. 

The annual PDK/Gallup education poll comes out Wednesday, and policymakers, analysts and pundits will be busy parsing the findings on perceptions of the nation’s public schools – from campus safety to high-stakes testing to the new Common Core State Standards.

We can also expect comparisons to be made to the recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, sponsored by the Joyce Foundation, which covered some similar territory. You can read the AP’s story on the findings, including the conclusion that the surveyed parents were in favor of high-stakes testing, here.

However, it’s important to remember that polls are snapshots, not definitive 

Student test scores now linked to teachers’ licenses:

Student test scores now linked to teachers’ licenses

By Valerie Strauss, Published: August 20 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer

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We should have seen this coming.

School reformers who love using student standardized test scores as the chief accountability measure in education have found yet a new way to use them against teachers.

It’s not enough that many teachers’ salaries and jobs are connected to how well their students do on tests. Now the scores are being linked to teachers’ licenses.

Yes, in a handful of states — Tennessee being the newest, joining Louisiana, Delaware and Rhode Island — some teachers seeking to renew their teaching licenses have to meet certain test-score standards.

Never mind that the standardized tests weren’t designed to evaluate teachers, and that 

How distracting are laptops in class?

Here’s a piece looking at how distracting laptops can be in class by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, a professor and director of graduate studies in psychology at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” His … Continue reading →    

10 by Valerie Strauss / 3h 

NYC Educator: Krugman Becomes a Duncan Dittohead

NYC Educator: Krugman Becomes a Duncan Dittohead:

Krugman Becomes a Duncan Dittohead

 It's pretty suspicious that, on the eve of Diane Ravitch's book release, the dunces are in confederacy against her, and for Common Core. It's particularly egregious to find said dunces at the NY Times day after day.

I've long admired NY Times columnist Paul Krugman. During the insanity and excesses of GW's reign, he was a voice in the wilderness, a voice of reason, experience, and science. He always knew why things worked and did not work, and gave copious example to support his economic ideas. I found him incredibly persuasive.

But yesterday he wrote a rather unbelievable blog in support ofBill Keller's Common Core ad posing as a NY Times column. Apparently the right wing is bad, and anything they say is therefore also bad. It doesn't matter if they happen to be correct, and judging by both Keller and Krugman, we ought not even to delve one centimeter below the surface of governmental assertions. Of course this was different when Bush was in charge. But now that the government is run by Democrats, whatever they say must be correct.

I fail to see how this differentiates them from the Tea Partiers they ostensibly deplore. I fail to see how this differentiates them from Rush Limbaugh's dittoheads, who accept whatever preposterous nonsense he spews. In fact, I fail to see how people who think like this measure up to what Common Core claims to wish to instill in our students--critical thinking. It's kind of amazing that an alleged government drive to promote critical thinking entailstelling journalists how to cover the story, but that's America in 2013.

I posted a response last night, which so far has not been approved by Krugman's crack blog team. Forgive me for twice mentioning that Common Core has never been field-tested, but when you see fit to impose a program on