9-27-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Jimmy Fallon Comes Up With A Great Game For English Language Learners

Earlier this year, I learned about a game developed by Ellen DeGeneres that I’m applying in my ELL classroom and, now, today, I’ve learned one from another television star — Jimmy Fallon. He played a game with Tina Fey that he called “Box Of Lies.” Several items are put in boxes, a player chooses one of them and the other player can’t see what’s inside. Then the player who picked the box has to d

4 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

September’s Infographics & Interactives Galore — Part Two

There are just so many good infographics and interactives out there that I’ve begun a new semi-regular feature called “Infographics & Interactives Galore.” You can see others at A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Infographics and by searching “infographics” on this blog. I’ll still be publishing separate posts to individually highlight especially useful infographics and interactives, but you

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 21min mark as read  //  save

Free Monthly Email Newsletter Just Sent-Out

I’ve just sent out my free monthly email newsletter to about 2,000 subscribers. You can easily subscribe to it here if you’re interested…..

10 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

9-26-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: NY Times Begins Very Helpful Regular Feature — “Text To Text”The New York Times Learning Network has just begun a regular feature that I suspect is going to be very helpful to teachers — it’s called “Text To Text.” Here’s how they describe it: it is just what it sounds like: we’ll be pairing two written texts that we think

by mike simpson / 10h 

You always know just what to say | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

You always know just what to say | Gary Rubinstein's Blog:

You always know just what to say

by Gary Rubinstein

 Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a change in strategy in the way many ‘reformers’ have been presenting themselves publicly.  It seems that they have begun to realize, especially with the release of the new Ravitch book, that the public is wising up to their antics and starting to get very frustrated by the arrogance and complete lack of any willingness to engage in an authentic discussion about what is and isn’t working.

An example of this is a recent Michael Petrilli column about teacher evaluations in which he wrote:

No, future historians are far likelier to wonder about the motivation behind the evaluation obsession. Was this a policy designed to identify, and remove, America’s least effective teachers? Or was it a kinder-and-gentler effort to provide critical feedback to instructors so they could improve their craft?

If the latter, as some reformers now claim, historians will wonder why we were so insistent on attaching high stakes to these evaluations—determined to “make human-resource decisions” based on the results, as the parlance goes.

And if the former, historians will ask: What the heck were they thinking? Did they really believe that teacher evaluations alone would be enough to push bad instructors out of the classroom?

People who don’t know a lot about me might be puzzled by the zeal with which I write about 

9-27-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Bill O'Reilly: Jesus Died So You Could Have Low Taxes

I know you think it's some Onion piece I'm putting up here.But no, seriously - it's what O'Reilly wrote:In Killing Jesus: A History, Bill O’Reilly and writing partner Martin Dugard bring us their long-awaited “accurate account of not only how Jesus died, but also the way he lived.” This should settle two millennia of Christian debate. Although it lacks suspense (SPOILER ALERT: he dies), it’s a pre

by reality-based edu... / 47min 

Politicker: Here's How Many Times The NY Post Attacked Bill De Blasio This Week

Colin Campbell at Politicker has a partial rundown on how many attack articles and editorials the NY Post has run against Bill de Blasio this week.It's a lot:De Blasio asks for Wall Street donationsDe Blasio ‘fixed’ pal’s water bill on councilSo what does de Blasio believe now?De Blasio suddenly scarce on campaign trailDe Blasio helped pal reduce $9,000 water billDe Blasio’s favorite countries hav

by reality-based edu... / 58min mark as read  //  save

Some Bloomberg Staffers Go Work For Cuomo

Gotham Gazette:With time running out on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s lame-duck term, a number of his staffers are looking to his longtime rival Gov. Andrew Cuomo for job security. The last few weeks have seen a steady stream of press releases from Cuomo’s office announcing the hiring of ex-Bloomberg staff. ...The Cuomo administration announced Sept. 19 that it had Kary Sarlin, Bloomberg’s one-time di

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

Bill Gates Is Wrong - We Do Know Whether His Reforms Will Work

Valerie Strauss in the Washington Post:“It would be great if our education stuff worked, but that we won’t know for probably a decade.”That’s what Bill Gates said on Sept. 21 (see video below) about the billions of dollars his foundation has plowed into education reform during a nearly hour-long interview he gave at Harvard University. He repeated the “we don’t know if it will work” refrain about

by reality-based edu... / 5min

Epoch Times Joins The Media Attacks Against De Blasio

Take a look at the way they frame this story about de Blasio's "re-emerging" from hiding after a week of negative press over his past support for the "far-left" Sandanistas.The anti-Communist crazies at the Epoch Times join the barrage against de Blasio.This is a glimpse of what a de Blasio mayorality will look like.The press will not let him govern,They will undercut him at ev

by reality-based edu... / 57min

Bloomberg Scoffs Over Classroom Overcrowdedness

At yesterday's press conference where the Mayor of Money repeatedly told reporters he is not interested in this year's mayor's race, isn't following it and won't answer any questions about it, we get this exchange:To another scribe who asked about overcrowding in the city’s classrooms, the mayor responded with dripping sarcasm.“Let’s just go back to when the school system was loaded with crime,” h

by reality-based edu... / 2min 

Media Plutocrats Aim Daily At De Blasio, James

The Post has more negative stories about Bill de Blasio out today.The Daily News has a negative editorial out about Tish James today.Every day in the papers, the media plutocrats who own the Post, Daily News and Times - Bloomberg's fellow newspaper buddies and friends from his social circle - take aim at these two candidates for mayor and public advocate respectively with story after story meant t

by reality-based edu... / 3min 

Bloomberg Says He's Cleaned Up NY's Air Like Nobody Else

From the Times:Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said on Thursday that his administration’s efforts at reducing air pollution had resulted in New York City’s having the best air quality in more than 50 years. Sulfur dioxide levels have dropped by 69 percent since 2008, and the level of soot pollution has dropped by more than 23 percent since 2007, according to a new city survey. The mayor said the reduct

by reality-based edu... / 1h mark as read  //  save

Bloomberg Gets Testy Over Mayor's Race Questions

More and more frequently, Bloomberg shows the real him:Mayor Bloomberg declared during a testy exchange with reporters Thursday that the race to succeed him is not interesting and therefore he is not paying any attention to it.The billionaire mayor, who said this month he had decided not to make an endorsement in the race because it would be a distraction, first grew exasperated with the press abo

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

9-26-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: The NY Post And The Lhota Campaign - Selling Fear And LiesThe Rupert Murdoch-owned NY Post has been hammering away at Bill de Blasio for a few weeks now ever since he won the primary vote.Every day they run two, three, four, sometimes five negative stories about him.He once asked Joel Klein to add TM to the DOE.He honeymooned in Cuba.He worked for a Jesuit group that brought

by mike simpson / 10h 

9-27-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Words and Deeds: The U.S. Is No Christian Nation | the becoming radical

Words and Deeds: The U.S. Is No Christian Nation | the becoming radical.

by plthomasedd / 11min 

Mr. Nielsen Goes “Old School”; Hates It

I feel bad. I kind of lost it with one of my science classes the other day.  I didn’t freak out.  I didn’t actually lose my cool.  I just had to change the lesson midway through and go all “old school” on their butts.  That’s how the cool people used to say it.  I think. […]

16 by Kris Nielsen / 8h 

9-26-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: To John Merrow, Who QuitMr. Merrow, my name is Mercedes Schneider. You answered my post on your accepting Gates funding and the connection between such funding and two decisions you have made: 1) ceasing your investigation of Michelle Rhee and 2) proclaiming New Orleans schools as “reborn” in your documentary. You did not address me by name, but at […]by deutsch29 / 1h9-25-13 @ T

by mike simpson / 10h 

Michigan House Passes Common Core Implementation with Local Opt-Out | Truth in American Education

Michigan House Passes Common Core Implementation with Local Opt-Out | Truth in American Education:

Michigan House Passes Common Core Implementation with Local Opt-Out

Filed in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on September 27, 2013 • 0 Comments

• 2

Here we see the problem inherent with a full-time legislature.  The Michigan House and Senatepassed an omnibus bill that defunded the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.  Since the Legislature continues to be in session year-round; Common Core advocates yesterday were able to pass a resolution before the fiscal year started in October that allows the implementation.

It passed 85-21. Courtesy of Stop Common Core in Michigan, here are the Representatives who voted no: Bumstead, Callton, Cotter, Daley Farrington Forlini, Franz, Genetski, Goike, Hooker, Howrylak, Johnson, Kurtz, Lauwers, Leonard, Pettalia, Potvin, MacMaster, McMillin, Rendon, and Somerville.

Be sure to thank them.  Take note if your Representative was not on the list.

The bill is a mixed bag however, there are some bright spots as it comes with conditions:

Striking video: Parent forced out of education forum by officer:

Striking video: Parent forced out of education forum by officer

By Valerie Strauss, Published: September 27 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer

1

Comments

More

Here’s a video showing what happened in Towson, Md., last week when parent Robert Small of Ellicott City interrupted Baltimore County School Superintendent Dallas Dance and complained about the Common Core State Standards.

Dance told Small his questions would be answered but Small kept talking, saying that the standards were only good enough to prepare students for community college and not highly selective colleges. He was then approached by a security guard who was an off-duty Baltimore County police officer, my colleague Lyndsey Layton reported. The security guard showed Small a badge and then pulled his arm to take him out of the 

 

Education Department needs writing lessons

Do you ever read a report and wonder who wrote it and why they didn’t get a good editor? I bring this up in regard to the U.S. Education Department’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2014-18. (By the way you have until Friday, Oct. 4, 2013, to submit comments to the department. You can listen to a video about the plan here, or read it here.) Read full article >>    

8 by Valerie Strauss / 3h 

Interview: Diane Ravitch, Author Of 'Reign Of Error' : NPR

Interview: Diane Ravitch, Author Of 'Reign Of Error' : NPR:

Diane Ravitch Rebukes Education Activists' 'Reign Of Error'

by NPR STAFF

The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools

by Diane Ravitch

Hardcover, 396 pages purchase

• nonfiction
• history & society

More on this book:

• NPR reviews, interviews and more

Diane Ravitch, former Assistant Secretary of Education, spent years advocating for an overhaul of the American education system. She supported the No Child Left Behind Act, the charter school movement and standardized testing.

But Ravitch recently — and very publicly — changed her mind. She looked at the data and decided that the kinds of changes she'd supported weren't working. Now she's a prominent critic of things like charter schools and school choice — and she's particularly opposed to privatizing schools.

Her new book, Reign of Error, lambastes the idea of replacing public schools with for-profit institutions. She tells NPR's Steve Inskeep, "When people pay taxes for schools, they don't think they're paying off investors. They think they're paying for smaller class sizes and better teachers."

---

Interview Highlights

On why she disagrees with the charter school movement

What's wrong with charter schools is that they originally were supposed to be created to collaborate with public schools and help them solve common problems. Because they have now been taken over by the idea of competition, they have become part of the movement to turn education into a consumer product rather than a social and a public responsibility. ...

What I mean is that you go shopping for a school. I don't believe in school choice. I believe that