Aren’t All Children Equally Deserving? | the becoming radical

Aren’t All Children Equally Deserving? | the becoming radical:

AREN’T ALL CHILDREN EQUALLY DESERVING?

A common practice for introducing students to the ethical foundation of philosophy is to pose moral dilemmas, possibly the most typical example being the life-boat dilemma that forces a person to choose who lives, and thus who dies.

Science fiction (SF) and speculative fiction often build entire other worlds in which the given circumstances create a series of moral dilemmas that are the basis of the tensions and actions of the novels and films. Writers such asMargaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale, for example) and Kurt Vonnegut (Cat’s Cradle, for example) often build these worlds in the tradition of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley as a way to say, “This is where we are heading, but we don’t have to end up there.”

In Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, the possible other world is one of scarcity, and by the end, the moral dilemma revolves around the fate of a child. The novel’s given, readers must accept, creates the narrow range of choices the characters face; that is part of the power of SF/speculative fiction.

Pulling back, however, from created other worlds, we are faced continually with moral dilemmas—often ones also 

Aren’t All Children Equally Deserving?

A common practice for introducing students to the ethical foundation of philosophy is to pose moral dilemmas, possibly the most typical example being the life-boat dilemma that forces a person to choose who lives, and thus who dies. Science fiction (SF) and speculative fiction often build entire other worlds in which the given circumstances create a series of moral dilemmas that are the basis of t

6 by plthomasedd / 26min 

Hess, Please Begin the Moratorium

Hess, Please Begin the Moratorium.

by plthomasedd / 2h 

Ali: “You Must Listen to Me”

Ali: “You Must Listen to Me”.

by plthomasedd / 2h 

YESTERDAY

remnant 35: “Is that what writing amounts to?”

remnant 35: “Is that what writing amounts to?”.

by plthomasedd / 17h 

OCT 13

Is Learning to Read Natural?

I need to offer as few clarifications since my recent post on how the teaching of reading has been historically corrupted by the influence of reading programs. The motivation of the clarification comes from a comment posted by KenS.* First, my literacy teaching for the past thirty years does rest on a controversial concept—that grammatical knowledge is essentially biological (see Pinker and Chomsk

3 by plthomasedd / 1d 

Teaching Reading and Children: Reading Programs as “Costume Parties”

Well into my 30s and during my doctoral program, I was finally afforded the opportunity to read carefully the work of John Dewey. This late scholarship on my part is an indictment of teacher certification, but it is also a window into the historical and current misinformation about the state of reading and the teaching of reading in U.S. schools. Dewey, the Father of Progressive Education, I disco

16 by plthomasedd / 1d 

remnant 34: Orwell “loved his country and its working people”

remnant 34: Orwell “loved his country and its working people”.

by plthomasedd / 2d 

OCT 10

Common Core in the Real World: Destroying Literacy through Standardization

I have a brief comedy routine I use with my students, typically early in each course I teach—in part to introduce them to me, and in part to make a point about literacy.* The joke goes like this: “When I graduated high school,” I say, ” I had 7,000 comic books,” slight pause, “and no girl friend.” The students typically laugh, and then I deadpan, “That’s not funny. That’s sad.” When they suddenly

100+ by plthomasedd / 5d 

OCT 09

The Central Issue at the Heart of America’s Growing Education Gap

The Central Issue at the Heart of America’s Growing Education Gap.

2 by plthomasedd / 5d 

OCT 08

Ali: “You must listen to me”

1972 James Baldwin declared in his No Name in the Street: The truth is that the country does not know what to do with its black population now that the blacks are no longer a source of wealth, are no longer to be bought and sold and bred, like cattle; and they especially do not know what to do with young black men, who pose as devastating a threat to the economy as they do to the morals of young w

4 by plthomasedd / 6d 

Who Are the 'Deserving Rich'? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Who Are the 'Deserving Rich'? - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Who Are the 'Deserving Rich'?

By Deborah Meier on October 15, 2013 9:06 AM

Dear Mike,

I have just come from the Progressive Education Network conference. In such settings, with like-minded folks, I find it fun to look for disagreements.  That's a problem we don't have.  You and I have no trouble finding things we disagree on. More than I expected. Finding a place where we agree is proving more difficult for both of us. 

I have been pondering what to pick out of your last piece to focus on. I've been listening to Dickens on my car CD player lately, and it made me realize that you and I live in different "worlds" when it comes to our responses to poverty, social class, and what we mean by equity and equality. Maybe democracy, too?

A few respondents reminded me that America actually wasn't founded as a democracy, but as a republic (no inherited monarchies). Having grown up in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, I took it for granted that we were rooted in a "secular" allegiance to democracy—the true defenders of the democratic faith. Do we agree or disagree? 

Some of our disagreements are about matters of fact, others matters of interpretation, and finally value judgments that rest on belief/faith/unable to be deterred by facts!

We agree that upward social mobility is a promising idea. That's worth noting.  But how to make it a reality is what we disagree about—and perhaps even what we mean by mobility. At present most 

Kentucky pioneers Common Core reforms, with mixed results | Hechinger Report

Kentucky pioneers Common Core reforms, with mixed results | Hechinger Report:

Kentucky pioneers Common Core reforms, with mixed results

By Sarah Butrymowicz

This story also appeared at:

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Freshmen in Kate Barrows’ English class at Liberty High School, an alternative school in Louisville, Ky., were trying to solve a crime. A wealthy man had received a letter demanding money, or else his daughter would be kidnapped. Barrows guided the students through a series of questions to identify the extortionist.

Was the writer male or female? They thought female: the writer asked for the money in a “pretty blue pocketbook.” Could it have been a professional gangster? A gangster would just rob you and wouldn’t bother with threatening notes, the class decided.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday was a driving force in the state’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards. (Photo: Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear)

The exercise was a lighthearted way to demonstrate how Barrows will expect her students to read more difficult texts later in the year to meet the Common Core State Standards, which Kentucky schools have been teaching for the last three years. “We’re going to keep looking at this page of writing, and we’re going to tear it apart,” Barrows said.

In Karen Cash’s Algebra 2 class down the hall, students cut grid paper to make boxes, graphed the volume of the shapes they created and wrote algebraic equations 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-15-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

NPR Lauds Pitbull’s Charter Money Pit

I never thought I would see the day when NPR ran a story complimenting a misogynist rapper for opening a charter school. This rapper, who calls himself Pitbull, writes lyrics that are too filthy to repeat on NPR or on this blog. But there is Claudio Sanchez, reporting on the charming phenomenon that celebrities who are not educators and who apparently have no education themselves are opening chart

by dianerav / 1h 

Mother to John King: I Have a “Special Interest”: My Son

This letter was distributed to every member of the New York State Board of Regents, along with many elected officials in New York State. Dear Distinguished Elected Officials, I am the parent of two children one presently enrolled in the Spackenkill school district, the other is a junior in college studying computer science, much to my chagrin. I have an advanced degree and have practiced in the

by dianerav / 4min 

NPR Lauds Pitbull’s Charter Money Pit

I never thought I would see the day when NPR ran a story complimenting a misogynist rapper for opening a charter school. This rapper, who calls himself Pitbull, writes lyrics that are too filthy to repeat on NPR or on this blog. But there is Claudio Sanchez, reporting on the charming phenomenon that celebrities who are not educators and who apparently have no education themselves are opening chart

3 by dianerav / 15min 

What You Need to Know About New York City’s Charter Schools

New York City’s charter schools are often held up as exemplary, which is the spin that the Zbloomberg administration has fed the edit for a dozen years. This insider says the spin is wrong. He writes: The current mayoral election in New York City has brought long overdue debate and discussion to the real outcomes of corporate-style management of public schools. No longer are New Yorkers compelled

by dianerav / 4min 

Parent: I Was at the Poughkeepsie Meeting

This comment came from a mother who attended the infamous meeting where State Commissioner John King announced his intention to have a dialogue with parents, then lectured the audience for over an hour, and interrupted those who disagreed with him. Having announced five such meetings, he canceled the other four, claiming that “special interests” had manipulated the parents. This parent says she w

16 by dianerav / 37min 

Which Is the Most Corrupt State? This Reader Says Arizona

A comment from a reader in Arizona who read the earlier report about the private schools for children with disabilities that fleece New Jersey taxpayers. The reader writes: “AZ has just as much, if not more, corruption. The administrators for BASIS schools (a charter school, most likely invading your area) make six figures and created a for profit corporation to run their schools, so now no one

by dianerav / 3min mark as read  //  save

The Charter School Bubble in New York City

In case you had not noticed, there is a mayoral election going on in New York City. The Democratic candidate, Bill de Blasio, is the front-runner, currently about 40 points ahead of his Republican challenger Joe Lhota. De Blasio has made clear that he will strengthen the traditional schools that enroll 95% of the city’s public school students. Charter school advocates are outraged that he would sh

by dianerav / 4min 

John Thompson Asks Whether I Hurt Reformers’ Feelings

In his review of Reign of Error in Schools Matter, historian and teacher John Thompson contemplates the urgent issue of whether I hurt reformers’ feelings. To be precise, the question posed by his review is “Should Diane Ravitch Be More Careful to Not Hurt Reformers’ Feelings?” This is an interesting question that I have pondered these past few weeks, indeed, for the past few years. It is true. I

4 by dianerav / 17min mark as read  //  save

Brock Cohen: Schools That Fell into the Rabbit Hole

Brock Cohen taught for a spdozen years in the public schools and is now pursuing a graduate degree. Here he tries to explain the madness of local, state, and federal mandates that crush teachers, principals and schools as they labor under the burden of being labeled a “failing school.” Here is a sample of how these mandates destroy schools instead of helping them: “Most of my 12-plus years as a hi

4 by dianerav / 18min 

Mercedes Schneider: Who Created the Common Core? How Did It Happen?

Mercedes Schneider follows an interesting story. How did it happen that “the states” agreed to create common standards? What was the federal role? Who led this effort? How did it work? Was it really led by the states? How did it happen that the United States has national standards that so few people are aware of? If this a good thing?  

8 by dianerav / 7h 

Russ Walsh Writes a Delightful Review of “Reign of Error”

Russ Walsh, who works at Rider University in Pennsylvania, asks a simple question: What if Chicken Little had 70 billion dollars? Would his comical error in believing the sky is falling have been dismissed so quickly? Would the acorn of truth have been discovered and Chicken Little disgraced? Instead of making Chicken Little the laughingstock of the barnyard, would we instead be drawing up plans f

by dianerav / 44min mark as read  //  save

CarolinaCAN Deserves an F Minus for Hurting Children

Lately, the organization 50CAN has spread from state to state, bringing bad ideas that hurt children and promote corporate control of public schools (aka privatization). The CAN strategy always begins with grading and labeling schools, so that those at the bottom are demoralized and feel like failures, no matter how hard they try. North Carolina has CarolinaCAN, which is grading schools as the fi

9 by dianerav / 1h 

John King Is Unfit for His Position as State Commissioner

Arthur Goldstein, who teaches at Frances Lewis High School in Queens, New York, observed the video in which John King was completely unable to maintain order when faced with an audience of angry parents. He condescended to them, which seems to be his default mode, and they responded angrily. He could not control the class. He probably wanted to expel them, but he couldn’t. They were not “bad stude

21 by dianerav / 1h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Bruce Baker: Should Economists Be Paid by Their Hair Color?Bruce Baker continues to be one of our most valuable academic scholars of educational madness. In this post, he explores and explodes the claim by certain economists that teachers should not get a pay increase for anything except higher test scores. This is the only value t

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-15-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Did Mulgrew Sign On to Recent NYC Race to the Top Application?

NYC applied for a district RTTT grant, as revealed in EdWeek. Did UFT sign onto this and if so, what does it contain? The statewide RTTT grant is supposed to contain funds for the data dashboards or “EngageNY portals” to be populated with data fromthe inBloom cloud.Given that the Newark Teachers Union recently scuttled the RTTT application (Newark TU Rejects RTTT as Randi/Del Grosso Contrac) and t

1 by ed notes online / 23min

Citizens of the World Charter To Use Dead Souls To Bolster Enrollment in Effort to Stay Open

With the school threatened with closing due to low enrollment (as the so-called charter demand is once more exposed), Citizens of the World supporter Eric Grannis (the husband of Evil Moskowitz) is scouting local cemeteries for recruits.State Ed Commissioner John King approved of the move. "The dead should not be excluded from the higher order skills gained from the Common Core."The SUNY

3 by ed notes online / 6h 

10-14-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Carol Smashes KingThe idea that a Commissioner would accuse parents and teacher of being a "special interest" is outrageous. That is not what leaders do... Carol Burris, NY State Principal of the Year, at The Answer Sheet, WAPO The speakers from the audience at this forum were to a person better-informed, more coherent and independent-minded than anyone I've heard from i

by mike simpson / 7h 

10-15-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

John King Gives Uncommon Schools a Free Pass on Teacher Evaluation Scheme

Before he was Commissioner of Ed in New York, John King ran the KIPP knock-off charter chain, Uncommon Schools, which depends upon the same forced winnowing techniques to run off low test scorers, ELLs, and special ed students.Now King is giving his former chain gang charters a pass on the Rube Goldberg teacher eval system based on the monstrous TN system. Story from the Daily News:State Education

by Jim Horn / 44min 

Memphis Ready to Turn Over $23 Million Head Start Budget to Corporate Cronies at Porter-Leath

We posted on September 30 about Shelby County Mayor, Mark Luttrell, and his cozy relations with fellow corporate pol, Mark Threlkeld, who presides over the Board of Trustees of Porter-Leath, a non-profit corporation that is building an empire on backs of young victims of the Zero Tolerance Era. The former Orphan AsylumPorter-Leath's history goes back to the 19th Century, when it served as home of

2 by Jim Horn / 25min 

Diane Ravitch's Balanced Appraisal of Charters

Diane Ravitch, in Reign of Error, argues that school reform heedlessly replaced the old-fashioned geographically-based system of public education with a competitive market-based system that includes traditional public schools, private schools, privately managed charter schools, for-profit providers, and virtual schools. The roots of this movement, she argues, are “fundamentally libertarian” but, t

by John Thompson / 0min 

Hess, Please Begin the Moratorium

I recently called for a moratorium on white men pontificating on race, class, and gender—prompted by a series of blogs by Michael Petrilli. So when I read Rick Hess's "Teachers Deserve (But Have to Earn) Their Seat at the Table," I immediately asked myself a few things: (1) Is this April 1?, (2) Has Hess finally become the unintentional self-parody I have predicted?, and finally, (3) Sho

by P. L. Thomas / 37min 

10-14-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Should Diane Ravitch Be More Careful to Not Hurt Reformers' Feelings?By now, I’m about the only slowpoke who hasn’t taken a stand on Diane Ravitch’s Reign of Error. Those who object to her indictment of “corporate reform” have had time to catch any possible error of fact or logic. If there is a rebuttal to Ravitch’s statement that “it is difficult to find education organizations th

by mike simpson / 9h