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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Morning Wink 10-30-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

TODAY

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Remember, Byrd-Bennett's promise(s)?
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Remember, Byrd-Bennett's promise(s)?: Remember, Byrd-Bennett's promise(s)?One of my favorite quotes comes from Mark Twain who said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." The problem for Rahm and Byrd-Bennett is that they lie and we remember.We remember, for example, Byrd-Bennett's promise that schools would be closed only if the disp
PCAPS IN The News: | WeArePCAPS
PCAPS IN The News: | WeArePCAPS: PCAPS IN The News:Posted on October 30, 2013by wearepcapsDawn Hawkins (left) protests against city tax abatements with the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools outside of 10 Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. (Stephanie Aaronson / Philly.com)Story HighlightsGALLERY: Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools prot
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A Teacher in LAUSD on the Board’s Decision to Extend Deasy ContractI am a teacher at LAUSD, and I am extremely disappointed with the LAUSD Board of Education for extending the contract to this abusive, destructive, deceiving superintendent. He truly does not care for the public education of the community he is supposed to serve. Mo
Competitive Grants: Winners and Losers? or A Just System for All? | janresseger
Competitive Grants: Winners and Losers? or A Just System for All? | janresseger: Competitive Grants: Winners and Losers? or A Just System for All?Posted on October 30, 2013 by janressegerBill Phillis is the Executive Director of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding. Bill was Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction when I met him over twenty-five years ago.  I have al
Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 million | EdSource Today
Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 million | EdSource Today: Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 millionOctober 30th, 2013 | 1 Comment | By John Fensterwald3The state risks losing millions in federal funding for failing to offer standardized tests to students this year. Credit: iStockphoto.comThe state now knows how much federal funding it sta
Bye bye books? More babies and toddlers use tablets, smartphones. | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
Bye bye books? More babies and toddlers use tablets, smartphones. | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Bye bye books? More babies and toddlers use tablets, smartphones. COMMENT(4) 0 1 0 4View Larger Wired kidsPrevious PostsStudent urges DeKalb school board to approve Druid Hills charter clusterOctober 29, 2013"I'm not a math person." Maybe you would be if you tried harder.October 27, 2013Spanki
10-30-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Update on the effort to destroy the Clark Elementary School in HartfordIn a story entitled, “Hartford Officials Explain Charter School Choice,” the Hartford Courant’s Vanessa de la Torre explained that “Superintendent Christina Kishimoto has recommended Clark as the future site of the charter network’s second K-8 elementary school in Hartford, a proposal that has left some Clark parent
The Weekly Update: Money, power and corruption; Gates is not so sure his ideas will work…but, oh well; TFA, Inc cashes in again and more | Seattle Education
The Weekly Update: Money, power and corruption; Gates is not so sure his ideas will work…but, oh well; TFA, Inc cashes in again and more | Seattle Education: The Weekly Update: Money, power and corruption; Gates is not so sure his ideas will work…but, oh well; TFA, Inc cashes in again and moreCorruption kills.This post is dedicated to Laporshia Massey.From Parents United for Public Education in Ph
10-30-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Happy Halloween Ken Derstine PA Education Crisis HighlightsAnd this is just Philadelphia, scary stuff, I'm spookedPennsylvania Education Crisis Highlights - October 29th, 2013Pennsylvania Education Crisis Highlights is available online at http://www.defendpubliceducation.net/Blue text is a link to the full article.**************** Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movem
K-12 News Network | “Turnarounds” At Two Los Angeles Unified Schools Prompt Deeper Questions Over Practitioner Center Schools
K-12 News Network | “Turnarounds” At Two Los Angeles Unified Schools Prompt Deeper Questions Over Practitioner Center Schools: “Turnarounds” At Two Los Angeles Unified Schools Prompt Deeper Questions Over Practitioner Center Schoolsadmin October 30, 2013 Charter Schools, Los Angeles, Parent Trigger, School Boards, School Districts 0Who and what are Practitioner Center Schools, and what is 24th Str
Study: New teachers more educated, of higher caliber | HechingerEd Blog
Study: New teachers more educated, of higher caliber | HechingerEd Blog: Study: New teachers more educated, of higher caliberTeaching may be attracting a more academically successful group of people compared to previous years, according to a new study released Wednesday.Two researchers at the University of Washington examined four national data sets to determine how the characteristics of first-ye
10-30-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Don’t TRIP on this TRAIL.The move by Illinois to change the Teachers Retirement Insurance Plan (TRIP) to the Total Retiree Advantage Illinois Plan (TRAIL or is TRAILP?) is going badly by any measure. Over the past several weeks I have tried to keep readers up to date with all the information I could g
10-30-13 Education Research Report
Education Research Report: EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORTWide Range of Assessments to Gauge Students’ Career and Technical SkillsWhile most states give one or more assessments of career readiness, technical, or employability skills to high school students, the types of tests used vary considerably across states and are sometimes decided at the school district level, according a new report by the Center
10-30-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Fred Smith On the Empress TischWhat clear and astute observations... Loretta PriscoFred, thanks for this scathing and brilliant portrait. Helps me make sense of my visceral reaction of horror at her presentation. So much feigned reasonableness and caring. So little capacity for hearing the truth.... Jeff NYes, Fred- so right on! Let's not forget that the "flawed accountabilit
10-30-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: AFT and ATF Respond to Locals: A Follow-UpRecently, I posted an article about a story in the Albuquerque Journal about the New Mexico NEA and AFT putting pressure on the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED).  I called the suggestions from the two state union groups an “appeasement.” Also included in my article was a statement from the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF)
Teachers: Never Forget How Much You Matter | Ward 8 DC Teacher
Teachers: Never Forget How Much You Matter | Ward 8 DC Teacher: Teachers: Never Forget How Much You Matterby ACINTRONJR • OCTOBER 30, 2013Whether you teach at an elementary school, a middle school, a high school, or an alternative school, this message is for you. This message is for ALL teachers, regardless of zip code or socio-economic status. This message is for ALL teachers, albeit your first y
10-30-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Education Reform In TroubleAnthony Cody at Gates Foundation Week:From coast to coast, the billionaire-backed education reform project is back-pedaling, and there are signs of desperation showing up all over. At Education Nation there was little attention paid to the fractured fairytale that corporate reform has become, but the cracks are appearing everywhere now.At a recent
How Poverty Molds the Brain | toteachornototeach
How Poverty Molds the Brain | toteachornototeach: How Poverty Molds the BrainGroundbreaking research nearly two decades ago linking a mother’s educational background to her children’s literacy and cognitive abilities stands out among decades of social science studies demonstrating the adverse effects of poverty.Now new research conducted at Northwestern University has taken that finding in a neuro
An unlikely clash between a superintendent and a community
An unlikely clash between a superintendent and a community: An unlikely clash between a superintendent and a communityBY VALERIE STRAUSSOctober 30 at 6:00 amSuburban school districts are not usually the place where clashes develop over standardized test-based school reform policies, but that’s just what is happening in Montclair, N.J. Here’s a post on what’s going on by LynNell Hancock, the mother
The Tomato Harvester, the Smart Gun, and The Age-Graded School: Reframing the Problem | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
The Tomato Harvester, the Smart Gun, and The Age-Graded School: Reframing the Problem | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: The Tomato Harvester, the Smart Gun, and The Age-Graded School: Reframing the ProblemMachines picking thick-rind tomatoes, a gun that won’t fire in the hands of someone who doesn’t own it, and schools where six year-olds work with eight year-olds, where 14 an
Special Midnight Sneak Preview - Witch Hunter starring Campbell Brown - News Break
Special Midnight Sneak Preview - Witch Hunter starring Campbell Brown  News BreakComing to a theater near you!After much speculation and rallying, LA school board retains superintendentAbout 100 people gathered Tuesday morning to support L.A. Unified Superintendent John Deasy before the Board of Education delivered his annual review.; Credit: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez After nearly five hours behind clos

YESTERDAY

Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit? | Mother Jones
Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit? | Mother Jones: Who's Really Behind Campbell Brown's Sneaky Education Outfit?The former CNN anchor says her nonprofit seeks to protect kids from predators in the classroom. Its real agenda may be union-busting.DFER'S REFORMER of the Month? Early one morning in July, former CNN anchor Campbell Brown appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe, pen i
10-29-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Speakers to testify release for NYC's Senate hearing on school issuesI was going to go to the Portelos hearing today but I'm in a car heading to Philly - don't worry, I'm not driving. My alternate was to go to the Flanagan hearings today where many of our allies from Change the Stakes and Class Size Matters are testifying today.The unholy trio - Tisch, Mulgrew and Walcott, all pus
Brevard Public Schools teach contempt of the law by blatantly violating the constitution | Reclaim Reform
Brevard Public Schools teach contempt of the law by blatantly violating the constitution | Reclaim Reform: Brevard Public Schools teach contempt of the law by blatantly violating the constitutionPosted on October 29, 2013by Ken PrevitiThe Brevard County School Board and its superintendent are teaching all of the children to violate the law if there is money to be had. This is teaching by example.T
PSAT for 10-29-13: Plan to attend 11/21 forum on student data privacy
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 10-29-13: Plan to attend 11/21 forum on student data privacy: PSAT for 10-29-13: Plan to attend 11/21 forum on student data privacyPURE, Parents Across America, More Than a Score, the Chicago Teachers’ Union, and other groups are co-sponsoring an important forum on the threat to student data privacy.The free, public event will take
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Grassroots Collaborative calls on Aldermen to act for working families
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Grassroots Collaborative calls on Aldermen to act for working families: Grassroots Collaborative calls on Aldermen to act for working familiesGRASSROOTS COLLABORATIVE637 S. DEARBORN, THIRD FLOOR CHICAGO, IL 60605www. t h e g r a s s r o o t s c o l l a b o r a t i v e . o r gPRESS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 29, 2013Contact:Nathan Ryan, Communications Organiz
Billionaires Going Bonkers: Trying to Reboot Reform - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Billionaires Going Bonkers: Trying to Reboot Reform - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Billionaires Going Bonkers: Trying to Reboot ReformBy Anthony Cody on October 29, 2013 4:27 PMFrom coast to coast, the billionaire-backed education reform project is back-pedaling, and there are signs of desperation showing up all over. At Education Nation there was little attention paid to the fract
Nite Cap 10-29-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYBREAKING: Deasy offers to resign in Feb, stay available as consultant in proposed settlement #lausdBREAKING: Deasy offers to resign in Feb, stay available as consultant in proposed settlement Saint Deasy Flash Mob Crest Fallen1 by mike simps
BREAKING: Deasy offers to resign in Feb, stay available as consultant in proposed settlement #lausd
BREAKING: Deasy offers to resign in Feb, stay available as consultant in proposed settlement Saint Deasy Flash Mob Crest Fallen
Education ‘Reform’ Is Wrecking Our Schools | Alternet
Education ‘Reform’ Is Wrecking Our Schools | Alternet: Education ‘Reform’ Is Wrecking Our SchoolsDevelopmentally inappropriate tests, aimed at students as young as Kindergarten, are undercutting any gains the Common Core might help us make.Photo Credit: Levent Konuk via Shutterstock.comOctober 22, 2013  |   The latest news stories from the brave frontiers of a movement known as “education reform”
Education Research Report: Challenging Common Core the Research: A Reanalysis of Text Complexity
Education Research Report: Challenging Common Core the Research: A Reanalysis of Text Complexity: EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORTChallenging Common Core the Research: A Reanalysis of Text ComplexityThis study offers an independent analysis of third- and sixth-grade reading textbooks used throughout the past century. Contrary to the authors of the English Language Arts component of the Common Core State
The Recovery School District (RSD) Optical Illusion | deutsch29
The Recovery School District (RSD) Optical Illusion | deutsch29: The Recovery School District (RSD) Optical IllusionOctober 29, 2013The charter-promoting organization, New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) wants its charters to prosper. Its website proudly advertises a hefty $25 million grant from the Arnold Foundation– as in John Arnold, former Enron trader who made off with $3 billion while most em
Jeff Bryant Compares Duncan–Hess and Harris-Perry–Ravitch Videos | janresseger
Jeff Bryant Compares Duncan–Hess and Harris-Perry–Ravitch Videos | janresseger: Jeff Bryant Compares Duncan–Hess and Harris-Perry–Ravitch VideosPosted on October 29, 2013 by janressegerIn his weekly column for the Education Opportunity Network (a project of the Campaign for America’s Future and the National Opportunity to Learn Campaign), Jeff Bryant compares and contrasts videos that represent th
Choosing Democracy: More students, fewer teachers- it is called austerity
Choosing Democracy: More students, fewer teachers- it is called austerity: More students, fewer teachers- it is called austerityThe Teacher Gap: More Students and Fewer Teachershttp://www.epi.org/publication/teacher-gap-students-teachers/Portside Date: October 25, 2013Author: Heidi ShierholzDate of Source: Wednesday, October 23, 2013Economic Policy InstituteOver the last five years, government emp
10-29-13 Whole Child Education - Putting Early Childhood Education into Action
Putting Early Childhood Education into Action — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGPutting Early Childhood Education into ActionOctober 29, 2013 by ASCD Whole Child BloggersA whole child approach to education ensures that each child, in each school, and in each community is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. With our interactive Whole Child Examples Map tool, you can find e
NYC Public School Parents: Press conference and Senate hearings on Common Core, testing & privacy
NYC Public School Parents: Press conference and Senate hearings on Common Core, testing & privacy: Press conference and Senate hearings on Common Core, testing & privacyIt was a long day today at Senator Flanagan's hearings on the Common Core, testing and privacy.My written testimony is here.  Other testimonies are linked to here, where hopefully the webcast will be posted soon.  Meanwhile
NYC Educator: Reformy King John Pretends to Listen
NYC Educator: Reformy King John Pretends to Listen: Reformy King John Pretends to ListenI watched the hearings last night broadcast over the internet from Port Chester, NY. It appeared to me that parents there, while not raising their voices quite as much, had precisely the same concerns as the Poughkeepsie parents Reformy John labeled "special interests." The standards, they said, were
What Do ‘Better Tests’ Look Like? | NEA Today
What Do ‘Better Tests’ Look Like? | NEA Today: What Do ‘Better Tests’ Look Like?October 29, 2013 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Top Stories1 CommentBy Tim WalkerAs U.S. schools prepare to leave bubble tests behind to enter a new era in assessments,educators everywhere hope and expect that lawmakers and districts get it right. After a decade of punitive, narrow high-stakes testing, educator
Clemson, Education Department focus on rural dropouts | Clemson University, South Carolina
Clemson, Education Department focus on rural dropouts | Clemson University, South Carolina: Clemson, Education Department focus on rural dropouts2Published: October 29, 2013image by: National Dropout Prevention CenterCLEMSON — Clemson University’s National Dropout Prevention Center/Network and Clemson Broadcast Productions will help the U.S. Department of Education analyze and enhance rural dropou
10-29-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadWhen the Silas Potter incident was exposed, naturally I was following it very closely.  But when Potter took a plea, I was less interested and so forgot that one of his co-conspirators was going to trial.  According to the Times Potter and David Johnson are turning on each other.    Mr. Johnson is on trial for 42 counts of theft.What is slightly
Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, October 29, 2013
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: L.A. schools improved, but Deasy fell short of ambitious goalsEducation HeadlinesTuesday, October 29, 2013Bond financier pleads in South CountyA central figure in the South County schools corruption case has pleaded guilty to two felony charges of conspiracy to bribe officials and board members.Greenfield seeks schools chiefThe Greenfield Uni
The Great Wall of Excellence | EduShyster
The Great Wall of Excellence | EduShyster: The excellence express heads to ShanghaiReader: that sound you hear is the excellence express touching down after a whirlwind trip to China to extract that country’s closely-held recipe for secret sauce. And talk about an all-star tour: our tour guide was none other than Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp, who practically invented excellence. But is the
Bobby Jindal is clearly not running for President | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
Bobby Jindal is clearly not running for President | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsBobby Jindal is clearly not running for PresidentPosted on October 29, 20130Recent articles have been cropping up about speculating that Bobby Jindal is running for President of the United States in 2016. Jindal has repeatedly denied these rumors as premature, ridiculou
The Education Reform Conversation We Need Vs. The One We Have
The Education Reform Conversation We Need Vs. The One We Have:The Education Reform Conversation We Need Vs. The One We HaveThis past week, two videos captured just about everything you need to know about the status of the movement known as “education reform.The first filmic event was a staged encounter between two prominent advocates for what is conventionally thought of to be “opposing points of
Who Can We Boycott?: Who Benefits From or Invests in Pearson and Teach for America? | Cloaking Inequity
Who Can We Boycott?: Who Benefits From or Invests in Pearson and Teach for America? | Cloaking Inequity: Who Can We Boycott?: Who Benefits From or Invests in Pearson and Teach for America?Who Can We Boycott?: Who Benefits from or Invests in Pearson and Teach for America?.Common Core’s Corporate Relations with Pearson and Teach for America (TFA)by Michelle Maher, Ph.D.Diane Ravitch’s new book Reign
When you are Rich, there is no Limit/Law to what you can Buy: Bloomberg, Gates each put $1 million behind pro-Amendment 66 campaign - The Denver Post
Bloomberg, Gates each put $1 million behind pro-Amendment 66 campaign - The Denver Post: Bloomberg, Gates each put $1 million behind pro-Amendment 66 campaignBy Kevin SimpsonThe Denver PostPOSTED:   10/28/2013 02:45:46 PM MDT103 COMMENTS| UPDATED:   108 MIN. AGO FILE -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Andrew Burton, Getty Images North America)Oct 21:Colorado's Amendment 66 ignites battle o
College-career readiness can include remediation rates, diploma quality SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: College-career readiness can include remediation rates, diploma quality By Tom ChorneauTuesday, October 29, 2013In the search to define and measure college and career readiness, state and local officials throughout the U.S. are looking at university remediation rates and early performance indicators of middle school students, according to a new study
Think the law protects our children from bullying? Think again. | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Think the law protects our children from bullying? Think again. | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Think the law protects our children from bullying? Think again.by thenotebook on Oct 29 2013 Posted in Commentary="" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on emailMore Sharing ServicesCOMMENTS (0)PRINTby David J. Berney and Kevin GolembiewskiIt began in
Louisiana Educator: Setting Up Public Schools for Failure
Louisiana Educator: Setting Up Public Schools for Failure: Setting Up Public Schools for FailureWere you encouraged by this year's significant improvement in school performance scores? Very few Louisiana public schools are rated “F” and many schools have moved up to “B” or “A”. The new SPS system combined with a huge push by local school administrators and teachers to improve student performance s
Common Core Standards Distract From Real Educational Reform - US News and World Report
Common Core Standards Distract From Real Educational Reform - US News and World Report: A Distraction from Real Education ReformThe emphasis on common standards is drawing attention away from bigger problemsBy ERIC HANUSHEKOctober 28, 2013 RSS Feed PrintComment ()inSharePolicymakers and reform advocates alike have rallied around introducing a set of national content standards, suggesting that this
Will We Permit the Theft of Our Democracy? | janresseger
Will We Permit the Theft of Our Democracy? | janresseger: Will We Permit the Theft of Our Democracy?Posted on October 29, 2013 by janressegerThis past Sunday afternoon, I had occasion to watch democracy at work.  As I describe here, I was part of the audience in Fort Wayne, Indiana as a panel including the president of the state senate committee on public education, a member of the state school bo
Morning Wink 10-29-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Virginia School Boards Pass Anti-Testing ResolutionsAccording to Valerie Strauss, about 30 of Virginia’s 130 local school boards have passed resolutions against excessive testing.  The sch


Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Remember, Byrd-Bennett's promise(s)?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Remember, Byrd-Bennett's promise(s)?:

Remember, Byrd-Bennett's promise(s)?

One of my favorite quotes comes from Mark Twain who said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." The problem for Rahm and Byrd-Bennett is that they lie and we remember.

We remember, for example, Byrd-Bennett's promise that schools would be closed only if the displaced children could be sent to better schools.

But back in April, we knew something was amiss. The Sun-Timed reported that only 2/3 of the kids actually ended up at a higher rated school.
Catalyst
Now you can toss those figures out as well. Sarah Karp at Catalyst has up-to-date numbers and the S-T wasn't even close. She writes:
Now, with the revelation that only 60 percent of displaced students enrolled in their designated welcoming school, the academic 

PCAPS IN The News: | WeArePCAPS

PCAPS IN The News: | WeArePCAPS:

PCAPS IN The News:

Dawn Hawkins (left) protests against city tax abatements with the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools outside of 10 Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. (Stephanie Aaronson / Philly.com)
Dawn Hawkins (left) protests against city tax abatements with the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools outside of 10 Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. (Stephanie Aaronson / Philly.com)
Story Highlights
ALEX WIGGLESWORTH, FOR PHILLY.COM
LAST UPDATED: Tuesday, October 29, 2013, 7:12 PM
Against the backdrop of tony Rittenhouse Square, protesters with the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools and like-minded organizations donned Halloween costumes Tuesday afternoon for a festive rally against the city’s 10-year property tax 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch

More New York Districts Drop Out of Race to Top to Protect Student Privacy
Four districts have announced their intention to withdraw from Race to the Top, hoping to protect confidential student data.  More are thinking of joining them. They are upset that the state demands they hand over 400 points of student data that can be transferred to inBloom, the Gates-funded project for data mining. The State Education Department is totally unsympathetic to their concerns. Its sp

My Speaking Schedule for Fall
I will be in Atlanta November 1 to speak to United Way Women’s Leadership Breakfast at 7:30 am at Georgia Tech Conference Center On November 4, I will speak twice in Princeton, New Jersey. At 4 pm, at Princeton High School: open to the public, all welcome. At 8 pm, at Princeton University, McCosh Hall, please call to ask about access. On November 12, I will speak to the NYC Council of Supervisors
I Speak Tomorrow in Atlanta at 7:30 AM
I will be speaking on November 1 to the Women’s Leadership Breakfast of United Way at the Georgia Tech Conference Center. The event begins at 7:30 am. I will deliver brief remarks, then there will be conversation.  

Montclair Prepares for Test Score Decline under “”Reform” Leader
Jersey Jazzman describes the new era of creative disruption in Montclair, New Jersey, under its Broad-trained superintendent. Montclair was, until now, one of the best districts in a high performing state. Expect the crisis narrative to begin any day now as a prelude to charters and school closings. Unless, that is, the parents rebel. Suburban parents don’t like to be shoved around, and don’t li

Will John King Destroy Common Core in New York By Alienating Parents?
Peter Goodman, long an insider in New York city and state education policies, here reviews the parlous state of the Common Core and its testing regime in that state. John King has approached parents with an attitude of inflexibility. He has made it clear that he will sit through hearings if he must, but any changes will be inconsequential. He will not be dissuaded. The reformer wagon is losing its

Montessori Schools Are Not Same As Common Core
State Commissioner John King sends his own children to a Montessori school, which is his right as a patent. But he insists that his children are getting an education that is similar to the Common Core, which he has mandated across the state. This Montessori teacher disagrees. She writes: Hi Diane, I keep on hearing John King say that Common Core is a lot like Montessori education, but it is act

A Teacher in LAUSD on the Board’s Decision to Extend Deasy Contract
I am a teacher at LAUSD, and I am extremely disappointed with the LAUSD Board of Education for extending the contract to this abusive, destructive, deceiving superintendent. He truly does not care for the public education of the community he is supposed to serve. Most of the LAUSD teachers and principals, if not all, are aware of this. We see it on a daily basis as his policies and destructive “re
This Reader Was Educated in China
The reader writes: “One thing I have repeated heard in this ‘Ed Reform’ talk is that American kids need to ‘catch up’ with kids from other countries because we are behind in those international tests. I grew up in China, where there is very rigorous curriculum; where frequent testing and ranking of students is part of a student’s life the moment the child walks into a school; where students do per
Shepherd: An Essay Exam for “Reformers”
Robert Shepard, author and curriculum designer, has prepared an essay exam for the corporate reformers who think they know how to redesign American education. He writes: As a member of the Billionaire Boys’ Club, or as one of the paid associates of the BBC, you . . . 1. believe that that extraordinarily complex skills like reading and writing ability can be validly and reliably measured by simple
Julian Vasquez Heilig on TFA’s Rise to Power
Julian Vasquez Heilig has conducted peer-reviewed research on TFA over several years. He is astonished that it has been converted into a political power machine, which makes it even more powerful. Follow the money as TFA expands its base.

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Virginia School Boards Pass Anti-Testing ResolutionsAccording to Valerie Strauss, about 30 of Virginia’s 130 local school boards have passed resolutions against excessive testing.  The school boards say “there is “little research” that shows that students “will be better prepared to succeed in their careers and college” by taking t


Competitive Grants: Winners and Losers? or A Just System for All? | janresseger

Competitive Grants: Winners and Losers? or A Just System for All? | janresseger:

Competitive Grants: Winners and Losers? or A Just System for All?


Bill Phillis is the Executive Director of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding. Bill was Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction when I met him over twenty-five years ago.  I have always known him to be a champion for justice for Ohio’s children.
The Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding is the coalition that brought theDeRolph School funding case back in the early 1990s. In DeRolph v. State, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled four times that Ohio’s school funding is inadequate, inequitably distributed, and overly reliant on local property taxes. Then just over ten years ago, new members were elected to the Ohio Supreme Court, and the Court released jurisdiction in the case, in essence telling the legislature it was not required to produce a remedy.
This morning Bill critiques the idea of competitive grant programs as part of school funding.  At this time when our federal education policy emphasizes competition in programs like Race to the Top, Bill advocates for making the school funding system work to provide education as a civil right for all children.  He emphatically rejects the path we seem to be following instead—creating competitions by which some schools or school districts can qualify for public funding, 

Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 million | EdSource Today

Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 million | EdSource Today:

Credit: iStockphoto.com
The state risks losing millions in federal funding for failing to offer standardized tests to students this year. Credit: iStockphoto.com
The state now knows how much federal funding it stands to lose by declining to give state standardized tests in math and English language arts next spring to all students: at least $15 million – and potentially tens of millions of dollars more.
An assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education cited that figure and warned that the fine and the impact on school districts could be greater in a letter released Monday to State Board of Education Michael Kirst and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
The Legislature, by passing Assembly Bill 484last month, put the state out of compliance with the federal testing requirements law. AB 484 ends most state standardized tests, including English language arts and math for grades 3 to 8 and 11, which are required annually under the No Child Left Behind law. Instead, the state is requiring that all districts administer a preliminary test in the Common Core State Standards in either math or English language arts – but not both – in those grades. In her letter, Assistant Secretary of Education Deborah Delisle said that offering one of the two tests wouldn’t meet the law or provide the results that the public relies on.
“By failing to administer a reading/language arts and mathematics assessment to all students in the tested grades, California would be unable to provide this important information to students, principals, teachers, and parents,” she wrote. “In addition, because its new policy violates federal law, California now risks significant enforcement action by the Department” – a loss of $15 million in administrative funding for the state Department of Education plus potentially the $30 million that the state received last year through Title I to administer standardized tests. California also may be 

Bye bye books? More babies and toddlers use tablets, smartphones. | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Bye bye books? More babies and toddlers use tablets, smartphones. | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Bye bye books? More babies and toddlers use tablets, smartphones. 

Wired kids
Wired kids
Back from vacation today and catching up on new studies released in my weeklong absence, including one on media use by young kids from Common Sense Media.
For me, the most startling finding was: In a typical day, children under 2 spend more than twice as much time watching television and DVDs (55 minutes) as they do reading or being read to (19 minutes).
That does not well augur well for the next generation of readers. I am meeting more and more teens who do not read outside of required school assignments.  While I am seeing more school-based reading imposed on teens, I am concerned that fewer seem to read for pleasure.  Their pleasure now comes from Instagram, iFunny and YouTube. 
It is hard to persevere with “Old Yeller” when Facebook offers that heart-wrenching video of the rescue of a blind