11-28-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Black Friday

Murdoch Post running some crap about how to "win" at Black Friday.I plan on "winning" at Black Friday by not buying anything either in person or online.How about you?Anybody going to the mall for the Thursday evening "doorbusters"?

by reality-based edu... / 1h hide  //  save

Pope Francis

I am told by my Catholic relatives that this pontiff is not liked very much by some of the more "conservative" members of the church.If Pope Francis keeps writing the kinds of things he's been writing about the global financial system and capitalism, keeps calling the fat cat RC bishops/cardinals out for spending millions of euros on their palaces, I wonder how long it will be until he c

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

Sick Of Self-Serving Celebrities, Politicians And Media

Errol Louis patting himself on the back for serving food at a mission on ThanksgivingComptroller @JohnCLiu and I both brought our sons to serve meals this morning. 10 am seating was full. pic.twitter.com/ISgwzdbUTd— Errol Louis (@errollouis) November 28, 2013My response:@errollouis @LindseyChrist @JohnCLiu We need a society where people have jobs that allow them to feed themselves— realitybasededu

by reality-based edu... / 4h 

Mayor Bloomberg And Commissioner Kelly May Go On Trial Just Yet

From the Daily News:AN NYPD supervisor has lost his bid to countersue whistleblower cop Adrian Schoolcraft. Deputy Inspector Steven Mauriello alleged that Schoolcraft — who has a pending $50 million lawsuit against the city — concocted bogus complaints about wrongdoing in a Brooklyn precinct in order to ruin his boss. But Manhattan Federal Court Judge Robert Sweet has denied the deputy inspector,

by reality-based edu... / 6min  

11-27-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: 63% In NY State Back De Blasio To Raise Tax On Wealthy For Pre-KDavid Dinkins called fora return to the regressive commuters tax to fund universal pre-K in NYC, saying the measure will not be popular in Albany, but state voters overwhelmingly back de Blasio's plan:Meanwhile, 62 percent of New York state voters back New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s plan to raise inc

by mike simpson / 8h

11-28-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

Are turkeys really the dumbest animals?

Are the turkeys on your Thanksgiving dinner plates really the dumbest animals in the world? Given that sponges and jellyfish are animals, and they don’t have as much as a single brain cell, the answer would seem to be no, but let’s just look at the the universe of animals with brains, however tiny. In […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 17min  

11-27-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: ‘No one really cares, do they?’“No one really cares, do they?”  That is one of the reasons for why No Child Left Behind won’t be rewritten, according to a new report on what “education influentials” think will happen in the world of education. Actually, a lot of people care, because it affects what happens in classrooms to children, but, apparently, it’s […]    by Valerie Strauss

by mike simpson / 8h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-28-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Reader: How About VAM for Public Officials?

Now that public officials demand that teachers produce higher test scores or get fired, this reader named Dienne has a great idea. She was inspired by the efforts in Missouri to revise the state Constitution to require that teachers be evaluated by the standardized test scores of their students. She writes: “I think value added evaluations should be put in the U.S. Constitution. “For elected offic

by dianeravitch / 3min 

Rothstein, Carnoy, and Tucker on International Test Scores

Last January, Richard Rothstein and Martin Carnoy released a report on international test scores, arguing that American students perform better than is generally believes. Since many people are deeply invested in the conventional claim that American students lag the world on international tests, their report led to a flurry of controversy. This post by Rothstein and Carnoy responds to Tucker’s cri

by dianeravitch / 15min 

Chicago Drops inBloom, Protects Student Privacy

Leonie Haimson reports that Chicago has pulled out of inBloom, the massive data collection project funded by the aGates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation. Leonie has been the key figure nationally in alerting parents, educators, officials, and the media to the plans of inBloom to collect hundreds of points of data about children, using software developed by Rupert Murdoch’s Wireless Generat

by dianeravitch / 10min 

When Albert Shanker Turned Against Charters

In 1993 and 1994, Albert Shanker turned against his own idea: charter schools. Once an avid proponent, he became convinced that they would become a vehicle for privatization. Here is one of his columns reflecting his disillusionment with what had been his own creation: Where We Stand by Albert Shanker President, American Federation of Teachers NEW YORK TIMES – July 3, 1994 Noah Webster Academy $4

by dianeravitch / 10min 

Let Us Be Thankful

Let us be thankful for life and health. Let us be thankful that we live in a free and democratic society. Let us be thankful for the parents who love and cherish their children. Let us be thankful for the children, filled with dreams and hopes and the joy of childhood, and let us pledge to protect them. Let us be thankful for the educators who help children and young people grow, develop, learn,

by dianeravitch / 25min 

Paul Karrer: My Students Are Not Coddled

Paul Karrer teaches fifth grade in a low-income community in California. He writes: Frank Bruni’s New York Times piece “Are Kids Too Coddled?” basically states tougher education standards like the Common Core may require a tough love that some parents and educators don’t like. So some parents are opting their kids out of testing. Mr. Bruni is a journalist not an educator and it shows. He’s done

by dianeravitch / 25min 

Rocketship Charter Fails to Meet Enrollment Target in Milwaukee

Milwaukee is a city with three competitive sectors: charters, voucher schools, and a shrinking public school system. It is also one of the lowest performing cities on the NAEP, a demonstration of the inability of competition among schools to improve test scores. So what do Wisconsin officials do in response to these dismal facts? They are expanding the charter sector. One of the beneficiaries of t

by dianeravitch / 1h 

Do We Have Enough College Graduates–Or Too Few Jobs for Them?

Arne Duncan often says that our education system must compete with other those of other nations, and President Obama says that we must raise our college graduation rate to first in the world by 2020. But this reader (Reteach for America) disagrees. He or she might have added this recent article about unemployment among college graduates in Europe.   It’s not a matter of educating Arne. It’s been a

by dianeravitch / 2h 

Common Core on Teaching the Gettysburg Address: What a Travesty!

The Common Core emphasizes the importance of “close reading,” that is, understanding the meaning of a text without reference to context or background knowledge, which presumably might privilege some students over others. In this post, Valerie Strauss explains how the writers of the Common Core conceptualize the teaching of the Gettysburg Address. It was delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on No

by dianeravitch / 2h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: mark as readEduShyster: When Public Pensions Are “Reformed,” Pensioners Get ShaftedMazinger G, a member of the unaccredited EduShyster Academy, here explains what happened in Rhode Island when a “reformer” took control of the state’s pension funds. What happened when the state treasurer Gina Raimondo adopted. New strategy of invest

by mike simpson / 8h 

11-28-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

“Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.”

  “Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevail

by Fred Klonsky / 6h 

Mega Godzilla.

. Anne, Leigh, Candy and I had dinner at a sushi place in Prospect Heights last night. In fact it was the second night in a row we had dinner at a sushi place. I ordered the Mega Godzilla – a roll with soft shell crab, eel and avocado. A regular Godzilla roll leaves out the soft-shell crab. But news of the pension deal back home caused me to go Mega. The night before it was with my brother-in-law

by Fred Klonsky / 36min 

Teacher and union activist Todd Mertz: “This is it.” With emails of every Illinois legislator.

From Todd Mertz: This morning a pension deal was struck between all four legislative leaders–Madigan, Cullerton, Radogno, and Durkin. This agreement would steal an estimated $160 billion from teachers and state employees over the next 30 years. The vote will take place in both the House and the Senate on Tuesday. What a great way to wish teachers and state employees a happy Thanksgiving. The We Ar

by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

11-27-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Ben Velderman. My stalker and dark money.    My stalker Ben Velderman in 2010 and more recently. Some of my older readers may recall Ben Velderman. Back when I was president of the union local, the Park Ridge Education Association, Ben filed a Freedom of Information Act request for all of my work emai

by mike simpson / 8h 

11-28-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Resources For World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is December 1st. You might be interested in The Best Web Resources For Learning About HIV & AIDS.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h 

Video: “Thanksgiving 2013 Google Doodle”

This Google Doodle would be a great video to show English Language Learners and have them describe what happens in it. I’m adding it to The Best Sites To Learn & Teach About Thanksgiving:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 0min hide  //  save

Some Final Thanksgiving resources For This Year

Here are some new additions to The Best Sites To Learn & Teach About Thanksgiving: “Thanksgiving By The Numbers” is a video from The New York Times: Here’s an impressive Thanksgiving chart that’s based on an even more impressive interactive:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

November’s Infographics & Interactives Galore — Part Five

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

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

YESTERDAY

November’s (2013) Best Tweets — Part Four

Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in this post. If you don’t use Twit

by Larry Ferlazzo / 7h 

Two Very Useful Resources On Bullying

Here are two new additions to A Very, Very Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Bullying: How do other countries tackle bullying? is from The Guardian. It Takes a Village to Create a Bully is from The Pacific Standard.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h 

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

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: “My Best Posts On Parent Engagement In 2013″I’m kicking-off my annual “Best” lists with My Best Posts On Parent Engagement In 2013 over at my other blog, Engaging Parents In School. You’ll see many more lists over the next thirty days. You might also be interested in All My “Best Of 2013 – So Far” Lists In One Place, which

by mike simpson / 7h