12-15-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

GUEST POST: Literature, Young Adult Fiction, and the Common Core, Lauren Girouard

Lauren Girouard is a student in my first year seminar (writing intensive). Lauren is an avid reader—a Neil Gaiman fan—and when she chose to write about Common Core, I asked her permission to post this as a rare voice of a student. I hope you enjoy this fine essay by a student who has come to love reading in the way we often claim we are seeking. Literature, Young Adult Fiction, and the Common Core

1 by plthomasedd / 7min 

12-14-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

THE BECOMING RADICALRadical Scholarshipthe becoming radical  A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by  mark as readNCTQ’s Free Pass in an Era of Press-Release JournalismNCTQ’s Free Pass in an Era of Press-Release Journalism.1 19min In Memory: Sandy Hook Elementary, One Year AfterI fear that we have become either callous or numb—either is a tragic consequence of mass shootings, even those at schools,

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

CPS releases charter proposals - chicagotribune.com

CPS releases charter proposals - chicagotribune.com:

CPS releases detailed proposals for 21 charter campuses

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Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel discusses at a Phalanx Family Services press conference the challenges both public schools and charter schools face in Chicago. (Posted on Aug. 6, 2013)

By Noreen S. Ahmed-UllahTribune reporter

8:36 p.m. CST, December 13, 2013

Chicago Public Schools on Friday released details of proposals from nine charter school operators seeking approval for 21 new campuses over the next two years.

After closing 47 elementary schools for under-utilization this summer, the district announced in October that it would address overcrowding on the Northwest and Southwest sides by adding privately run charter schools in those communities.

CPS is encouraging parents and community to review the proposals and offer feedback. The proposals can be found at http://cps.edu/2013RFP.

CPS is holding a meeting Monday on the proposal at its headquarters, 125 S. Clark St. The Board of Education is expected to vote on CPS’ recommendations for new charter schools at its January monthly Board meeting.

CPS launched three Neighborhood Advisory Councils, made up of community residents, to work with the district, the neighborhood and charter operators on the proposals.

Critics of charter school growth, which include the Chicago Teachers Union, argue the privately run schools take district funding away from neighborhood schools.

A member of one Northwest Side Neighborhood Advisory said that the process has been less 

Former schools chief Tony Bennett finds new work:

Former schools chief Tony Bennett finds new work

Former Indiana Schools Superintendent Tony Bennett is back in the public eye, helping to pitch a Common Core test to state education leaders four months after he resigned as Florida’s schools chief in the midst of a school grade-change scandal.

ACT spokesman Ed Colby said Friday that Bennett will help the company pitch its Aspire test throughout the states, but deferred specific questions to Aspire’s president. ACT is more widely known for its college-entry tests administered throughout the Midwest. But it also is among many testing companies looking to sell tests to states that have adopted Common Core standards.

Bennett did not reply to emailed requests for comment this week.

Bennett resigned his job running Florida schools a few days after The Associated Press published emails showing he had altered Indiana’s school-grading formula to raise the grade of a campaign donor’s charter school from a “C’’ to an “A.” A pair of legislative investigators found Bennett’s changes to be evenly applied to other schools but declined to address his motivations.

The former Republican schools chief and national education star is also the subject of ethics charges filed by Indiana’s inspector general. Bennett is accused of misusing state resources and staff in his failed re-election bid. The Associated Press obtained 

12-15-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

How much teachers get paid — state by state

How much do teachers across the United States get paid? Here is data, state by state, collected from the National Center for Education Statistics by Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president at DePaul University in Chicago. The data are for 2013 and represent the estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools. Boeckensted’s […]    

3 by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

Did Shanghai cheat on PISA?

Everybody knows (or should) by now that Shanghai’s 15-year-old students ranked No. 1 on the most recent Program for International Student Assessment for the second time, which, if you believe the recently released results, means that a representative sample of kids got the best scores in the world in reading, math and science. And 15-year-olds […]    

2 by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 12-14-13

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer Sheetmark as readWashington state judge draws key distinction between charter, traditional public schoolsA Washington state judge just ruled that part of the state’s new charter school law is constitutional and part of it isn’t. The most interesting part of the decision isn’t which is which, but why there is a distinction in the first place. The case on which

1 by mike simpson / 1h 

12-15-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

One Hundred KIPP 5th Graders in a Single Classroom on the Floor for a Week Until They "Earned" Their Desks

KIPP spends a great deal of money promoting their brand of total compliance segregated charter schools as the tough love, no excuses solution for schooling in urban communities disabled by poverty and the lack of hope. KIPP and its billionaire supporters contend that we cannot wait for an end to poverty to properly educate the children of the poor.  No one I know would disagree with this premise,

3 by Jim Horn / 1h 

12-14-13 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All Week mark as readTURN Chapters of AFT Take Lead in "Share My Lessons" Common Core MarathonIn the December 13 issue of Inside AFT (yes, I am an AFT member), I found this, which got me wondering: Share My Lesson has been on the move recently. This weekend will mark the third of three Share My Lesson marathon weekends the AFT has hosted over the last mont

by mike simpson / 2h 

¡QUEME LOS BARCOS!: Politics, Repercussions, and Cloaking Inequity | Cloaking Inequity

¡QUEME LOS BARCOS!: Politics, Repercussions, and Cloaking Inequity | Cloaking Inequity:

¡QUEME LOS BARCOS!: Politics, Repercussions, and Cloaking Inequity

First, let me say thank you for reading Cloaking Inequity. Since 2012, this labor of love focused on the inequities that are purposefully hidden in the educational policy discourse has been read by hundreds of thousands of people from 161 countries (see map below). Wow!

Thank you also to each of you who have stopped me to chat about Cloaking Inequity at conferences, on sidewalks, in DC, at the Texas capitol— even airports. It makes my day every time. Thank you.

I want to share with you that there are politics and repercussions as a result of writing a blog that takes on some of the most controversial issues and powerful interests in educational policy. Some of my colleagues are taking heat from those who aren’t able to pressure me personally. I have been scolded privately and disinvited from events— like this weekend for instance. This is a non-pecuniary cost I am willing to bear. I remember my grandmother telling me as a child:

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48 NIV

I write this blog for the children in our schools. No matter how much pressure comes my way, I won’t be intimidated. I won’t stop writing for our children. If anything, I will work that much harder to shine a light on the inequities in 

Student Prepares for Hunger Strike for Democracy in Education - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Student Prepares for Hunger Strike for Democracy in Education - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Student Prepares for Hunger Strike for Democracy in Education

By Anthony Cody on December 15, 2013 11:40 AM

On Friday I asked the question "Who gets to decide what is taught in our schools?" and suggested that teachers and students ought to have the biggest role in these decisions. Today I am sharing the thoughts of a passionate young person who is determined that students be given a larger role, and that schools be run more democratically.

Guest post by Neil Muscat.

From a young age, my passion was reading. While other kids became interested in sports, my idea of a fun day was to browse the 125th street New York Public Library. Although since those days, I have become a digital addict and read books less frequently than I would like, my interests remain mostly intellectual. The one constant in my passions throughout my life has been an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, for LEARNING- whether it be through books, museums, or absent-minded surfing through Wikipedia.

You would think somebody as nerdy as I would enjoy school. But as time wore on, I found it increasingly unpleasant. This was in the early 2000s, when No Child Left Behind had just been implemented and standardized testing was the Next Big Thing. I attended a free-wheeling and diverse elementary school which tried to make learning fun. Its philosophy was completely at odds with the wave of standardized tests about to overtake New York City. I remember fear and panic sweeping through the classroom. It seemed wrong that some distant official whom none of us actually knew could so affect our lives. I inherited a particular dislike for Joel Klein, who I understood was a major proponent of the new testing regime. Ironically, I've always received high test scores; and I'm the not-so proud recipient of several testing awards. But there was one conviction I have 

12-15-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman:

Will the Star-Ledger Editorial Board EVER Get Education Right?

Once again, the Star-Ledger's editorial board can't get the basic facts about education correct; this time, it's the Newark teachers contract:Under the new system, 190 of the best teachers have received merit pay bonuses so far, in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $12,500. The greater bonuses went to those teaching hard-to-staff subjects, or in the lowest-performing schools. When you add up these pe

8 by Duke / 48min 

12-14-13 Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week mark as readWhat Planet Do the StudentsFirst People Live On?No, gentle reader, this did not come from The Onion:User Actions  FollowStudentsFirstNYVerified account‏@StudentsFirstNYBecause of #CommonCore, kids in Bed-Stuy will be able to compete in the same global economy as kids in wealthy suburban districts....7:15 PM - 10 Dec 13Silly me: I actually

1 by mike simpson / 1h 

12-15-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

About Pearson, the Golden Goose State Standards, And Then Some

On December 13, 2013, Pearson, Inc., agreed to pay a $7.7 million settlement for allegedly using its nonprofit, Pearson Charitable Foundation (PCF), to assist its profit-making parent corporation in developing educational materials– including software. In this post, I would like to offer additional discussion of Pearson the For-Profit, Pearson the Nonprofit, and some friends both […]

3 by deutsch29 / 56min 

Hypocrisy, thy name is King

As NYSED Commissioner King’s traveling Common Core forum circus makes its way around the Empire State we are seeing more and more hypocrisy from New York’s educational leader. Example #1:  “Special Interests” I have watched several of the forums, read about others, and attended one.  At the first forum in Poughkeepsie King called parents and […]

7 by Chris Cerrone / 29min 

A warning to teachers unions from collaborators in their demise, @teachplus

Teach Plus is a leadership development program (of sorts) for teachers in urban schools. Now, good leadership to me sounds like someone who distrusts party lines and examines issues from all angles. Our faculty was visited by Teach Plus one morning for a brief presentation, a lot of which focusing, oddly enough, on Common Core. […]

by Shaun Johnson / 1h 

Anecdotes on teacher evaluation, horror-show edition @NCTQ

The DCPS IMPACT is considered by many to be a model for the nation, or it was in its heyday just a few years ago. It is now derided, disliked, and distrusted by nearly every DCPS educator with whom I encounter. If not for the impact of IMPACT, namely performance bonuses and the keeping of […]

1 by Shaun Johnson / 2min 

Do you think charter schools “know how to do middle school really well?”

According to DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, charter schools “know how to do middle school really well.” When it comes to defining the phrase “really well,” are education reformers basing their narrative of quantity over quality, i.e. proficiency rates versus growth? What do you – @thechalkfacers – think? In this piece, you can compare the data […]

2 by Angel Cintron Jr. / 19min

All Week 12-14-13 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: All Week @ THE CHALK FACE  mark as readNCTQ’s Free Pass in an Era of Press-Release JournalismA controversial shock-jock-type right-wing pundit spoke as a guest of a conservative student group at my university a few years ago (she has since returned with less fanfare). When I made a passing comment about her lack of credibility, a student in one of my introduc

1 by mike simpson / 2h 

A New Majority for Our Schools, Our Solutions | Randi Weingarten

A New Majority for Our Schools, Our Solutions | Randi Weingarten:

A New Majority for Our Schools, Our Solutions

Posted: 12/15/2013 10:41 am

 It has the feel of Groundhog Day: Another international education comparison, another round of hand-wringing and finger-pointing, and then right back to the same policies. You know what they say about the definition of insanity.

The latest results come from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The United States, once again, landed in the middle of the pack on reading and science, and below average in math. However, students in more-affluent schools in the United States where the poverty rate is less than 10 percent actually surpassed many of the highest-rated countries.

Poverty is important, as we see from the data from the three states that asked to have their PISA results broken out. Massachusetts, whose child-poverty rate is well below the national average, ranked with the world's best. Florida, where child poverty is above the national average, scored below the U.S. and OECD averages. But other factors matter too. Massachusetts also has a long history of standards-based reform and investing in teacher quality, whereas Florida has disinvested in education and has fixated on test-based accountability.

This raises the question: Are the dominant strategies in U.S. education today--hyper-testing and competition--the best approaches to help all children succeed, particularly in light of profound austerity and inequity? This is especially important given that nearly half of public school students in America live in poverty--a crisis many officials in the United States

When Private Firms Run Schools, Financial Secrecy Is Allowed - NYTimes.com

When Private Firms Run Schools, Financial Secrecy Is Allowed - NYTimes.com:

When Private Firms Run Schools, Financial Secrecy Is Allowed

By MORGAN SMITH

Published: December 14, 2013

On a recently approved Texas charter school application, blacked-out paragraphs appear on almost 100 of its 393 pages.

Expanded coverage of Texas is produced by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit news organization. To join the conversation about this article, go totexastribune.org.

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Redactions on the publicly available online version of the application often extend for pages at a time. They include sections on the school’s plan to support students’ academic success, its extracurricular activities and the “extent to which any private entity, including any management company” will be involved in the school’s operation. The “shaded material,” according to footnotes, is confidential proprietary or financial information.

The school, part of an Arizona charter school network, opened a campus in San Antonio this year. It was technically formed under a nonprofit, but its management is handled by a private company, the Basis Educational Group, owned by the school’s founders. A spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency said redactions appeared on the application because the information was copyrighted.

In Texas, commercial entities cannot run public schools. But when a school’s management — including accounting, marketing and hiring decisions — is contracted out to a private company, the distinction can become artificial. Such an arrangement raises questions about how to ensure financial accountability when the boundary between public and private is blurred, and the rules of public disclosure governing expenditures of taxpayer money do not apply.

Such agreements are not limited to charter schools. They can also be found in partnerships between traditional school districts and online course providers, particularly at schools where students receive all of their instruction online.

“The big issue is having some transparency,” said Bruce Baker, a Rutgers University