LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Update from Indiana: Negotiations Underway

I posted a comment earlier from a reader in Indiana who said that the State Board of Education was set to strip State Commissioner of Education Glenda Ritz of the authority and powers of her office. Other readers from Indiana have contacted me to say that negotiations are underway between the board and State Commissioner Ritz to reach a reasonable settlement that does not destroy the powers of her

22 by dianeravitch / 2h 

Indiana: Democracy on Trial This Week

Governor Mike Pence moves to strip the State Commissioner of Education of Education Glenda Ritz of the powers of her office. She won more votes last year than Pence. From a reader: OUTRAGEOUS!!!! From the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education FB post: It looks as though the State Board is going to do the unthinkable this Friday. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE ALL WRITE LETTERS TO THEM NOW! Th

7 by dianeravitch / 12min 

Yet Another Study Shows That Financial Incentives Don’t Work

This post reviews a study by Roland Fryer, Jr., in the peer-reviewed Journal of Labor Economics. Fryer analyzed the results of New York City’s merit pay program and found that it made no difference on several levels. “A randomized experiment, a gold standard in applied work of this kind, was implemented in more than 200 hundred NYC public schools. The schools decided on the specific incentive sch

4 by dianeravitch / 29min

New Book Demonstrates That Public Schools Outperform the Competition

Please read this article about an important new book by Christopher and Sarah Lubienski, scholars at the University of Illinois. Their book is The Public School Advantage: Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools. The article contains an interview with Christopher Lubienski, in which he explains their “counterintuitive” findings. Here is a sampling: IDEAS: The thought of a “public school adva

1 by dianeravitch / 21min 

HuffPost: How a For-Profit College Created Fake Jobs to Win Taxpayer $$$

Huffington Post has a startling expose of how a particular for-profit college paid employers to hire its graduates, but only temporarily. This was done to pad its job-placement numbers. This will please federal regulators and enable the college to say that its graduates are easily hired. What they don’t admit: They are soon laid off. Here is the story: Eric Parms enrolled at an Everest College cam

by dianeravitch / 21min 

MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of Thinking

A new study by researchers at MIT, Harvard, and Brown cast doubt on the value of pursuing higher scores on standardized tests as an end in themselves. Since this has been the highest goal of federal policy since 2002, when No Child Left Behind was signed into law, the study raises questions about the billions spent on testing, test preparation, evaluating teachers and schools by test scores, firin

29 by dianeravitch / 51min 

Please Join Me in Westchester County, New York, on January 16

Please join me at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York, on January 16 to discuss Common Core, testing, and other issues. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

2 by dianeravitch / 1h 

Wisconsin Researchers: Poverty Influences Brain Development in Children

A new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison concludes that poverty has an important negative effect on brain development among young children. “Poverty may have direct implications for important, early steps in the development of the brain, saddling children of low-income families with slower rates of growth in two key brain structures, according to researchers from the

28 by dianeravitch / 2h 

European Scholars: PISA Rankings Are “Utterly Wrong” and “Meaningless”

Professor Svend Kreiner, a prominent statistician and psychometrician at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Dr. Hugh Morrison of Queens University in Belfast have published studies blasting the reliability and validity of the PISA league tables. They describe PISA’s rankings as “useless,” “utterly wrong,” and “meaningless.” According to TES (London), “Professor Svend Kreiner, a statistic

42 by dianeravitch / 3h hide  //  save

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-16-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: New York Regent Betty Rosa: State’s Program Designed to Create FailureThe New York Board of Regents is determined to pour unprecedented sums into more standards, more tests, and more tests and more standards. Two Regents have opposed this determined focus on standards and testing: Regent Betty Rosa of the Bronx and Regent Kathleen

by mike simpson / 7h 

12-17-13 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.:

Join the discussion with Elaine Nekritz and me today at 6PM CST.

  Just a reminder that you can join the discussion of Chicago and Illinois pensions on The Stream at 6PM CST. The Stream is broadcast over Al Jazeera America. Viewers can Tweet in comments or questions. It is not available online. Only on your local cable channel. Often it will appear as Current TV on your cable guide. Joining me on the panel will be Representative Elaine Nekritz, Better Governme

3 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

Love it or list it.

  Anne and I have this guilty pleasure. It’s called Love It or List It. It’s one of those stupid shows on HGTV. A couple (the show is made in Canada) lives in a house that is too small or poorly laid out for the family. Anne and I usually think that their problems could be solved by spending a couple hours cleaning up some of the mess and getting better organized. But a show about house cleaning

1 by Fred Klonsky / 20min 

Running for governor in Bizarro World.

For several years I have been writing about Illinois party politics as Bizarro World. As a kid Bizarro World was one of my favorite comic books. It portrayed a world in which all assumptions were turned inside out and upside down. It has prepared me for life as an adult in Illinois, a land where Democrats are Republicans and Republicans are crazy. In Illinois our Democratic Governor is the most a

3 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

12-16-13 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.: Illinois’ richest man has Chicago teacher pensions in his crosshairs.Now that the General Assembly members have committed the #pension theft of state employees and teachers, Chicago teachers are next. Rahm Emanuel is the current head of the Chicago crime family. Just as the state has failed to meet it

by mike simpson / 6h 

12-17-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

One Third of NJ Urban Students in Unfit, Dilapidated Buildings

As Chris Christie's hopes for a presidential run diminish day by day, his record on education in New Jersey is enough to disqualify him as presidential material and should actually get him impeached. Another four years of gridlock on the George Washington Bridge, no infrastructure improvements on the rails to NYC or the tunnels but lots of empty photo ops isn't going to cut it. His education polic

2 by freetoteach / 58min

Western Governors University's Path to Becoming a Teacher in NJ

The Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Teaching jobs abound in New Jersey.Western Governors University is recruiting heavily for part time adjuncts in New Jersey to stay in their pajamas and conduct on line courses for NCATE approved "evaluations." If you are looking for a job as a data evaluator, with no benefits, no job security and no office, then this is for you.Now that they are d

by freetoteach / 45min 

Doug Martin on Justin Oakley's Radio Show Wednesday, December 18

By Doug MartinI will be joining Justin Oakley on his Just Let Me Teach radio show tomorrow from around 9:15 to 10:00 pm.  I will be launching the pre-order phrase of my book, Hoosier School Heist, which is scheduled to be released in February.  People interested can pre-order the book on an ad on the Indiana Talks website pages (scroll down on the right hand side), or visit http://hoosierschoolhei

5 by Doug Martin / 42min 

High Stakes Standardized Test Help Fuel Drug Company Profits

Don't you just love how the entire education industrial complex is intertwined with  corporations like pharmaceutical companies?  Just think of all the stress, physical ailments and behavioral problems that will result from the continuous test and punish, value added, and merit pay for high test scores education deform can yield. Even the rich kids of the 1% find drugs can help them compete and pe

by freetoteach / 5min 

MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of Thinking

MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of Thinking http://t.co/edCbAClW1g— Diane Ravitch (@DianeRavitch) December 17, 2013 MIT Researchers: Higher Test Scores Do Not Translate into Higher Levels of Thinking via Professor Diane Ravitch

by Robert D. Skeels 

12-16-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Black Men in Newark Get Drama Class in PrisonBlack men in Newark are getting literature and drama classes in prison. What are black boys in Newark getting in school?Let's ask our new Senator and our Governor who thinks he is presidential material if they know.Here is some educational information for New Jersey's elected representatives and their corporate privatizers and scam artis

by mike simpson / 53min 

12-17-13 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:

To Plug Common Core, Michelle Rhee’s Florida Rep Says Florida Schools Are “Failing Our Kids”

Following the lead of her boss to use the recent release of PISA scores to promote Common Core, Michelle Rhee’s Florida representative Nikki Lowrey wrote an opinion piece for the Tallahassee Democrat: When I was a youth, parents, teachers, even television programs indoctrinated me with the belief that I could be anything I wanted to be, that if I worked hard and did well in school I could live the

19 by Bob Sikes / 4h 

12-16-13 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Jeb Bush: the New Status QuoJeb Bush and his top dollar mouthpieces have become the gift that keeps on giving. Let’s call them on two of their recent public statements. Last week, top policy wonk Matt Ladner touted Florida’ s record at narrowing the achievement gap betwe

by mike simpson / 7h 

12-17-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:

Syrian Refugees Flee to Bulgaria

Syrian refugees have fled to Bulgaria, Europe's poorest country. Thousands of refugees have come into these camps, meant for only 400. The camps do not have electricity or hot water. The camp commandant, Pepy Dzurenov claimed, "The camp was full to capacity, but when a family with five to ten children arrive at midnight, they don't have anywhere to sleep, I'm forced to do the impossible and f

by Jane Wagner / 11h 

  

12-16-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)About one year ago, Major League Baseball player Ryan Freel committed suicide; researchers and his family investigate reasons why he might have done this. After careful brain analysis, researchers revealed that Freel had stage two chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a disease which is usually associated with  erratic beha

by mike simpson / 7h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:

The view from sunny Florida

Here's how things look in Broward County where I'm trying to escape the Chicago frost for a few days. American Prospect has the story of the district's attempt to reverse the school-to-prison pipeline.

The new superintendent [former Chicago administrator Robert Runcie] released the data and acknowledged that the problem had a racial dynamic. “It’s a problem all over the country,” Runcie says, “and Broward is no exception.”

The story was also picked up by NYT:

The Florida district, the sixth largest in the nation, was far from an outlier. In the past two decades, schools around the country have seen suspensions, expulsions and arrests for minor nonviolent offenses climb together with the 

12-17-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

The Wright Brothers Flew 110 Years Ago Today….

The Wright brothers took their historic flights 110 years ago today. #planes #flight http://t.co/ED37kuXxY1 — OCRegister Graphics (@ocrgraphics) December 17, 2013 You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Flight.

6 by Larry Ferlazzo / 35min 

Infographic: “The History of Education”

I think this infographic does a good job on the “past” part of the history of education, but clearly has an idyllic view of role of technology in the present and the future. But it certainly could be used to provoke a discussion: Courtesy of: Boundless Free Textbooks

9 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Great Ideas For End-Of-Calendar-Year Lessons

Looking Back at 2013 | Ideas for Reflecting On and Teaching About the Year That Was is a terrific post from The New York Times Learning Network. It’s full of great lesson ideas in the final days before Winter Break, and has lots of great links to different “year in review” features around the Web. And, if you need even more ideas, you can see my own Learning Network post from last May. It’s fille

5 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Online Video Editor Stupeflix Launches iPhone “Animoto-Like” App

Stupeflix, which is on Not The “Best,” But A List… Of Online Video Editors list, has just launched a free iPhone app called Replay that — at least to me — looks very, very Animoto-like. It lets you easily turn your photos into music videos. I’m assuming there are lots of differences between the two, but I could only find two in my admittedly quick try-out of Replay, and both came out in Replay’s

9 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

‘Educators Are Suffering From Innovation Fatigue’

‘Educators Are Suffering From Innovation Fatigue’ is the title of my latest Education Week Teacher post. Today’s post includes commentaries by Scott McLeod, Sally Zepeda, and Tony Frontier.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 0min 

What Was The Best Education-Related Book You Read This Year?

As I’ve done every December for the past several years, I’m inviting readers of this blog to share the best education-related book that you read over the past twelve months. Leave a your choice in the comments section with no more than a sentence or two description/explanation. As usual, I’ll publish a full list on January 1st. December 29th is the deadline to get your choice in if you want me to

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 0min 

“Google Zeitgeist 2013″ — Not To Be Missed!

Google has come out with their annual multimedia Google Zeitgeist filled with charts, trends and videos documenting the past year. I’m adding it to The Best Year In Review Features — 2013. Here’s just a sample:

4 by Larry Ferlazzo / 6min 

Another Study Shows That Self-Affirmation Activities Help People Think More Clearly

I’ve previously posted here on the blog and also written in my books about research that shows the benefits of having students do simple self-affirmation activities. In Giving Students “Reflection Cards,” I describe its effect on developing self-control and how I apply it in the classroom. In Useful Writing Exercise For Helping Students Develop Self-Esteem and in Simple Writing Exercise Said To “

9 by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h 

12-16-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Using Current Events As A Language-Learning ActivityStudents watch videos on current events, answer questions, and create their own in my latest NY Times post for English Language Learners. Includes a student interactive and teaching ideas. You can see all my previous NY Times posts here.3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h hide  //  

by mike simpson / 7h 

12-17-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

DeBlasio Shadow Transition Includes Advice from Rahm Emanuel

I never drank the BDB Kool-Aid and fear that the people of New York, in their determination to kick Bloomberg's ass right out of town, bought themselves a blanker slate than Barack Obama, which I thought physically and politically impossible. .... Comment on MORE listserve on Capital NY article on under the covers DeB consultantsThe same consulting group that helped Rahm Emanuel screw the teachers

by ed notes online / 9min 

Back to the Bataan Death March

Well, it's time to get back to the fray. I take a week off and head to Delray Florida for some serious tanning and eating and fraternizing and shit happened while I was gone. Well, I hope you've all been reading the fabulous bloggers on my blog roll to keep up. I am way behind. (I find it real hard to do much blogging while at the beach.) And it was only decent beach weather for the first few days

by ed notes online / 10h 

12-15-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes Reprint, Nov. 2007: Welch, Tweed, Farina, and Creative DestructionThanks to Tim-Parent's comment at Gotham for digging up this ednotes piece from November 14, 2007, with discussion over a 2003 Carmen Farina quote in Businessweek that seemed to support the Jack Welch philosophy. But in 2007 Farina clarifies what she said with this:Farina's comment posted on the listserve S

by mike simpson / 7h