12-26-13 Wait What Kicking the can down the road….

Wait What?:

Kicking the can down the road….Governor Malloy style

As the end of 2013 approaches we are reminded that unlike Gepetto’s wooden puppet, many politicians have taken lying and misrepresenting the truth to unprecedented levels, without suffering the ignominious consequences that affected Pinocchio. If that wasn’t the case, Connecticut’s Governor Dannel Malloy would be having an extremely hard time getting in and out of […]The post Kicking the can down

by jonpelto / 0min 

12-24-13 Wait What? surpasses the 1 million visitor mark!!!

Wait What?: Wait, What? surpasses the 1 million visitor markAs the Wait, What? blog approaches its 3rd anniversary, it has blown past the 1 million visitor mark! “Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.” – Leo Tolstoy Even more incredible, almost 15,000 comments have been posted to the site. “It […]The post Wait, What? surpasses the

by mike simpson / 8h 

12-26-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Some Governors and Common Core: “Hot Friends Cooling”

Hoping to advance your own political career? Better be quiet about Common Core. Amazing how a number of formerly outspoken, pro-CCSS governors have strategically opted for silence (or some other form of distance) regarding the now-highly-charged CCSS. New York: Andrew Cuomo It seems, for example, that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has become somewhat of […]

2 by deutsch29 / 1h 

A story of revolution….

The King and his policymakers gather in a large building making laws for the people in lands far from the towers of the capital.  The leaders imposed a biased system of judgement that took away the opportunities for localities to make their own decisions. People proclaimed that citizens should be judged by their “peers” instead […]

1 by Chris Cerrone / 19min

VAM, Sham, Thank You Ma’am

Here’s a short, but hopefully sweet, three-minute speech on why I believe VAM is an unfair measure. ~ @angelcintronjr

by Angel Cintron Jr. / 0min 

The Fordham Strong Arm of Letter Grades for State Standards

In my previous post, The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform, I cite the 2009 Broad Foundation report in which a number of major reformer “participants” told America of the reforms it might expect to be in place in 2012– one of which is the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Among the list of “participants” […]

by deutsch29 / 22min 

12-25-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: My Christmas PostOn most mornings, as part of my morning routine, I listen to T.D. Jakes of the Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas. As my Christmas present to my readers, I offer one of my favorite Jakes sermons. It is about love. I think it will surprise most listeners. Merry Christmas.by deutsch29 / 2h 12-24-13 @ The Chalk Face@ THE CHALK FACE: IMPACT scores in DCPS show errors. I

by mike simpson / 1h 

I Will Be The Muhammad Ali Of Education Writing (My Top Ten Posts of 2013) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

I Will Be The Muhammad Ali Of Education Writing (My Top Ten Posts of 2013) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:

I Will Be The Muhammad Ali Of Education Writing (My Top Ten Posts of 2013)

by JOSE VILSON on DECEMBER 26, 2013

in JOSE

George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali

Dear reader,

The reason I haven’t spoken about Kanye West all year is because, in some ways, I’ve occupied a similar space that he does in education discussion. I don’t mean marrying Kim Kardashian, either.

Here’s the list of my top ten posts according to how many views I got:

1. Chris Christie and Why Teaching Intersects With Women’s Rights
2. I’m Diane Ravitch and I’m Tired of Your Shit (A Review of Reign of Error)
3. First They Came For Urban Black and Latino Moms (For Arne Duncan)
4. Excuse Me, Your Privilege Is Showing (White Privilege in Ed Reform)
5. An Open Letter From The Trenches [To Education Activists, Friends, and Haters]
6. Quvenzhané Wallis, Matthew McConaughey, and How We See Our Children of Color
7. Boredom, Thy Name Is Charlotte Danielson (On Rubrics and Misuse)
8. If You’re Teaching Black History Month This Way, Please Stop
9. The Revisionist’s Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have A Dream For Most Of Us”
10. No One Puts Algebra 2 In A Corner (Math For All Kids)

This year, I dedicated myself to more honest writing, especially around issues of race and equity, and it shows. Seven of my top ten posts deal, at least implicitly with racial justice, four of these deal with women’s rights, and eight of these dealt with educational equity.

Yet, these all have something in common, too: each of them have had someone say, “Well, actually …”

The “Well, actually” crowd loves when you’re controversial in their lane. You agree with everything we have to say? Please walk right in. Have a seat. Jump on our lists. Sit on our board. Have these awards. I’ll follow everything you do for more than a day. Whatever you do, though, please don’t call out anyone or anything that we like because we don’t know what to do with valid

- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/will-muhammad-ali-education-writing-top-ten-posts-2013/#sthash.88L6g4vE.dpuf

The Fordham Strong Arm of Letter Grades for State Standards | deutsch29

The Fordham Strong Arm of Letter Grades for State Standards | deutsch29:

The Fordham Strong Arm of Letter Grades for State Standards

December 26, 2013

In my previous post, The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform, I cite the 2009 Broad Foundation report in which a number of major reformer “participants” told America the reforms it might expect to be in place in 2012– one of which is the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Among the list of “participants” are Chester Finn of the Fordham Institute and a number of Gates Foundation representatives.

I am mindful of the Fordham-Gates connection as influential in promoting CCSS. In my series on CCSS-Gates spending, I note that Gates paid Fordham $2 million to “review” and “track state progress towards implementation of” CCSS.

I also note that Gates paid Fordham an additional $1.5 million for “general operating support”– which could mean Fordham salaries.

In August 2013, a Michigan House panel questioned whether Finn’s review of Michigan’s standards was influenced by Fordham’s receipt of Gates funding.

It’s a valid question.

Many may not know that the Fordham Institute has been reviewing standards since 1997. It seems that Fordham just decided that they were the ones to do so. And there is another layer, one now quite popular with reformers: Give the standards letter grades.

Mind you, Fordham is accountable to no one. No agency audits Fordham’s practices 

Government Shutdown Beats Ravitch, Common Core as Hottest Topics - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Government Shutdown Beats Ravitch, Common Core as Hottest Topics - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

Government Shutdown Beats Ravitch, Common Core as Hottest Topics

By Alyson Klein on December 26, 2013 1:01 PM

We're coming into the home stretch of 2013—a rollercoaster year on the federal budget front, and a pivotal point for the administration's Elementary and Secondary Education Act waivers and its marquee competitive grant program, Race to the Top, as well as for implementation of the Common Core State Standards.

So what were the most-read posts in 2013 on Politics K-12? Here's a rundown:

15) U.S. Department of Education Protestors Turn Fierce Rhetoric on 'Corporate Reform'One teacher protesting outside 400 Maryland Ave. called former D.C. chancellor Michelle Rhee "an Asian bitch."

14) Ed. Dept. Names 31 Finalists for Race to the Top Districts Contest: This year, the department listed the top contenders, and then chose five winners with a mostly rural focus.

13) Diane Ravitch Launches New Education Advocacy Counterforce: Ravitch said she'd like to help support candidates who are skeptical of high-stakes testing.

12) U.S. Department of Education Grants California Districts' Core Waiver The first and only ESEA waiver just to a set of districts, not a state.

11) Arne Duncan Mounts Strongest Defense Yet of Common-Core Standards Duncan tried to beat back claims that the federal government has overstepped in its championing of the standards.

12-26-13 Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Addiction to Closing Schools, Newark Style

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Addiction to Closing Schools, Newark Style:

The Reformy Addiction to Closing Schools, Newark Style

One of Barack Obama's signature education policies is to close "failing" schools. Mostly, I imagine, because actually fixing a "failing" school requires a lot of work and money - things the president, good "moderate" that he is, has never really fought to bring to public education since he's been in office. And so he hired Arne Duncan to be his SecEd, famous for closi

25 by Duke / 41min 

  

12-24-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman: I Can't Escape From Ledger Logic!Oh, Tom Moran and the Star-Ledger Editorial Board! I just can't quit you! [emphasis mine]Last year, the Freehold Regional High School District moved 17 special education students from an out-of-district workplace training program into a brand-new, in-house program.Keeping the students in Freehold saved the district boatloads of money — but it was al

by mike simpson / 11min 

How Education Expert Views Miss the Mark on Low Income Students « NewsTaco

How Education Expert Views Miss the Mark on Low Income Students « NewsTaco:

How Education Expert Views Miss the Mark on Low Income Students

By Ray Salazar, NewsTaco

As my students develop their argumentative writing, I push them to ask themselves “What are the implications of my argument?”  In other words, if our high-school community accepts their idea, what will the argument encourage the audience to believe, communicate, or do?  As we move into another year of education reform and anti-education reform with little ground in between, I want to push education expert Diane Ravitch to reconsider the implications of her arguments this past year.

I also hope that those who support, quote, and exalt her, accept we cannot blindly trust Ravitch’s logic in 2014.  Nor can we passively accept the extremes on the other side of the education debate, but that’s for another post.

So why focus on Diane Ravitch? Why not start with the Michelle Rhees, the Walton Foundations, the education entrepreneurs? The truth is: my ideas align more with Diane Ravitch that with those she criticizes.

But as one my Chicago Southwest side students said to me one day, “It’s the same, but it’s different.” Therefore, if Diane Ravitch truly wants her policy work to make a difference in the lives of American students, she needs to consider the implications of her arguments, which perpetuate practices that 

2013 in Review Part Two: The Year the Common Core Began to Unravel - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

2013 in Review Part Two: The Year the Common Core Began to Unravel - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

2013 in Review Part Two: The Year the Common Core Began to Unravel

By Anthony Cody on December 25, 2013 3:05 PM

It was supposed to be easy. The campaign was one of shock and awe, intended to overpower and silence anyone with the nerve to criticize. Most of us first heard of the Common Core when we learned that 45 states and the District of Columbia had summarily adopted them, with no public hearings or even legislative approval. Just the signatures of the Governor and state superintendent was all that was required, and we were off to the races - or Race to the Top, as it turned out.

We were warned to get on board, get out of the way, or get run over. Our unions signed on, professional organizations, and of course all the recipients of Gates funding as well, became cheerleaders for the new standards - which had nothing to do with curriculum or testing, of course.

But the project began to unravel this year, as people began to see the ways in which the Common Core enhanced and deepened our reliance on high stakes tests for all sorts of important decisions. I tracked the growing opposition, beginning with this February post which described an Arizona event where I debated a conservative proponent of standards associated with ALEC, and found surprising support from the audience for my critique of high stakes testing.

In the summer we received the Common Core test results from New York state, and saw how officials there had created a "disaster by design," since they knew in advance that only 30% of the students were going to pass. This dovetailed with a report from Indiana that showed how one of 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Trib's "magic moment" of 2013. Mine too.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Trib's "magic moment" of 2013. Mine too.:

Trib's "magic moment" of 2013. Mine too.

This from today's Chicago Tribune:

Protesters of 'Persepolis'-gate

March 15, Lane Tech College Prep High School, Chicago

Massive school closings, epic teacher layoffs. Chicago Public Schools officials had plenty to answer for in 2013. So much that their decision in the spring to yank Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel/memoir "Persepolis" out of schools and libraries because of a complaint (about a single image of torture) became something of a cultural blip. But what a blip: The banning led students at Lane Tech to rally against censorship in the rain outside their school. Which led to the news spreading internationally, the irony of the banned selection particularly 

Amid mass school closings, a slow death for some Chicago schools | MSNBC

Amid mass school closings, a slow death for some Chicago schools | MSNBC:

 Walter Dyett High School, pictured here, is being phased out by the Chicago Public Schools. Since 2001, the district has closed, phased-out or turned around about 150 schools. The vast majority of the students affected by the school closures have been poor or African American.

TRYMAINE LEE FOR MSNBC

Amid mass school closings, a slow death for some Chicago schools

12/26/13 09:16 AM—UPDATED 12/26/13 09:24 AM

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By Trymaine Lee

CHICAGO— After Parrish Brown graduates from Walter Dyett High School this spring, it’s likely he’ll never set foot in that school building again. Not for a 10-year reunion or to catch up with former teachers or to admire the gleaming trophies inside the school’s display case.

Because if all goes according to the city’s plan, there soon will be no Walter Dyett High School to return to in Bronzeville, an historic African-American enclave on the city’s south side.

“They closed my elementary school and now they’re phasing out my high school. One day there’ll be nothing in my community to come back to,” said Brown, 17.

“Phasing-out” is a euphemism for slow death in a district that has become increasingly aggressive about closing public schools in poor and African-American neighborhoods. 

Dyett is scheduled to close at the end of next school year, at which point, community groups say, there will be no other viable public high school in the neighborhood–essentially creating a “school desert.”

PHOTO BY TRYMAINE LEE FOR MSNBC

Parrish Brown, 17, is a senior at Walter Dyett High School in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood. Dyett is on the list of schools being phased-out by Chicago Public Schools. When the school closes there will be no other viable public high school in the neighborhood, creating what critics of the closure call a “school desert.”

Mass school closings have become a growing trend in major cities across the country, including Philadelphia, New York City, Oakland and Detroit. But in Chicago, the school board has struck more broadly and with a heavier axe than any other school district in the country. For more than a decade the school district has been on a mission to close underperforming and underutilized schools, mostly in minority 

Common Core: We once wanted to beat the Soviets. Now, we are... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Common Core: We once wanted to beat the Soviets. Now, we are... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Common Core: We once wanted to beat the Soviets. Now, we are following their lead in education. 

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Marching in lockstep toward Common Core

Previous Posts

• Common Core tests: Will Georgia's go-it-alone version be PARCC like or PARCC lite? 
  December 23, 2013
• Is it possible no one at Grady or other APS high schools knew about football fraud? 
  December 20, 2013
• U.S. scores in a holding pattern: Where did our schools go off track?
  December 20, 2013

By Maureen Downey

Here is a guest piece by Stephen Owens, a graduate of Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone. A a teacher for six years, Owens  is a doctoral candidate in educational policy at the University of Georgia.

By Stephen Owens

As the arguments over the Common Core State Standards continue to rage in Georgia, it is worth taking a step back and noting its origins. Reforms like the Common Core have been around for centuries of education, but Georgians should be more interested in how the United States has gotten to a place where each new reform is accepted if it just promises to undo the work of the last.

The beginning of our national thirst for reinvented schools is the same place as the apparent end: Soviet Russia.

On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik into Earth orbit and triggered what has come to be known as the Space Race. It was a well-known (and incorrect) fact that the U.S.S.R. had beaten the U.S. to space because of the failure of American schools to produce high-level scientists and engineers.

The solution, it was proposed, was for public schools to take on more difficult mathematics and 

Sacramento News & Review - Bee uncritical, SCUSD loves lawyers - Bites - Opinions - December 26, 2013

Sacramento News & Review - Bee uncritical, SCUSD loves lawyers - Bites - Opinions - December 26, 2013:

Bee uncritical, SCUSD loves lawyers

By Cosmo Garvin 

cosmog@newsreview.com

This article was published on 12.26.13.

Lozano Smith showcased some of its fine work for SCUSD earlier this month at a presentation in San Diego called, “Breaking the Seniority Barrier in Teacher Layoffs.” There, the firm presented SCUSD as a model of how to get around union contracts. The district, with Lozano Smith’s expert advice, has figured out ways to push out veteran teachers (who tend to be a little too opinionated) at certain schools and replace them with more compliant newer teachers. The guest speakers at Lozano’s event were none other than SCUSD Superintendent Jonathan Raymondand his school-board ally Darrel Woo. The district naturally got sued for the practice, and partially lost, though Lozano Smith got paid the same.

What’s the old cliché? A big lie is more easily believed than a small one. Something like that. It came immediately to mind when the mayor and company unveiled yet another stupendous economic impact for the new Sacramento Kings arena, this one claiming the facility will bring $11.5 billion in economic activity to Sacramento. See SN&R’s long-ass cover story from last week, “Ultimate Kings arena number crunch,” for an explanation of why these sorts of economic impact numbers are basically phony. Or just stick with the Neil deMause’s more succinct explanation over at www.fieldofschemes.com: “Kings arena boosters think numbers are just things you make up because they look pretty.”

The Sacramento Bee has been largely uncritical in its reporting on such claims. When the $11.5 billion number came out last week, it could only manage that “many academic economists also dismiss such studies.”

A while back, a worker Bee lectured Biteson the importance of “objectivity.” But when the objective truth is something like, “The mayor’s new economic impact study is bullshit,” Team Scoopy gets all relative on us, pawning off reality-check duties to “project critics” or “many” economists.

You don’t have to dig too far into the archives to find a feistier, less-cheerleadery Bee. Look up the 2002 editorial from Bee deputy editorial page editor Mark Paul, who methodically picked apart a similar—though actually somewhat less outrageous—economic-impact report, in support of an earlier Heather Fargo-era arena scheme.

“The result is almost always some impressive number that a sports team owner or a politician can use to justify a public subsidy.” And it’s always misleading, Paul explained. That much hasn’t changed, even if the Bee has.

A couple weeks back, Bites introduced Ali Cooper candidate for the Sacramento City Council’s fighting 5th District seat. Cooper’s candidacy is something of a reaction to the Wal-Mart-strong-mayor-Kings-at-any-cost crew that is running City Hall now. Looking citywide, Bites wonders if there isn’t a bit of an insurgency brewing. Former Sacramento Fire Chief Julius 

The ultimate, definitive Sacramento Kings arena number crunch
Everything you wanted to know about whether subsidizing the team’s new downtown home, and whether it’s a good deal for taxpayers. SN&R, 12.19.13.