12-29-13 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs

With A Brooklyn Accent:

What BATS Do

Last night, somebody asked me what BATS do. Here is what I answered - with a few additions1. Working to elect people to school boards, union offices, city councils and legislatures who stand strong for public education and rolling back testing.2. Testifying at all of the institutions represented above when they hold public forums.3.  Supporting ballot initiatives and petition drives which work tow

by Mark Naison / 2min  

12-27-13 With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs

With A Brooklyn Accent: Tough Questions to Ask About Charter SchoolsThe powers that be in the Democratic Party, including our President, have made Charter Schools their main vehicle for educational renewal in low income communities. And there are more than a few civil rights leaders, and elected officials in Black and Latino communities who view them as a chance to give families in their neighborh

by mike simpson / 37min 

12-29-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

NYC schools chancellor to be named

A few weeks ago I reported that New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio would likely tap Carmen Farina, a close adviser who was a former deputy schools chancellor in New York City, to be the new chancellor of the largest school system in the country. Sources now say he will name her as chancellor as […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 30min

What school reformers can learn from Pope Francis

Veteran teacher Larry Ferlazzo has found what he says are school reform and classroom management lessons from Pope Francis. Ferlazzo teaches English and Social Studies at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, CA., has written five books on education, writes a teacher advice blog for Education Week Teacher, and has his own popular resource-sharing blog. […]    

1 by Valerie Strauss / 19min 

Jon Stewart’s greatest education hits ’13

From 2013, in no particular order, with a bonus at the end.   Jon Stewart ridicules preschool critics — 3/7/13 The Daily Show Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook About the stupidity of some of the criticism of the idea of government support for high-quality preschool for all kids. Highlights: …. […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 3min  

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 12-28-13

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetThe test question that’s haunted Gov. Jerry Brown for 50 yearsCalifornia Gov. Jerry Brown has been out front for some time as a strong critic of the standardized-testing obsession that has come to dominate the school reform movement. He has even refused to give in to threats by Education Secretary Arne Duncan to withhold some federal Title 1 funds — inte

by mike simpson / 30min 

12-29-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

And concern about the Common Core DOES NOT MEAN opposition to proper standards

Fellow Connecticut columnist and public education advocate Jonathan Kantrowitz recently made an incredibly important point about the difference between improving education standards and the Common Core.  Kantrowitz writes for the Hearst Media Group and he his particular expertise in curriculum development. In a piece entitled, “Comparing Math Standards – Common Core, Connecticut and Massachusetts

by jonpelto / 10min 

A CT teacher responds to Pryor’s decision to spend $1 million in taxpayer funds to “advertise” the Common Core

The Waterbury Republican-American newspaper recently revealed in an investigative news article that Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor was hiring a public relations company to help implement a $1 million advertising campaign to promote the “Common Core.” The story was picked up here at Wait, What?, on Diane Ravitch’s blog and by Politico, a […]The post A CT teacher responds t

by jonpelto / 13min

12-28-13 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?:  Wait What? All WeekCorporate welfare gone amok: “For ESPN, Millions to Remain in Connecticut”The New York Times had an incredible article yesterday about Governor Malloy’s decision to give tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funded corporate welfare checks to the extraordinarily successful ESPN Company. Malloy is hardly the first Connecticut governor to provide excessive corporate

by mike simpson / 35min 

12-29-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

New AP Article “Teachers find home visits help in the classroom”

Teachers find home visits help in the classroom is a good article from the Associated Press. Here’s an excerpt: “We’ve figured out a way for people to sit down outside the regular school and have the most important conversation that needs to happen,” said Carrie Rose, executive director of the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project in the California capital. The K-12 program began in 1999 as a faith-ba

by Larry Ferlazzo / 27min

Video: “Pencil And Eraser”

Here’s a cute video to show to English Language Learners and have them describe what they see: Thanks to The Kids Should See This for the tip.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 32min 

“Top Pins Of 2013″

Pinterest has announced their Top Pins of 2013. There are quite a few categories, with the ones on Education & classroom ideas and on History probably the most relevant to teachers. You might also be interested in exploring my own Boards there. Supposedly, I can embed here, so I’ll give that a try: Visit Larry Ferlazzo’s profile on Pinterest.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 32min 

“What school reformers can learn from Pope Francis”

Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post has republished a couple of of posts I wrote connecting Pope Francis’ recent comments to education. Check out What school reformers can learn from Pope Francis in case you missed it the first time around.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 32min 

From The Archives: “The best kind of teacher evaluation”

I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. Today, I’d like to point out the first piece I wrote for The Washington Post and which was quite popular, The best kind of teacher evaluation. Here’s an excerpt, which is a quote from a 2010 study from The U.S.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 23min 

More Resources On The Sochi Olympics

Here are a couple of new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: The Sochi Olympics Torch Relay in Pictures is from The Wall Street Journal. Pussy Riot member urges Russia Olympics boycott is from The BBC.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 23min 

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

I’ve started a somewhat regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention: Here’s an interesting infographic on learning English (it may not be able to seen on an RSS Reader). There’s certainly more to it than what it says, but it does include some good pointers. I’m adding it to The Best Infogr

by Larry Ferlazzo / 23min 

Even More “Words Of The Year” Features

Here are some more additions to The Best “Words Of The Year” Features For 2013: The Words That Popped in 2013 is from The Wall Street Journal. Words for the Dumpster is from The New York Times.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 16min

“To Flip, Or Not To Flip, A Classroom – That Is The Question”

To Flip, Or Not To Flip, A Classroom – That Is The Question is my latest Education Week Teacher post. I’ve had some concerns about how a flipped classroom has sometimes been implemented around the country — and the world. So, in addition to having guest responses from enthusiastic proponents like Peter Pappas and Andrew Miller, Josh Stumpenhorst shares reservations similar to mine in his response.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12min 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 12-21-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFLLARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAYThis Is A Good Attitude For Teachers To Take…To all parents, Thank You. I am so honored and humled to be tasked with helping shape your child's future. Signed, The Teacher — Jeff Charbonneau (@JeffCharbonneau) December 27, 2013 Jeff is the 2013 National Teacher of the Year7 by Larry Ferlazz

by mike simpson / 50min 

Tell-All From A TFA and KIPP Teacher: Unprepared, Isolation, Shame, and Burnout | Cloaking Inequity

Tell-All From A TFA and KIPP Teacher: Unprepared, Isolation, Shame, and Burnout | Cloaking Inequity:

Tell-All From A TFA and KIPP Teacher: Unprepared, Isolation, Shame, and Burnout

A few years ago a UT-Austin undergraduate student sat in my office and told me that she was joining Teach For America and was going to teach in KIPP school. The essence of TFA’s pitch to her?

We recruit a diverse group of leaders with a record of achievement who work to expand educational opportunity, starting by teaching for two years in a low-income community.

In 2013, The University of Texas at Austin sent more of our graduates to Teach For America than any other university. We’re #1!?! How can you not feel good about Teach For America after watching this expensive and very professional YouTube promotion video? (Happy Holidays!! btw)

Apparently, a half of a billion dollars buys some slick promotional material.

Also, how can you not fall in love Teach For America when discussing their beliefs with their very intelligent and loquacious staff and lobbyist (Factoid: Did you know TFA has embedded paid ed policy staffers in the U.S. congress?).

A few weeks ago, after I spoke on a panel at the The National Hispanic Caucus of Hispanic State Legislators 

Thousands of black and Latino kids lost their schools in 2013 | MSNBC

Thousands of black and Latino kids lost their schools in 2013 | MSNBC:

Thousands of black and Latino kids lost their schools in 2013

12/28/13 12:00 AM—UPDATED 12/28/13 03:57 PM

Students walk the halls of Normandy High School in St. Louis, where hundreds of students transferred over the summer.

TRYMAINE LEE FOR MSNBC

In Philadelphia, hundreds of children left home a little earlier as they headed back to school this year. A slew of school closures over the summer meant a longer, and often less safe, journey to other elementary and middle schools further away. 

In the St. Louis suburbs, thousands of students transferred this Fall from failing school districts when a court order opened up new opportunities. But the exodus put an even greater financial strain on the districts they left behind. Now the students who chose to stay closer to home could soon find themselves displaced as the state mulls shutting down or taking over their schools. And in Chicago, the closure of nearly 50 schools has created “school deserts” in some neighborhoods, while the district starves other schools to the point of closure.

All across the country, from the old industrial Northeast to the West Coast, through the Midwest and to major cities in the South, mass school closings—the product of deep budget cuts and flawed policy planning—have forced tens of thousands of children further from home. But not all children. Interviews in major cities and a review of census and other data make clear that the vast majority of those affected are African-American and poor.

In district after district, officials have argued that the schools involved had been underutilized or were underperforming, and that by closing them, students have an opportunity to attend better-equipped schools. In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said that “consolidating schools is the best way to make sure all of our city’s students get the resources they need to succeed in the classroom.”

But after years of closures and consolidation in districts across the country—Chicago alone has 

12-29-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

Haslam, Bush, WGU, and McGraw-Hill

In 2002 Stephen Metcalf documented the financially incestuous relationship between the Bush family and McGraw-Hill that resulted from a long-established familial system of mutual back-scratching and "cross-pollination and mutual admiration" between the the two fiefdoms.  Today that system of good ole boy corruption, cronyism, and corporate welfare continues in State Houses and governors'

2 by Jim Horn / 38min 

Use of Value-Added Is "Parochial and Ineffectual"

Tennessee is the test site for every crackpot, over-the-top corporate thought disorder that is translatable into a ed industry scheme that fronts as education policy.  The state has TFA lawyer and the former Mr. Michelle Rhee, Kevin Huffman,  running the schools from Nashville as Commissioner, and earlier this year Huffman and Jeb Bush's Chiefs for Change, a front organization for laundering corpo

by Jim Horn / 3min hide  //  save

  

12-28-13 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekMike Pence's Secret Santasby Doug Martin As we enter an election year here in Indiana, it is time for all of us to start peering in on the campaign records of our beloved state politicians and the front groups that are their publically-secret Santas.  So here are a few of Gov. Mike Pence’s, and they are many of the same people and corporations who funded for

by mike simpson / 1h