Sunday, March 16, 2014

Morning Wink 3-16-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




Rivalry between Mayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz stretches beyond charter schools - NY Daily News
Rivalry between Mayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz stretches beyond charter schools - NY Daily News: Rivalry between Mayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz stretches beyond charter schoolsThe two figures share a heated, political rivalry that goes much deeper than the charter school issue they are currently fighting over. BRYAN SMITHMayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz are often fighting on opposing sides,
Judge rules that state Controller Thomas DiNapoli cannot audit charter schools - NY Daily News
Judge rules that state Controller Thomas DiNapoli cannot audit charter schools - NY Daily News: Judge rules that state Controller Thomas DiNapoli cannot audit charter schoolsManhattan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin ruled DiNapoli did not have authority to audit any New York charter school.DAVID HANDSCHUHA judge ruled Thursday that state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli cannot audit New York chart
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-16-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Bloggers Propose the Fight of the CenturyThe bloggers at VAM have proposed what they call “the fight of the century” to replace “the fight of the century that wasn’t.” They refer to the debate that never happened between Michelle Rhee and me. They refer to efforts by Lehigh University to set up a debate between us on February 6, wh
3-16-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Teachers just never know (By Roger Conway)Valued Reader Roger Conway weighs in with a great letter, For all the words spoken and written about education “reform” and all the bloviating about teacher benchmarks and evaluations, very little is said about what and how teachers feel. And part of the reason for this is that teachers keep their most important feelings about what […]The post
3-16-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Miami Herald: “Vouchers Please a Few, But Undercuts the Many”The Miami Herald became the latest large state daily to criticize the republican legislatures’ latest expansion of its school voucher program: Florida’s school vouchers, called the Tax Credit Scholarship progra
3-16-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.  Maintenance costs for closed CPS schools cut by $300 million. Gates echoes union leaderships complaint of Common Core’s bumpy implementation. Or do they echo him? As living standards fall for seniors, signs of a Silver Revolution. Those of us who turned 20 in ’68 are 65 today. Investiga
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-16-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Mayor Garcetti’S Top Education Deputy Thelma MelรฉNdez Leaves City Hall For LausdBy Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Daily News | http://bit.ly/1iRcRkd 3/15/14, 6:31 PM PDT   ::  Just seven months after joining Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s administration, his top education deputy Thelma Melรฉndez is leaving to take a position at Los Angeles Unified School D
Geaux Teacher!: More White Lies from Louisiana
Geaux Teacher!: More White Lies from Louisiana: More White Lies from LouisianaMy letter to all members of the Louisiana House and Senate Education Committees:Ladies and Gentlemen of House and Senate Education: When legislation regarding PARCC assessments are presented before your committees, this information will be useful to prevent John White from pulling the wool over your eyes. I hope you ques
empathyeducates – Kansas Illegally Underfunds Poorer School Districts, Court Rules
empathyeducates – Kansas Illegally Underfunds Poorer School Districts, Court Rules: Kansas Illegally Underfunds Poorer School Districts, Court RulesKindergarten students in Kansas City, Kan., run during a physical education class at Frank Rushton Elementary School, which has a high percentage of poor and at-risk children. (John Hanna / Associated Press / January 9, 2014)Disparities in the public f
3-16-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: Common Core Opponents Not "Drunk With Hysteria"The attempt to marginalize Common Core opponents and critics continues unabated these days, with newspaper editorial boards like the one at the Daily News accusing people who are against the Core of being "drunk with hysteria."A New Yorker writes a letter in respone to the Daily News to let them know why they
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Netflix education: Favoring markets over democracy
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Netflix education: Favoring markets over democracy: Netflix education: Favoring markets over democracyWhat's the No. 1 problem afflicting schools? According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, it's elected school boards...Fickle voters create too much churn. You know, the darn democracy thing. So uncontrollable.-- San Jose Mercury NewsThanks to Diane Ravith for callin
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » A rose by another name…
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » A rose by another name…: A rose by another name…Sherman Dorn, unlike some of us, is a classy blogger. He had a recent poston the overuse of certain terms and created an Education Noise index. I was on the road at the time, but shot off a comment asking given the egregious excesses, what would you use to describe the behavior of Michelle Rhee.Dr. Dorn challe
New York’s ‘shoddy’ Common Core rollout puts special-needs students at risk; a veteran teacher demands a moratorium | Hechinger Report
New York’s ‘shoddy’ Common Core rollout puts special-needs students at risk; a veteran teacher demands a moratorium | Hechinger Report: New York’s ‘shoddy’ Common Core rollout puts special-needs students at risk; a veteran teacher demands a moratoriumBy Jennifer CurleyMy mother died suddenly last month and my father is in prison.  There are five of us now from 8 to 17 years old who are essentially

YESTERDAY

Colorado Dept. of Ed. & Your Child’s Data: The Golden Record | United Opt Out National
Colorado Dept. of Ed. & Your Child’s Data: The Golden Record | United Opt Out National: COLORADO DEPT. OF ED. & YOUR CHILD’S DATA: THE GOLDEN RECORD We bring to you a video featuring Dan Domagala, the Chief Information Officer of the Colorado Department of Education. Within this 14 minute video Domagala outlines clearly the broad plan to connect your child’s data in a longitudinal format t
The Administrative Tightrope and Finding Balance | Connected Principals
The Administrative Tightrope and Finding Balance | Connected Principals: The Administrative Tightrope and Finding Balanceby Tom Martellone • March 16, 2014 • 0 CommentsI wrote the following blog piece this past fall.  As an administrator heading into spring, I felt that it was appropriate to publish this piece again, to not only remind myself about finding balance in my work, but to remind others
Study: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schools | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC
Study: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schools | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Study: Los Angeles charter schools outperform traditional district schoolsKristen Muller | March 15th, 2014, 4:04pmPhoto by Don Harder via Flickr Creative CommonsStanford University's Center for Research on Economic Outcomes (CREDO) issued a report Saturday that found charter school students in Lo
Nite Cap 3-15-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPSchooling in the Ownership Society: The privatization of science replaces public good with super-profitsSchooling in the Ownership Society: The privatization of science replaces public good with super-profits: The privatization of science replace
Schooling in the Ownership Society: The privatization of science replaces public good with super-profits
Schooling in the Ownership Society: The privatization of science replaces public good with super-profits: The privatization of science replaces public good with super-profitsINTEL billionaire Gordon Moore and his new Thirty Meter Telescope which will sit on a Hawaii mountain top.In Washington, budget cuts have left the nation’s research complex reeling. Labs are closing. Scientists are being laid
Geaux Teacher!: SBAC Test "NOT READY" as Scheduled!
Geaux Teacher!: SBAC Test "NOT READY" as Scheduled!: SBAC Test "NOT READY" as Scheduled!My letter to members of the Louisiana House Education Committee on the eve of hearing proposed legislation to return Louisiana education to Louisiana!Ladies and Gentlemen - "As teachers and school administrators learned on Friday, the Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Field Test i
Arne Duncan, Instructional "Shifts" and the Bad Old Days - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
Arne Duncan, Instructional "Shifts" and the Bad Old Days - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Arne Duncan, Instructional "Shifts" and the Bad Old DaysBy Nancy Flanagan on March 15, 2014 2:28 PMThe moment for teacher leadership is now...and I absolutely promise my support.Arne Duncan, yesterday. Hmm. I'd be a little less dubious about the Secretary's absolute pl
NPE: Time for Congressional Hearings into the Abuse of Standardized Testing
The Network For Public Education | Grassroots Toolkit: Time for Congressional Hearings into the Abuse of Standardized Testing: SAVE the DATE! Wednesday March 19th @NetworkPublicEd Twitter Storm 5-7 pm PDST Join us!Grassroots Toolkit: Time for Congressional Hearings into the Abuse of Standardized TestingGrassroots Toolkit: Time for Congressional Hearings into the Abuse of Standardized TestingMarch
Were Charter Teachers and Students Pressured to Rally for Charter Schools in Albany? | The Nation
Were Charter Teachers and Students Pressured to Rally for Charter Schools in Albany? | The Nation: Were Charter Teachers and Students Pressured to Rally for Charter Schools in Albany? On the first Tuesday in March, thousands of students, parents and teachers rallied at the New York state capitol in Albany to protest what the media quickly dubbed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “war” on charte
Arne Does Boston | EduShyster
Arne Does Boston | EduShyster: Arne Does Boston What a week, reader! The excellence express rolled into the Bay State, carrying some seriously career-ready cargo—none other than Arne Duncan himself. What do you mean you didn’t know anything about it??? Now ordinarily this is the point at which I would lambaste you for eschewing excellence in favor of conducting your own race to the bottom of the w
Measuring Privilege | educarenow
Measuring Privilege | educarenow: Measuring PrivilegePosted on March 15, 2014 | Leave a commentDiane Ravitch was recently interviewed in Salon on her thoughts on the current state of education reform.  It’s a great interview with an appropriately prophetic title,  Saying Goodbye to Public Education, so be sure to read it.Ravitch, very knowledgeable about testing and its effects, highlights here th
solidaridad: Not data-driven? Perhaps a key reason David Coleman excluded most literature from Gates Foundation's CCSS racket
solidaridad: Not data-driven? Perhaps a key reason David Coleman excluded most literature from Gates Foundation's CCSS racket: Not data-driven? Perhaps a key reason David Coleman excluded most literature from Gates Foundation's CCSS racketNot data-driven? Perhaps a key reason David Coleman excluded most literature from Gates Foundation's CCSS racketNot data-driven? Perhaps a key reason David Colem
Reflections on Teaching » Week 20-24: Where did the hours go? + Human Rights lesson done right…
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 20-24: Where did the hours go?: Week 20-24: Where did the hours go? So between a week up at Sly Park in the Sierra, parent conferences, and the craziness brought on my an early spring in California, I have become a very poor correspondent about goings on in my classroom. This is the time (before spring break) when it can become a grind, for the kids, a
Teaching & Learning Conference Presentation | InterACT
Teaching & Learning Conference Presentation | InterACT: Teaching & Learning Conference PresentationMARCH 15, 2014tags: #TLConf14, conference, NBPTS, presentationby David B. CohenGreetings to anyone who attended or is interested in our presentation at the Teaching & Learning Conference 2014. We’re glad to share what we’ve done, what we’ve learned, and what we’re still figuring out about
All Things Education: On strange bedfellows in ed reform skepticism
All Things Education: On strange bedfellows in ed reform skepticism: On strange bedfellows in ed reform skepticismLately, there has been some debate over whether progressives align themselves with the Tea Party to defeat the Common Core. I would argue that progressives should be skeptical of aligning ourselves with Tea Party at all because it is an affront to anti-racism and it may lead us to win
2nd Banana 3-15-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #RealEdTalk #p2
BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANARECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTStandardized testing: I opted my kids out. The schools freaked out. Now I know why.Standardized testing: I opted my kids out. The schools freaked out. Now I know why.: I Opted My Kids Out of Standardized TestsThen I learned a thing or two.By Lisa T. McElroy She's smiling because she knows taking the test may very well be easier than opting
Morning Wink 3-15-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSMother Crusader: Would Pete Seeger Perform At An Eva Moskowitz Rally?Mother Crusader: Would Pete Seeger Perform At An Eva Moskowitz Rally?: Would Pete Seeger Perform At An Eva Moskowitz Rally?I seriously can't believe I just had to write that title.Please, don't blame me, blame Laura Waters.In her latest opinion piece for NJ Spotlight she posits that Newar




Rivalry between Mayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz stretches beyond charter schools - NY Daily News

Rivalry between Mayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz stretches beyond charter schools - NY Daily News:



Rivalry between Mayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz stretches beyond charter schools

The two figures share a heated, political rivalry that goes much deeper than the charter school issue they are currently fighting over.




 NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi

BRYAN SMITH

Mayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz are often fighting on opposing sides, currently over charter schools.

He is known for his "dad jeans." She is famous for her four-inch heels.
As a city councilmember, she was a firecracker who could be confrontational. He was a deal-maker with a more conciliatory style.
She loathes the teachers union, while he views the union as a progressive ally.
Mayor de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz, the head of the Success chain of 22 charter schools, couldn't be more different in style, substance and personality, associates and former colleagues say.
Their clashing characters came to a head last month, when de Blasio blocked three Success charter schools from planned co-locations in public school buildings while allowing five others to go ahead.
Moskowitz was devastated and furious. "This has to be the saddest day in Success Academies' history," she said.
The move fulfilled de Blasio's campaign promise to review co-location approvals made in the final months of the Bloomberg administration - and didn't go far enough for some of his backers, who wanted all of them squashed.


During his campaign, de Blasio suggested well-funded charters should pay rent when they took over space in district schools. He drew wild applause last June when he targeted Moskowitz at a mayoral candidate forum and said there was "no way in hell that Eva Moskowitz should get free rent, OK?"
Ideologically, Moskowitz and de Blasio-- who both declined to comment for this article -- have been


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/de-blasio-moskowitz-rivalry-charter-schools-article-1.1723175#ixzz2w8Tb6fu9

Judge rules that state Controller Thomas DiNapoli cannot audit charter schools - NY Daily News

Judge rules that state Controller Thomas DiNapoli cannot audit charter schools - NY Daily News:



Judge rules that state Controller Thomas DiNapoli cannot audit charter schools

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin ruled DiNapoli did not have authority to audit any New York charter school.


NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi

DAVID HANDSCHUH

A judge ruled Thursday that state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli cannot audit New York charter schools.

New York charter schools won a big victory Thursday when a judge ruled the state’s top fiscal officer can’t follow the money and look at their books.
Charter school crusader Eva Moskowitz filed suit to bar state Controller Thomas DiNapoli from auditing her 22 schools, all of which are publicly funded but also receive private donations. On Thursday, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin ruled DiNapoli did not have the authority to audit any New York charter because the schools are not technically “units of the state.”
“We are disappointed that the court struck down the law authorizing the Comptroller’s office to audit charter schools,” said DiNapoli spokesman Matt Sweeney. He added an appeal is under


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/state-comptroller-audit-charter-schools-judge-article-1.1721265#ixzz2w8RwudZE

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-16-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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



Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch


Our Unaccountable, Corrupt Charters in Ohio
A reader writes: “How do you like this for accountability??? Lack of regulations, accountability and transparency invites charter school fraud “Pet care, alcohol, vacations and other personal purchases were charged to taxpayers via Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy charter school, according to a 2013 state audit. The school misspent $520,000 in public money. Two former officials from the Cinc

Richard Hake Defends Testing with No-Stakes
From a reader: “You might be interested in a related discussion list post “The Defiant Parents: Testing’s Discontents – Response to Hunt” [Hake (2014)]. The abstract reads: *************************************************** ABSTRACT: In a post “Re: The Defiant Parents: Testing’s Discontents” [Hake (2014)], I pointed to the “vigorous leadership, voluminous messaging, and pro-public-/anti-private-

Michael Powell on the “Gilded Crusade” for Charters
Thank goodness, there is one journalist at the New York Times who sees the big money behind the charter “movement.” It is Michael Powell, who writes a political column. Michael Winerip used to write a clear-eyed weekly column on education for the Times, but for no reason, his column was dropped, and there is no more regular education columnist. Winerip used to be a scourge of those who love high-

Worcester, Massachusetts, Newspaper Urges Parents to Opt Out Of State Testing and Reject Common Core
The Worcester Telegram commended parents who choose to opt out of state testing and reminded parents that they–not the federal government, not the GatesFoundation–are the ultimate controllers of their children’s education. The paper laments the fact that Massachusetts dropped its successful state standards to chase federal dollars. After reviewing the genesis of Common Core,the newspaper conclude

Bloggers Propose the Fight of the Century
The bloggers at VAM have proposed what they call “the fight of the century” to replace “the fight of the century that wasn’t.” They refer to the debate that never happened between Michelle Rhee and me. They refer to efforts by Lehigh University to set up a debate between us on February 6, which did not happen because Rhee kept raising new demands and eventually backed out when she said she could n
Peter Greene Deconstructs the Conservative Defense of Common Core
Conservatives have a problem: they don’t like federal overreach. They supposedly like local control. But so many conservative thought leaders like Bobby Jindal, Jeb Bush, and Michelle Rhee support the Common Core that they have to figure out how to justify why a program beloved by the federal Department of Education should appeal to conservatives. Peter Greene explains what a heavy lift this is a
Bloggers: Join the Education Bloggers Network!
If you blog and if you support public education as a pillar of our democracy, consider joining the Education Bloggers Network. This is an informal group that was assembled by Jonathan Pelto of Connecticut. There are no responsibilities or burdens, just the opportunity to share your work with others across the nation who share your passion and interests. Please contact Jonathan Pelto at jonpelto@gm
What Arne Said in Boston
As EduShyster said in her previous noted article, Arne Duncan’s visit to Boston gave him another opportunity to tout charter schools as the answer to what ails American education, and to tell his favorite writer at the Boston Globe how terrible U.S. public education is. Although Massachusetts is the highest performing state in the nation and performs as if it were one of the highest performing nat
EduShyster: Arne’s Secret Visit to Boston
EduShyster here breaks the story of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s secret trip to Boston. It must have been secret because, she reports, not a word appeared in the Boston media. He used his time in Boston to tout “no excuses” charter schools and a “turnaround” school that demonstrated the great success of his grand theory: Fire everyone and the school miraculously improves. But, as EduShyste
Burris and Aja: The Myth of “Equity” and Common Core
Carol Burris, principal of South Side High School in Rockville Center, New York, and Alan A. Aja, assistant professor of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at Brooklyn College (City University of New York) here explore and explode the claims that the Common Core Standards will promote equity for the most disadvantaged students. The assertion is often made that these standards, because they are common


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 3-15-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGAn Innocent/Guilty PleasureA couple of years ago, I read an article in The New Yorker about the federal government’s efforts to shut down health-food cooperatives that sell raw milk. The story focused on California, where SWAT teams descended on sellers of raw milk and locked them up. What is “raw milk,” I wondered. It is




3-16-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:









Teachers just never know (By Roger Conway)
Valued Reader Roger Conway weighs in with a great letter, For all the words spoken and written about education “reform” and all the bloviating about teacher benchmarks and evaluations, very little is said about what and how teachers feel. And part of the reason for this is that teachers keep their most important feelings about what […]The post Teachers just never know (By Roger Conway) appeared fi
The list of towns (Part 2) misleading parents on the Common Core Test grows…
As Connecticut superintendents work overtime in their effort to implement Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor’s directives, many local school administrators are sending out letters that try to highlight the “silver lining” of having students take the Common Core Smarter Balanced Field Test. For example, administrators in Granby wrote, This is an exciting opportunity for our school.  […]The post Th


3-15-14 Wait What? All Week
Wait What?:  Wait What? All WeekCommon Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Field Test of a Test delayed a weekAs teachers and school administrators learned on Friday, the Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Field Test isn’t (quite) ready to be given. Years in the making and the consortium behind the absurd Common Core test informed partner states on Friday that things would not be ready to go thi


3-16-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

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







Florida’s Voucher Expansion Assures the Expansion and Enrichment of the Step Up for Students Brand
It’s now called the Florida Sales Tax Credit Program, a teeny-weeny little change in what was simply the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship. Sponsored by Sen. Bill Galvano (R-Bardenton),  SB 1620 is summarized this way: Tax Credit Scholarship Programs; Creating a credit against the sales and use tax for contributions to an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization; revising the disqualifying

Miami Herald: “Vouchers Please a Few, But Undercuts the Many”

The Miami Herald became the latest large state daily to criticize the republican legislatures’ latest expansion of its school voucher program: Florida’s school vouchers, called the Tax Credit Scholarship program pays for about 60,000 students to attend private schools, of which more than 80 percent are religious. However, this is money that, in effect, has been denied to the public-school system a
3-15-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week
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 ALL WeekWhat Charter Schools USA CEO Jonathan Hage Knows That Floridians Don’tFrom Orlando Sentinel reporter Lauren Roth: Charter Schools USA isn’t waiting for a judge to decide if it can open a disputed school in Orange