4-2-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

April’s Infographics & Interactives Galore – Part One

There are just so many good infographics and interactives out there that I’ve begun a new semi-regular feature called “Infographics & Interactives Galore.” You can see others at A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Infographics and by searching “infographics” on this blog. I’ll still be publishing separate posts to individually highlight especially useful infographics and interactives, but you

by Larry Ferlazzo / 27min 

“How Can We Get All Students Participating More All The Time?”

How Can We Get All Students Participating More All The Time? is the new “question-of-the-week” at my Education Week Teacher column. Feel free to leave a response there or here in the comments….

by Larry Ferlazzo / 7min 

I Interview Carol Tomlinson In My New BAM! Podcast

I interview Carol Tomlinson in my latest ten-minute BAM! Radio program on How Can We Differentiate Instruction More Effectively? As most would agree, there is no one more knowledgeable on differentiation than Carol, and it was a privilege interviewing her. Also look for her written contribution to a future column at my Education Week Teacher blog.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 56min 

Our New ASCD Educational Leadership Article: “Teaching Argument Writing to ELLs”

My colleague Katie Hull-Sypnieski and I wrote wrote a lengthy and, if I say so myself , excellent article that has just been published by ASCD Educational Leadership. It’s titled Teaching Argument Writing to ELLs, and it discusses very practical ways to teach writing to Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced English Language Learners — especially in light of the new Common Core Standards. But I th

by Larry Ferlazzo / 0min 

Bus Boycott “Choose Your Own Adventure” Game

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is reopening this weekend after a $28 million renovation (see the NY Times article, From Slave Ship Shackles to the Mountaintop). That’s great news for people who live nearby or who can travel there for a visit. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear they spent any of that money on providing web resources for people unlikely to go there in person. Their site

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

Video: “Sacramento Time Lapse”

I’m adding this video to The Best Websites To Learn About California:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 9h 

Another Good Writing Prompt: Reconciliation

I have lots of useful resources at My Best Posts On Writing Instruction, and it’s also the place I collect posts about the writing prompts I use in my various classes. Here’s one I’m using in my class right now. We’re ending a unit on Nelson Mandela, but it can be used in other contexts, too. I can’t take credit for it, though. It was developed by my colleagues Lara Hoekstra, Katie Hull, and Cary

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h  

4-1-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Lingua.ly Launches App ELLs Might LikeI’ve previously posted about Lingua.ly, a very useful Chrome extension for people learning another language, including English (see Lingua.ly Is A Useful Tool For Second-Language Learners). In fact, it’s on The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students In 2013 list. They just

by mike simpson / 8h 

4-2-14 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.:

Rahm’s pension theft would steal a third of retiree benefits says CTU.

1 by Fred Klonsky / 46min 

Breaking: Rahm’s pension cuts will be signed by the governor by sun down tonight.

Only in Illinois. Rahm’s pension cutting bill was introduced this morning. I am told by those in Springfield that it will be signed by the Squeezy before the sun sets tonight. It will have passed through committees in both the House and the Senate. It will pass both houses. It will become law in less time than it takes to cook a turkey. And then this anti-constitutional turkey will join the other

1 by Fred Klonsky / 48min

Amazingly, the Democrats in Springfield are ready to cut pensions again.

I would have thought that the last thing Squeezy, Cullerton and Madigan would want is another public pension cutting bill on their resume prior to the November election. Squeezy will be a hard enough sell to 800,000 Illinois public employees already – thanks to SB1. And why not wait until the courts rule? But I thought wrong. That’s why nobody will confuse me with a Springfield insider. Greg Hinz

by Fred Klonsky / 12min 

What the hell is wrong with SEIU’s Christine Boardman?

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey. The union response to Rahm Emanuel’s attack on public employee pensions was swift and tough. At least from most of the union leadership representing affected pension members. Bill Dougherty of the Fraternal Order of Police: “I would never agree to something like this. The Lodge has always been willing to sit down and solve problems with the cit

by Fred Klonsky / 56min 

4-1-14 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.: Vote for Fred #19Rahm is not waiting for the courts to decide. He announces an unconstitutional agreement.When I spoke with my State Senator Iris Martinez last November about her vote on pension theft, her answer was a strange one. “I’m against the bill, but I’m voting for it. We should let the courts

by mike simpson / 8h 

4-2-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

NYSUT UPDATE: UFT Sells Out on Charter Law in Exchange for Cuomo Tossing a Bone on Evals to Cut Iannuzzi

It will be even more interesting to see how the election results affect the delegates and the union. Will they all close ranks behind the next regime? Or will the divisions opened up during the campaign linger on?.. Mike Antonucci, EIA Insiders are telling me that Cuomo throwing Mulgrew an olive branch on teacher evals yesterday was a way to slap Iannuzzi and help Mulgrew in NYSUT election - a sig

by ed notes online / 29min 

Janine Sopp, Opt-Outer

It was an incredible honor to stand with all of the parents, elected officials and press in Brooklyn today. It felt like a real movement, with the most lively opt out signs to decorate our celebration!.. Janine Sopp Some press on the Press Conference: Brooklyn Parents Opt Out of State Testshttp://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/education&id=9487788# http://pix11.com/2014/04/01/family-o

by ed notes online / 2h hide  //  save

YESTERDAY

CEC 19 Meeting - Back to the Past - Plus Parent Outrage at What Test Did To Her Child

Oh what memories - I went to the Community Education Council 19 meeting last night to tape MORE/CTS member Katie Lapham (Critical Classrooms, Critical Kids blog) and CTS Fred Smith do a presentation on testing. The meeting was sparsely attended, but interesting all the same. CEC 19 (East New York - a block from Jefferson HS on Pennsylvania Av) is run by long-time activist Erica Perez. They are pre

by ed notes online / 9h 

Press Conference: Brooklyn Parents Opt Out of State Tests

The press attacks on opt-outers as cop-outers don't go very far when 80% of the parents at one of the top performing schools in the city opt-out - and with the support of the principal and teachers. Now one of the attacks on opt-outers is that they are coddled middle class white parents. So having 80% of the parents from District 23’s PS 446/The Riverdale Avenue Community School (which is in Brown

by ed notes online / 14h 

4-1-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Worst Practices: You Don't Have to Teach in a Charter School to Get That Experience -High staff turnover rates were considered a negative at one time -- now that is considered a good thing.Public school principals are using charter school tactics, not only in the way they treat staff -- aiming for constant turnover, etc, but also in how they treat kids -- push-outs, suspensions, n

by mike simpson / 8h 

What’s $30 Million Among Friends? | PWC Education Reform Blog

What’s $30 Million Among Friends? | PWC Education Reform Blog:

What’s $30 Million Among Friends?

April 2, 2014 — pwceducationreform

At last night’s BOCS meeting, Supervisor Pete Candland mentioned some savings PWCS had carried forward.  The savings he noted ranged from $8 million in the 2010 school year to nearly $31 million in the 2014 school year.  Supervisor Candland said he wouldn’t stake his life on the numbers, but that’s what it looked like to him.

He’s right.

In January of 2010 PWCS reported “savings” of $8,249,361 in their 2nd quarter budget update.  $8 million of that was carried forward to the 2011 school year.

This January PWCS reported “savings” of $30,826,526 in their 2nd quarter budget update.  $27.8 million of that was carried forward to the Construction Fund for capital improvements and $1.1 million was carried forward to pay for technology improvements.

These savings aren’t the entirety of what is carried forward by PWCS each year.  These savings are just the school division’s projections in January of what things will look like at the end of the school year in June.  The actual savings that is carried forward at the end of the year is usually greater.

What is carry forward?  By statute, because they’re funded by taxes received from citizens, school divisions are not allowed to have any money left over at the end of the year.  That means that any money that is left over at the end of the year has to be allocated, or carried forward, to the next year or subsequent years. It means that throughout the year the school division 

4-2-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Malloy goes all in with charters!

Today will go down in history as the day Dannel “Dan” Malloy decided to fully align himself with the corporate education reform industry and sell out Connecticut’s public schools once and for all. Moments ago, Malloy’s State Board of Education approved four new charter schools at a time when Malloy has left Connecticut’s public schools […] The post Malloy goes all in with charters! appeared first

10 by jonpelto / 40min 

Malloy sells out Public Education

Led by Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, in a stunning commitment to Malloy’s privatization agenda, the State Board of Education just approved two new charter schools. Jumoke Academy’s Booker T. Washington Academy (New Haven), And Newark’s Great Oaks Charter School (Bridgeport). The Board is now considering a motion to approve two more charter schools, Steve […] The post Malloy sells ou

1 by jonpelto / 12min 

Merging Church and State – The Booker T. Washington Charter School

Governor Malloy’s State Board of Education is expected to approve the New Haven charter school application proposed by Jumoke/FUSE Inc. at its meeting today. The cost to Connecticut taxpayers over the first five years of the school exceeds $27 million. In addition, the taxpayers of New Haven will continue to pay for the transportation costs […] The post Merging Church and State – The Booker T. Was

4 by jonpelto / 37min hide  //  save

Malloy’s plan to privatize public education charges forward today

(aka) Is Newark’s Great Oaks Charter School coming to Bridgeport? At today’s State Board of Education meeting, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy’s appointees will vote to re-commit Connecticut to the Common Core and then vote to divert scarce public funds to new charter schools in Connecticut. As previously reported, new charter school applications up for a […] The post Malloy’s plan to privatize publi

by jonpelto / 2h  

4-1-14 Wait What?

Wait What?: Bronx charter school company sees goldmine in ConnecticutWhen the State Board of Education meets tomorrow to approve Commissioner Stefan Pryor’s plan to open new charter schools in Connecticut one of the most incredible proposals is the one submitted by the Bronx Charter School for Excellence. About a week ago, fellow pro-public education advocate columnist Wendy Lecker laid out the fa

by mike simpson / 8h

“Charter School Teachers on a Mission for Change” | The Classroom Sooth

“Charter School Teachers on a Mission for Change” | The Classroom Sooth:

“Charter School Teachers on a Mission for Change”

Posted on April 1, 2014 | Leave a comment

When I first started teaching it was in a charter school, and I quickly learned what Right to Work meant, when I attempted to stand up for my students against oppressive Zero Tolerance policies and was summarily relieved of my teaching position.  Fired.  For standing up for students.

I applaud the members of the American Federation of Teachers Alliance for Charter Teachers and Staff (AFT-ACTS), and their newest members in Chicago both of UNO Charter Schools and Chicago Quest.

Below is a letter form the teachers of Quest, and I do hope you will take the time to support their cause.  

Better teacher conditions are better learning conditions, and we are all Chicago teachers.

Enjoy,

Adam

“Teachers on a Mission for Change”

“There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.—Indira Gandhi

“32 of the 33 educators at CICS ChicagoQuest declared that they are organizing a union at their school to strengthen the relationships between the school, teachers, school management, and other stakeholders to ensure student-centered policies” (ACTS story). For over three months, Civitas Education Partners has failed to recognize the union that our teachers and staff have formed.

On December 18th, in a powerful demonstration of unity and commitment, our staff stood together at a staff meeting, reading one line of our mission statement at a time to our administration. We wore union buttons and revealed our