5-15-14 LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Diane Ravitch's blog #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

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

Rhode Island House May Not Pass Moratorium on High-Stakes Test for Graduation

Just a couple of hours ago, I posted a story about the Rhode Island State Senate’s decision to impose a three-year moratorium on the use of a standardized test as a high school graduation test. The vote was 29-5. The test is called the. New England Comprehensive Assessment Program and bears the appropriate acronym (NECAP, pronounced “kneecap”). The test was not intended to be a graduation test; it

1 by dianeravitch / 41min 

Rhode Island State Senate Aproves 3-Year Ban on High-Stakes Testing

Yielding to demands by students and educators, the Rhode Island State Senate voted a three-year moratorium on high-stakes testing. The bill must still pass the Hpuse and win the Governor’s okay. The bigger problem is that the moratorium kicks the can down the road. If it is wrong to use a standardized test for high school graduation, it will still be wrong in three years.

by dianeravitch / 3min 

Leonie Haimson: Six Charter School Myths

In her testimony to the New York City Council Education Committee, education activist Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters exploded several common myths about charter schools.   First is the myth that they are public schools. They are not. They are private corporations with contracts to run schools, exempt from most state laws and from most state oversight. In court after court, the charters thems

1 by dianeravitch / 18min 

Jeffrey Aaron Snyder: The Trouble with Grit

Other writers have criticized the concept of “grit” on grounds that it seems to suggest that poor kids are poor because they don’t try hard enough, and that this shifts the responsibility for poverty for the economic system to the individuals. So many privileged kids seem to float through life on a soft pillow that it is hard to credit their success in school or life to grit, since their families

by dianeravitch / 10min hide  //  save

Ted Mitchell, Leader in Privatization Movement, Confirmed as Undersecretary of Education

One of the nation’s leaders of the privatization movement, Ted Mitchell, has been confirmed by the. u.S. Senate as Undersecretary of Education, the second most powerful job in the U.S. Department of Education. Mitchell most recently was CEO of the NewSchools Venture Fund, which collects millions from philanthropies and venture funds and invests the money in creating charter chains and for-profit

5 by dianeravitch / 40min 

NYC: A Teacher Explains the Utter Uselessness of High-Stakes Testing

At a rally against high-stakes testing in New York City, high school teacher Rosie Frascella explains the uselessness of high-stakes tests. The students get no feedback about what they did well and where they need to improve. As their teacher, she learns nothing about how well or poorly they did and why. The tests are useless other than for data for bureaucrats nd for the bottom line at Pearson. T

3 by dianeravitch / 23min hide  //  save

North Carolina: A Legislator Expressing Contempt for Teachers

The following comment came from Bridget in North Carolina. That state has been taken over by an extremist legislature and governor who are intent on driving experienced teachers out of the state and replacing them with Teach for America or other low-wage workers.   When Jim Hunt was Governor of the state, he raised teachers’ salaries to meet the national average. Today, NC teachers rank 46th in th

4 by dianeravitch / 1h 

Will Bunch: They Will Never Catch the Real Culprits in Philadelphia

Authorities are closing in on educators who cheated on tests in Philadelphia. But columnists Will Bunch predicts they will never touch the real culprits, the people who designed the system of high-stakes testing. He favors punishing those who cheated, and he agrees tat cheating should never be tolerated. But the true malefactors of test cheating will walk away scot-free: “Let’s be clear: While t

8 by dianeravitch / 2h 

Julian Vasquez Heilig: Uncovering Lies in Arne Duncan’s Graduation Rate Miracle Story

Julian Vasquez Heilig, a professor at the University of Texas, deconstructs another one of those miracle stories that turns out to be too good to be true.   Secretary Arne Duncan is collecting high-fives for a solid leap upwards in the high-school graduation rate, but Heilig says that what he is reporting is manipulation of graduation rate data.   Heilig uses Texas as an example. He shows how stat

8 by dianeravitch / 3h 

5-14-14 LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Diane Ravitch's blog #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Our Brilliant Students: Stop Bashing Our KidsI used to be one of those people who complained that the younger generation was not as smart as my generation. I met adolescents who had never heard of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” or some other piece of literature that I thought was central to our literary tradition. Or, I noticed

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

5-15-14 The Whole Child Blog — Today on the Whole Child Symposium Virtual: Classroom Instruction and Students — Whole Child Education

Today on the Whole Child Symposium Virtual: Classroom Instruction and Students — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Today on the Whole Child Symposium Virtual: Classroom Instruction and Students

May 15, 2014 by Whole Child Symposium

ASCD's inaugural Whole Child Symposium concludes this week with a series of virtual panels featuring school leaders, policy experts, teachers, and students. You can register, participate live, and join in the discussions on social media. Each panel will discuss what currently works in education, what we will need in the future to be successful, and how this can be accomplished.

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION: 11:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M., EASTERN TIME

Register now!

Sean Slade, ASCD's director of Whole Child Programs, moderates a panel discussion on what's currently working in the classroom, what strategies will be needed in the future to ensure success, choice and freedom in schools, and advocacy. Panelists include

• Angela Maiers (@AngelaMaiers) is an educator, author, and speaker whose passions include literacy, learning, and the power of social media.
• Steven Weber (@curriculumblog) is a former classroom teacher, assistant principal, and department of education consultant in Arkansas and North Carolina, and is currentlyis the principal of Orange County Schools' Hillsborough Elementary School in North Carolina.
• Beth Sanders (@MsSandersTHS) is a high school social studies teacher and connected educator in Birmingham, Ala. She is passionate about education reform, social justice, 21st century skills, purposeful technology integration, and genuine equity in education.
• Jose Vilson (@TheJLV) is a math educator, writer, and activist in New York City. His publications include the book Teaching 2030: What We Must Do For Our Students and Public Schools... Now and In The Future, and his recently released first solo book, This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and the Future of Education.

STUDENTS: 2:00–3:30 P.M., EASTERN TIME

Register now!

Kevin Scott, ASCD's director of constituent services, moderates a panel discussion between student teacher Rose Diauto and three students from ASCD's Vision in Action: The Whole Child Award winning schools about owning your education, choice, schools of and for the future, and what they need for their future. Panelists include

• Jacki Ammons is an honor roll student at Oregon's Milwaukie High School—the 2013 Vision in Action: ASCD Whole Child Award winner. She has more than 150 community service hours and is the CEO of Pulse Media Productions, a student-run video production company at the high school. She is planning to study premed at the University of Oregon next year.
• Rose Diauto (@MsDiauto) is currently a junior at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tenn., and serves as its ASCD Student Chapter president. She was inspired to become a secondary English teacher after experiencing a lack of rigor in her rural Arizona public high school.
• Zahra Haq is a 12th grade student at Byrne Creek Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada—winner of the 2012 Vision in Action: The Whole Child Award. She is the vice president of the student government and copresident of the sustainability council and extremely passionate about environmental and global issues.
• Amen Mesfin is a junior at Quest Early College High School in Houston, Tex.—winner of the 2011 Vision in Action: The Whole Child Award. She attributes the school staff with helping her accomplish her education goals and making her dreams of becoming a doctor a reality. By the time she graduates, she will have enough credits to earn her Associate Degree of Science.

All four of the Virtual panels are recorded and will be available early next week for viewing and sharing.

Follow the Whole Child Symposium conversation here on the blog, share your thoughts in the comments and by e-mail, and pose your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #WCSymposium2014.

Learn more at www.ascd.org/wcsymposium.

5-14-14 The Whole Child Blog — Today on the Whole Child Symposium Virtual: Education Policy and Schools — Whole Child Education

Today on the Whole Child Symposium Virtual: Education Policy and Schools — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGToday on the Whole Child Symposium Virtual: Education Policy and SchoolsMay 14, 2014 by Whole Child SymposiumASCD's inaugural Whole Child Symposium concludes this week with a series of virtual panels featuring school leaders, policy experts, teachers, and students. You can register

by mike simpson / 7h 

5-15-14 Wait What? Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party Candidate - Wait What?

Wait What?:

Teacher Evaluations At The Heart Of Education Reform Are Flawed (By Jonathan Kantrowitz)

Jonathan Kantrowitz writes a blog for the Connecticut Post and the Hearst Media Group.  You can count on his articles to be astute, thoughtful and extremely informative.  If you haven’t bookmarked his blog, you should. Kantrowitz’s latest piece examines the significant problems associated with the faulty teacher evaluation programs that are being pushed by the corporate […] The post Teacher Evalua

by jonpelto / 1h 

Child abuse in the form of Common Core Testing

Driving to the meeting with a group of teachers, I couldn’t help but notice that the back roads of Connecticut are particularly beautiful this time of year. The story that these elementary teachers told darkened the return trip. Last week, in an elementary school not far from where you live, the school day started with […] The post Child abuse in the form of Common Core Testing appeared first on W

by jonpelto / 14min 

Additional media coverage of potential gubernatorial candidacy

Here are links to some of the latest news article and news segments about my potential candidate for governor. CT News junkie: Malloy Tries to Look Past Possible Third Party Challenger FOX CT News: Former Democrat Pelto May Run As Third Party Candidate For Governor NBC Connecticut News: Possible Third Party Candidate News 8 WTNH: […] The post Additional media coverage of potential gubernatorial ca

5 by jonpelto / 2h 

5-14-14 Wait What? Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party Candidate - Wait What?

Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party Candidate - Wait What?: Pelto Could Upend Gubernatorial Race As 3rd-Party CandidateThe Hartford Courant has a major story on my potential run for governor. The story, written by Jon Lender and Daniela Altimari, reports; Former Rep. Jonathan Pelto, once a Democratic insider but now a vocal critic of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, said Tuesday he plans to fo

6 by mike simpson / 8h 

5-15-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

In Newark, a shot across the school reform bow

Ras Baraka, a former high school principal, current councilman and son of the late poet Amiri Baraka, is the new mayor-elect of Newark and, much to the chagrin of school reformers, he can thank them for his victory. No, they didn’t support him. And they spent gobs of money to defeat him, especially in the […]

by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

Charter schools ‘must’ comply with U.S. civil rights laws, Education Dept. says (finally)

The Obama administration has just released through the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights what it says is “new guidance confirming that the same federal civil rights laws that apply to other public schools apply equally to public charter schools.” For years, the administration has pushed states to allow the growth of charter schools through […]

by Valerie Strauss / 4min 

Pushback on standardized testing around the country getting stronger

To get an idea of what is going on around the country in regards to the growing anti-standardized testing movement, look at the following collection of stories that have come out in the last week or about the growing resistance around the country to high-stakes standardized testing. This list was issued by the National Center for […]

66 by Valerie Strauss / 5h

5-14-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Holder, Duncan asked to investigate ‘racially discriminatory’ school closings in New OrleansThis week marks the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that was intended to strike down the “separate but equal” doctrine that codified racism in America’s public schools. You can read a report here about what it has and has not accomplished. Fol

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

5-15-14 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 Teachers Union Urges Scott to Veto Voucher Expansion Bill

Governor Rick Scott saw what happened to Charlie Crist when he vetoed SB6, republicans first attempt at imposing a test-based teacher evaluation bill. There’s no chance Scott will veto voucher expansion. But the FEA is doing the right thing by emphasizing in letter to Scott what’s so tragically wrong with the bill, and getting themselves on record as opposing Scott and state republicans. Writes Le

by Bob Sikes / 3h 

5-14-14 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: Testing Screw-Ups, Fines and We’re Working on ItWTSP reporter Grayson Kamm went looking for more answers about last months FCAT snafu and spoke with education commissioner Pam Stewart. He writes: “Where is the state in figuring out how much money this screw-up cost us?”

by mike simpson / 8h

5-15-14 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.:

Glen Brown.

Rahm escalates the war with the City’s public school principals.

Clarice Berry, President of the Chicago Principals Association. A shill for the union? A few days ago the principal at Blaine elementary school on the City’s north side blasted Rahm Emanuel as a bully. First with a piece on the op-ed page of the Sun-Times. Then with a blistering appearance on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight. In the Sun-Times’ piece Troy A. LaRaviere wrote, “I did not travel across an ocea

by Fred Klonsky / 2min 

Glen Brown. What is at stake right now.

Dear Fred, you know I have said this many times: What is at stake right now is an adjudication of claims that public employees have against policymakers who have coerced changes to public employees’ benefits and rights and who are breaking public employees’ contractual and constitutional promises. These are legitimate rights and moral concerns not only for public employees, but for every citizen

by Fred Klonsky / 1h hide  //  save

Judge Belz and the injunction.

It is hard for a public employee to take good news in Illinois without checking on Snopes to see if isn’t a hoax. District Judge John Belz issued a temporary restraining order and and an injunction, preventing the implementation of pension theft as scheduled on July 1. My good friend John Dillon is not so ready to celebrate. And his arguments are – as they always are – sound. They can be summed u

by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

5-14-14 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.: The power of Ras Baraka’s win in Newark yesterday.The new Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Ras Baraka and daughters. To get a feeling for the importance of Ras Baraka’s victory in the Newark Mayor’s race yesterday, don’t read my words. Read from the front page story of the election in this morning’s NY Ti

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-15-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

MORE In the Media: Lupkin, Wainer and Cavanagh in The Chief

“While there were clear efforts made in this contract about improving communication and collaboration, too much has been left on the table,” Ms. Cavanagh said. “I stand up with my chapter as we continue to urge the UFT and the city to go back to that table.” By DAN ROSENBLUM A couple of days before about 2,000 delegates voted May 7 to recommend for ratification the United Federation of Teachers’s

by ed notes online / 2h 

UFT Contract: When the Unity Spin Doesn't Play

My District Rep spun her shit at a school with surrounding schools attending – big crowd – listened to her avoid health issues and baited retro pay – lots of very mad people leaving the building bewildered – all voting NO – DR was like watching FOX News.... An Ed Notes ReaderMaybe the UFT is rushing to get the vote done before their hordes of people racing to the schools turn off even more people.

by ed notes online / 26min 

NYC Educator: When Will Unity See Its Berlin Wall Fall?

I say without any reservations that there is an illness in Unity.  Presently, its members sense only the "stillness in the wind" and they think it will always be so.  They think they can stand without the support of the rank and file.  The rank and file of today will become the retirees of tomorrow and many are intensely unhappy.  I say Unity is living in a house of cards. They may laugh

by ed notes online / 25min 

UFT Contract: Factor in de Blasio Sellout on Charters - With UFT Support

That brings the total amount his administration plans to spend on charters in FY2015 to nearly $1.3 billion, up from $1.06 billion this year.... Capital NY If you don't think the ATR stuff in the contract has nothing to do with the "Big Plan" to chop down a third of union teachers, you must be "smoking something" - to use a phrase our former union chief Sandra Feldman used when

by ed notes online / 46min hide  //  save

Petition the UFT for a mass meeting to explain the contract's impact on ATRs

we wish to have a full enumeration of all actions that would constitute "problematic behavior". .. ATR  Stuff is coming in fast and furious. This popped up. UFT claims it is having mass borough meetings and sending its people into schools to explain the contract. Jeff and I wrote about the "problematic behavior" issue. If the UFT/Unity leadership had a good history of really fi

by ed notes online / 1h 

Newark Ed Update: Round One: Baraka v. Jeffries, Round Two: Baraka v. Christie

I urge my NYC pals who will be voting on the contract to look closely at the Cami Anderson "Newark One" charter giveaway plan and the consequences for NY Teachers over the next 5 years. Randi sold the teachers of Newark a contract a few years ago. I'm betting the UFT contract contains a hidden mine field - why? Because they always do. Our correspondent in Newark has recovered from the wi

by ed notes online / 2h  

5-14-14 Ed Notes Online: Tonight: Laurel Sturt's "Dante's Inferno" - Reading and Discussion

Ed Notes Online: Tonight: Laurel Sturt's "Dante's Inferno" - Reading and Discussion: Tonight: Laurel Sturt's "Dante's Inferno" - Reading and DiscussionReads like a Steven King horror story.I started reading Laurel Sturt's "Dante's Inferno," her story of 10 years in hell in the NYC school system under  the Bloomberg years, on a beach in Florida in February.  There were

1 by mike simpson / 8h