Morning Wink 5-29-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

Community engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk” | Hechinger Report

Community engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk” | Hechinger Report: Community engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk”By Andre PerryWhat does community engagement mean? In particular, how does community engagement work for a “takeover district?” It doesn’t really.Community engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk.”Click to read more column

by mike simpson / 0min 

The Condition of Education 2014

The Condition of Education: Population CharacteristicsParticipation in EducationElementary and Secondary EducationPostsecondary EducationSpotlightsReference TablesReference MaterialsLetter From the CommissionerThis website has the key indicators of the condition of education in the United States. These indicators summarize important developments and trends using the latest statistics and are updat

by mike simpson / 1min 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Oregon Educator: When Did the Federal Role Change from Equity and Integration to Control?Oregon Educator, a high school principal in that state, poses some hard questions about the federal role in education. The federal government puts up about 12% of the cost of public education but has grown increasingly assertive about exercisin

by mike simpson / 3min 

5-29-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: UFT Contract: The Growing Divide - the Salary Gap Between UFT/Unity Caucus Leaders and Members Grows With New ContractMORE, Love your blog!A pamphlet called "Before You Vote" hit my school Friday and people went nuts. It lists the $32.5 million in salaries of 606 UFT employees starting from Mulgrew ($276K)  on down- some of these people are making $100K and above and are

by mike simpson / 8min 

5-29-14 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.: Dear President Obama. “We are alarmed at the impact of excessive testing,” said Maya AngelouPresident Barack Obama The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama, We the undersigned children’s book authors and illustrators write to express our concern for our readers, their parents and teac

by mike simpson / 10min 

5-29-14 Wait What? Pelto 2014 Exploratory Committee is up and running!

Wait What?: Pelto 2014 Exploratory Committee is up and running!And from Bridgeport – Even more serious questions about the Moales daycare centerQuestion:     Did the Malloy administration inappropriately aid and abet Moales’ in his successful effort to get a third daycare facility license on his property? Question:   Did Mayor Finch and his top staff help Moales get around zoning and code requirem

by mike simpson / 12min 

The Answer Sheet 5-29-14

Answer Sheet: Utah high school alters girls’ yearbook photos to cover skin, remove tattooSome female students at a high school in Utah apparently broke the “modesty” standards for their yearbook and discovered that their photos had been changed digitally, with sleeves and necklines added to cover their skin, and a tattoo removed. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that some girls at Wasatch High Schoo

by mike simpson / 13min 

5-29-14 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: Segregation, Conflicts of Interest and Dropping Struggling Students Common in Florida Charter SchoolsDiane Ravitch links to a Florida League of Women Voters study which detailed much of what readers of this blog already know  about the slimy, corrupt world of Florida’s c

by mike simpson / 15min 

'Urban' Schools and Other Euphemisms - Bridging Differences - Education Week

'Urban' Schools and Other Euphemisms - Bridging Differences - Education Week: 'Urban' Schools and Other EuphemismsBy Deborah Meier on May 29, 2014 9:48 AMDeborah Meier continues her conversation with Mike Klonsky today.Dear Mike,Americans (maybe all "high" civilizations) have a special kind of romance with rural life. They look down upon while also "admiring" what are seen as s

by mike simpson / 18min 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 5-29-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Board District One: SEVEN CANDIDATES VIE FOR LAUSD BOARD SEAT IN WIDE-OPEN CONTESTStaying power of LAUSD Supt. John Deasy's policies could be affected by who wins seat on Board of Education by Howard Blume, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1kNW1Si May 28, 2014 |  9:59 PM  ::  The Los Angeles teachers union and a powerful group of civic leaders are sitting out T

by mike simpson / 21min 

5-29-14 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: SC, Choose OK, Not FL: Failing Students with Failed PolicySC, Choose OK, Not FL: Failing Students with Failed Policy. via SC, Choose OK, Not FL: Failing Students with Failed Policy.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical1 by plthomasedd / 17min Newark’s Failed Experiment Illustrates Reformers’ OverreachDale Russakoff’s New Yorker profile, “Schooled,” starts with a description

by mike simpson / 23min 

5-29-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): SC, Choose OK, Not FL: Failing Students with Failed PolicyWhat do third-grade retention policies based on reading tests, charter schools, tracking, and parental choice have in common? First, across the U.S., they all have a great deal of public and political support. Sec

by mike simpson / 24min 

5-29-13 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION: What Reformy Thing Most Needs To Die?It's a fun thought experiment. If you could erase one aspect of the Reformy test-driven high-stakes privatizing Core-loving status quo, which would it be. If you had the political power to eliminate one head of the public-education-crushing hydra, which decapitation would lead your list?Yes, this is like playing "What would you do if you wo

by mike simpson / 26min 

5-29-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: The Plan To Force Charter Co-LocationsHard to see Cuomo's forcing the city to pick up the tab for charter school rent as aimed at anything other than the eventual return of the charter co-location scheme Bloomberg operated:New York City's move to oust three charter schools from district buildings appears to carry a hefty price tag.The mayor's budget sets aside $5.4 million i

by mike simpson / 28min 

for the love of learning: You can't improve education by disrespecting teachers

for the love of learning: You can't improve education by disrespecting teachers: You can't improve education by disrespecting teachersThis was written by Greg Neiman who is a retired Red Deer Advocate editor. Follow his blog at readersadvocate.blogspot.ca or email greg.neiman.blog@gmail.com. This post was originally found here.by Greg NeimanThese days, everyone is agog over Finland’s model for pub

by mike simpson / 33min 

An edited/shortened version of this letter appears in the June 2., 2014 New Yorker | Bill Ayers

An edited/shortened version of this letter appears in the June 2., 2014 New Yorker | Bill Ayers: An edited/shortened version of this letter appears in the June 2., 2014 New YorkerDale Russsakoff’s thorough report on the Newark schools rescue (5/19/2014) contains echoes from social reform efforts a century ago. When Cory Booker, Newark’s “rock-star mayor,” calls for top-down reform because an open

by mike simpson / 39min 

NYC Educator: How About a Working Teachers Political Party?

NYC Educator: How About a Working Teachers Political Party?: How About a Working Teachers Political Party?I read yesterday that Diane Ravitch will "have a role at Saturday's (WFP) convention."  The Daily News speculated that the Working Families Party might ask Ravitch to run as its candidate for Governor if they fail to endorse Cuomo.  If Ravitch did run, she would help deflect votes fr

by mike simpson / 44min 

Mother Crusader: Maya Angelou: Be The Possible, Be The True, Be The Miracle

Mother Crusader: Maya Angelou: Be The Possible, Be The True, Be The Miracle: Maya Angelou: Be The Possible, Be The True, Be The MiraclePlease read this. Please.What might yearly failures on forced college and career readiness assessments have done to a young Maya Angelou? What messages would today's increasingly rote education system, and her likely inability to submit to such a system, have impri

by mike simpson / 45min 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In the 'Post-Racial Era': The Pre-school-to-Prison Pipeline

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In the 'Post-Racial Era': The Pre-school-to-Prison Pipeline: In the 'Post-Racial Era': The Pre-school-to-Prison PipelineManual Arts Senior High School student Damien Valentine, 16, worked with community groups to pass a proposal last year that bans suspensions of defiant students in L.A. Unified. (Christina House / For The Times)Black children make up 18% of preschoo

by mike simpson / 47min 

YESTERDAY

GUEST: Top Newark student says time to speak is now | Bob Braun's Ledger

GUEST: Top Newark student says time to speak is now | Bob Braun's Ledger: GUEST: Top Newark student says time to speak is nowJordan ThomasToday’s guest blog was written by Jordan Thomas, a senior at Newark’s University High School where he is valedictorian and earned a 4.5 GPA. He was admitted to Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Rutgers and will attend Princeton in the fall. He plans to go to law sch

by mike simpson / 8h 

The Weekly Update: More on the Common Core, push back and opting out of high stakes testing, the FTC steps in to protect student privacy, a gag order on teachers and more | Seattle Education

The Weekly Update: More on the Common Core, push back and opting out of high stakes testing, the FTC steps in to protect student privacy, a gag order on teachers and more | Seattle Education: The Weekly Update: More on the Common Core, push back and opting out of high stakes testing, the FTC steps in to protect student privacy, a gag order on teachers and moreLet’s start off with this gem:Annual K

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-28-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: “What Are We Losing By Eliminating Arts From the Curriculum?” Is Topic Of My Latest BAM! Radio ProgramWhat Are We Losing By Eliminating Arts From the Curriculum? is the topic of my latest BAM! Radio program. Virginia McEnerney and David Booth are my guests as we have a ten minute conversation. They have also contributed wri

by mike simpson / 10h 

Charles M. Blow offers a tribute to Maya Angelou

Charles M. Blow offers a tribute to Maya Angelou: Charles M. Blow offers a tribute to Maya AngeloubyteacherkenFollow    Email  3 Comments / 3 NewThe news of Maya Angelou’s death arrived with the abruptness of a great twister — violent, without warning, tearing things up and flipping things over.I ached the way the soul aches in the world when a great soul is lost from it.So begins a magnificent co

by mike simpson / 11h 

Will Governor Cuomo Come in and Save the UFT Contract? southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com: Will Governor Cuomo Come in and Save the UFT Contract?So today is the day all the votes for the new contract must be in. The ballots have been checked, the envelopes licked and sealed, and the UFT telling us the sky will fall if we don't ratify this contract.Yes, we'll have to get to the back of the line if we fail to ratify this contract. Well, if it means getting

by mike simpson / 11h 

empathyeducates – Do Drivers Discriminate Against Minorities at Crosswalks?

empathyeducates – Do Drivers Discriminate Against Minorities at Crosswalks?: Do Drivers Discriminate Against Minorities at Crosswalks?Perhaps, if we are to truly understand what we see in our schools, we must learn from the streets. We know that societal norms enter the classroom. What is implicit can often be seen. Witness what occurs at crosswalks and ask yourself, is education policy borne out

by mike simpson / 15h 

Nite Cap 5-28-14 #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 CAPSchool Choice Fact Sheet from Statewide StudySchool Choice Fact Sheet from Statewide Study: School Choice Fact Sheet from Statewide StudyLEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF FLORIDA -FACT SHEET-STATEWIDE STUDY ON SCHOOL CHOICEI.  Private School Florida Tax

by mike simpson / 15h 

School Choice Fact Sheet from Statewide Study

School Choice Fact Sheet from Statewide Study: School Choice Fact Sheet from Statewide StudyLEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF FLORIDA -FACT SHEET-STATEWIDE STUDY ON SCHOOL CHOICEI.  Private School Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarships•    In 2012-13, there were 51,075 FTC vouchers awarded state-wide at $4,335 each.  Corporations received tax rebates by contributing to the Step Up for Children Foundation w

by mike simpson / 16h 

empathyeducates – New Civil Rights Suit Calls School Closures Discriminatory

empathyeducates – New Civil Rights Suit Calls School Closures Discriminatory: New Civil Rights Suit Calls School Closures DiscriminatoryBy Julianne Hing | ColorLines. Schools & Youth. 
Tuesday, May 27 2014, 7:20 AM ESTSixty years after Brown v. Board of Education, schools are still both separate and unequal. Community and civil rights groups say they’ve identified a key force that’s aggravated

by mike simpson / 17h 

Working Families Party eyeing Diane Ravitch as possible challenger against Gov. Cuomo - NY Daily News

Working Families Party eyeing Diane Ravitch as possible challenger against Gov. Cuomo - NY Daily News: Working Families Party eyeing Diane Ravitch as possible challenger against Gov. CuomoBY KEN LOVETT  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 11:38 AM Updated: Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 12:54 PMA  A  A991SHARE THIS URLHANDOUTDiane RavitchThe Working Families Party is eying education

by mike simpson / 18h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: For immediate release from N.C. NAACP

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: For immediate release from N.C. NAACP: For immediate release from N.C. NAACPFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 28, 2014Contact: Sarah Bufkin, NC NAACP - smbufkin@gmail.com or 404.285.3413Workers and Clergy Members Arrested in Speaker Thom Tillis' Office for Petitioning to Repeal a Flood of Unjust, Destructive Laws Hurting North Carolina We Shall Not Be Moved | Tillis 15RALEIGH

by mike simpson / 18h 

LAUSD ENDS TEACHERS JAIL- WHY NOW? - Perdaily.com

LAUSD ENDS TEACHERS JAIL- WHY NOW? - Perdaily.com: LAUSD ENDS TEACHERS JAIL- WHY NOW?(Mensaje se repite en Español)The recent decision by LAUSD's General Counsel David Holmquist to no longer require the housing of teachers at LAUSD offices during school hours, while teachers were under supposed investigation of the charges against them, seems to pose more questions than it answers. 1. If it's okay

by mike simpson / 19h 

Wayne Au featured at a Think and Drink this evening | Seattle Education

Wayne Au featured at a Think and Drink this evening | Seattle Education: Wayne Au featured at a Think and Drink this eveningOn Different Tracks: Race, Class and Education, a Think & Drink conversation 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2014The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118Press Release:SEATTLE – Join Humanities Washington for our next Think & Drink event, On Different Tracks:

by mike simpson / 20h 

5/28/2014 – Education Accountability We Can Believe In

5/28/2014 – Education Accountability We Can Believe In: 5/28/2014 – Education Accountability We Can Believe InMay 28, 2014 SubscribeTHIS WEEK: Boosting School Funding Erases Graduation Gap … Education’s New Jim Crow … Lawmakers Clueless On Charter Schools … Resistance To Standardized Tests … Costs Of Closing EdTech GapTOP STORYEducation Accountability We Can Believe InBy Jeff Bryant“For years, edu

by mike simpson / 20h 

Probems with Brickman & Petrilli’s Analysis of Common Core as an Election Issue | Truth in American Education

Probems with Brickman & Petrilli’s Analysis of Common Core as an Election Issue | Truth in American Education: Probems with Brickman & Petrilli’s Analysis of Common Core as an Election IssueFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on May 28, 2014 • 0 Comments323Michael Brickman and Michael Petrilli of the Fordham Institute wrote an article at Townhall.com asserting that th

by mike simpson / 20h 

5-28-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Tokofsky leaves principals union to join lobbying firmDavid Tokofsky David Tokofsky, a former LA Unified school board member and more recently a strategist for the school administrators union, has joined Englander, Knabe & Allen, a lobbying and public relations firm. He is expected to help grow the fi

by mike simpson / 21h 

5-28-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning Taskforce UpdateThere is a joint meeting of the Advanced Learning Taskforces tomorrow, Thursday the 29th from 4-8 pm in the JSCEE auditorium.  They will be discussing their recommendations with an eye to presenting a combined recommendation plan to the Superintendent and Board in the future.  The public is invited to attend but no questions or fee

by mike simpson / 22h 

The Most Secretive Game In Town | Missouri Education Watchdog

The Most Secretive Game In Town | Missouri Education Watchdog: The Most Secretive Game In TowninShareWhen most people think about public schools, the word they focus on is “public.” Things done in public are, by most definitions, visible by everyone. They are exposed for the world to view and judge. Think of Aunt Mable who chastised her husband, who enjoyed his happy hour a bit too much, for makin

by mike simpson / 22h 

Charter Cap ‘n Gown | EduShyster

Charter Cap ‘n Gown | EduShyster: Charter Cap ‘n GownThat path to college turns out to be exceptionally narrow…‘Tis the season to celebrate our boy and girl graduates, reader. And in Massachusetts, aka *the Achievement State,* what better way to do just that than by raising the capon excellence itself with a bold vote to hoist the cap on charter schools? Presto! Like that, the path to college and

by mike simpson / 22h 

School nurses save money: study | Reuters

School nurses save money: study | Reuters: School nurses save money: study(Reuters Health) - A Massachusetts program that put full-time registered nurses in schools more than paid for itself by averting medical costs and lost work for parents and teachers, according to a new study.Many school districts have cut or reduced the hours of school nurses in recent years, and nationwide less than half of

by mike simpson / 22h 

5-28-14 The Whole Child Blog — Honoring Maya Angelou's Call To Be Somebody's Rainbow — Whole Child Education

Honoring Maya Angelou's Call To Be Somebody's Rainbow — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGHonoring Maya Angelou’s Call To Be Somebody’s RainbowMay 28, 2014 by ASCD Whole Child BloggersIn March 2013, Maya Angelou greeted 10,000 ASCD Annual Conference attendees in Chicago, Ill., with a song of hope and gratitude:"When it looked like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God put a rainbow in

by mike simpson / 22h 

5-28-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: NYC Teacher David Garcia-Rosen Battles DOE for More Sports Teams fo Small SchoolsThe leadership of the DOE continues to believe offering me a job at the PSAL is the solution. They continue to defend the PSAL which is one of the most “separate and unequal” high school sports systems in the country. I can’t go work for the PSAL, when they continue to defend their current funding mod

by mike simpson / 23h 

The Arts | Deborah Meier on Education

The Arts | Deborah Meier on Education: The ArtsPosted on May 28, 2014 by debmeierDear friends and readers,Too much happening and so I forget to keep up with this! I’m hoping some are also reading Bridging Differences (see inset)—although we’ll be off the air for most of June, July and August.Was struck by commentary about Michelle Obama’s endorsement of art education. Of course, all help is welcom

by mike simpson / 23h 

The Garfield High School Assessment Committee VS the Testocracy: We know how to run the schools better than billionaires | I AM AN EDUCATOR

The Garfield High School Assessment Committee VS the Testocracy: We know how to run the schools better than billionaires | I AM AN EDUCATOR: The Garfield High School Assessment Committee VS the Testocracy: We know how to run the schools better than billionairesBy I AM AN EDUCATOR on May 28, 2014On Thursday of last week I attended a meeting of the Garfield High School Assessment Committee.A report

by mike simpson / 23h 

5-28-14 Schools Matter - Nevada Dad Asked to Pay $10,194 to See Common Core Data on His Children

Schools Matter: Nevada Dad Asked to Pay $10,194 to See Common Core Data on His ChildrenBill Gates is a master at using his calculated generosity to make the world dependent upon the technologies that his drones are engineering and his worker bees are mass producing.  Common Core’s move to online testing and the federal extortion efforts to require massive data collection systems on students and te

by mike simpson / 23h 

John Thompson: What Will Zuckerberg Learn From Newark? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: What Will Zuckerberg Learn From Newark? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: What Will Zuckerberg Learn From Newark?By Anthony Cody on May 28, 2014 9:47 AMGuest post by John Thompson.Dale Russakoff's New Yorker profile "Schooled" is a wonderful account of Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million investment in Newark school reform, and how and why it failed.

by mike simpson / 23h 

Morning Wink 5-28-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSWe will miss you Maya Angelou | Cloaking InequityWe will miss you Maya Angelou | Cloaking Inequity: We will miss you Maya AngelouI don’t know how much longer I’ll be around. I’ll probably be writing when the Lord says, ‘Maya, Maya Angelou, it’s time.’It is with a sad heart that I learn today of the passing of Maya Angelou. Here are a few select Maya Angelo

by mike simpson / 1d 

2nd Banana 5-24-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 5-17-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 5-10-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 5-3-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 4-26-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Nite Cap 5-28-14 

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Nite Cap 5-24-14 

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Community engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk” | Hechinger Report

Community engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk” | Hechinger Report:

Community engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk”

By Andre Perry

What does community engagement mean? In particular, how does community engagement work for a “takeover district?” It doesn’t really.

Community engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk.”

Click to read more columns.

I never use certain metaphors. Immediately after Katrina and the breeches in the levees, I added “hurricane” to a list that includes “slavery,” “rape” and sometimes “war.” I’ve also become very alert to people who use euphemisms to conveniently rob words of their history and meaning.

Standards of decency should rise above poetic license.

Nevertheless, education reformers look to post-Katrina New Orleans as a model to increase the percentage of charter schools, remove attendance zones, take over failing schools, close schools, dissolve teachers unions and decentralize bureaucratically thick school districts.

I’m constantly asked, “In lieu of a hurricane, what can be done the radically reform school districts?” Hurricane has become the unspoken metaphor or referent that reform strategists muse upon to build apparatuses that can initiate the aforementioned strategies. The turnaround/takeover/portfolio district has evolved to become the hurricane of reformers’ desire. As a result, community engagement has become euphemism for “how to deal with black folk in the aftermath.”

In talks about education reform, where you will find the hidden metaphor of hurricane, “community engagement” will soon follow.

This month, I participated on a panel discussion titled “Achieving a New State: A Look at Turnaround School Districts” at the Education Writers Association national seminar. Journalist John Merrow moderated a panel that included Chris Barbic, superintendent of the Achievement District, Dan Varner, CEO of Excellent Schools Detroit, and me.

The discussion reinforced what I’ve come to know and experience. In talks about education reform, where you will find the hidden metaphor of hurricane, “community engagement” will soon follow.

Merrow led the panel through a series of questions that explored the practices, promises and lessons learned from the Achievement School District (ASD) in Tennessee, the Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) in Michigan and their theoretical mother, the Recovery School District (RSD) in Louisiana.

Each of these turnaround or “portfolio districts” gained state authority to oversee a unique arrangement of traditional and non-traditional schools. Turnaround districts establish conditiCommunity engagement is a euphemism for “how to deal with black folk” | Hechinger Report:

The Condition of Education 2014

The Condition of Education:

Population Characteristics

Participation in Education

Elementary and Secondary Education

Postsecondary Education

Spotlights

Reference Tables

Reference Materials

Letter From the Commissioner

This website has the key indicators of the condition of education in the United States. These indicators summarize important developments and trends using the latest statistics and are updated as data become available. A Congressionally mandated annual report on these indicators is provided to the White House and Congress each year.

In addition, this website has Spotlights on issues of current policy interest. These Spotlights take a more in-depth look at the issues through text, graphics and short videos.

Latest Spotlights

Chapter 1:	Trends in Employment Rates by Educational Attainment
Chapter 2:	Kindergarten Entry Status: On-Time, Delayed-Entry, and Repeating Kindergartners
Chapter 3:	The Status of Rural Education
Chapter 4:	Financing Postsecondary Education in the United States

Download the 2014 Report

What is the COE?

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Schneider: New Orleans and the Big Lie Revealed

Earlier, I posted about “the triumph of reform” in New Orleans, referring to an article in the Washington Post on the final conversion of that district to all-charter. One commenter said there are still six public schools in New Orleans, but even so the point of the article was that this is the first urban district in which all or almost all schools are privately managed. Mercedes Schneider, writ

by dianeravitch / 34min 

I Am Not a Candidate for Political Office

In the past two days, there has been speculation in the media that I might be a candidate for governor on behalf of the Working Families Party. I have not sought this designation nor am I running for any political office. There are many well-qualified candidates, and I expect that WFP will choose one of them. Regular readers of this blog know that I had major surgery on May 9 to replace a knee t

2 by dianeravitch / 5min 

Triumph of Reform: Last Public School in New Orleans Closes

Lyndsey Layton of the Washington Post describes the triumph of the reform movement in New Orleans: The last public school has closed for good. A few observations. All schools in New Orleans are now charter schools. . It’s hard to compare achievement pre-and post-Katrina because so many students never returned after the hurricane. Test scores are up, graduation rates are up, but populations are d

3 by dianeravitch / 17min hide  //  save

For-Profit Firm Will Open Largest Charter in Florida

Academica, the largest charter chain in Florida, won approval to open the state’s largest charter school in Miami-Dade, with 3,000 “student stations.” The firm operates for-profit. A month ago, the Miami Herald reported that the chain was under federal investigation for its business practices. A report yesterday by the Florida League of Women Voters pointed out that Academica has key connections

12 by dianeravitch / 1h 

FairTest: Update on Resistance to High-Stakes Testing

The 2013-2014 school year may be winding down but Testing Resistance & Reform Spring actions activity continues to accelerate. Remember that back issues of these weekly news summaries are archived at http://fairtest.org/news Local Delaware School Board Pursues Opt-Out Policy http://www.doverpost.com/article/20140522/NEWS/140529891/10082/NEWS Florida Kindergarten and First Grade Teachers Questi

by dianeravitch / 2min 

Top 25 University Presidents Paid Nearly $1 Million Per Year

Citing a study by the Institute for Policy Studies, the New York Times says the salaries of the top 25 college/university presidents average nearly $1 million a year. “The study makes some disturbing observations about “the top 25.” Student debt is worse than at other schools. Administrative spending is twice the spending on student aid. The percentage of tenured faculty members fell dramatically,

1 by dianeravitch / 15min

New York: Report from the Frontlines

The following letter was written by a principal in Néw York City. He describes what so many educators feel: Education is being destroyed by excessive, pointless testing. The sad fact is that testing no longer functions as a way to inform teachers and parents and to help children but as a blunt instrument to wear children down and demoralize their teachers. Subject: Student and testing burn out. “T

by dianeravitch / 28min 

Oregon Educator: When Did the Federal Role Change from Equity and Integration to Control?

Oregon Educator, a high school principal in that state, poses some hard questions about the federal role in education. The federal government puts up about 12% of the cost of public education but has grown increasingly assertive about exercising maximal control over state and local decision-making. She writes: “In 1965, President Johnson’s landmark education bill was designed to equalize school

by dianeravitch / 13min hide  //  save

Mercedes Schneider on the Warm Relationship Between Gates and Pearson

Somehow I missed this piece when it appeared several months ago. It is a Mercedes classic, where she shows her skill at reading tax returns and connecting the dots. You may or may not recall that Attorney General of New York Eric Schneiderman fined the Pearson Foundation $7.7 million for engaging in activities related to its for-profit parent Pearson. In some regions, this fine would be referred

6 by dianeravitch / 1h 

Joshua Katz’s Fabulous TED Talk on Our Toxic Culture of Education

Set aside about 17 minutes and watch this wonderful video. Joshua Katz, a high school teacher, connects all the dots. This is a truly outstanding presentation. Watch it and help it go viral. He shows how our present “toxic culture of education” is hurting kids, stigmatizing them as early as third grade by high-stakes standardized testing, while the vendors get rich. He connects the dots: the tes

15 by dianeravitch / 2h 

Russ Walsh: “Reformers” Don’t Know What Motivates Teachers

Russ Walsh writes that corporate reformers have no idea what motivates teachers so they impose their own flawed ideas. Few have ever taught. They listen to economists, most of whom see education as an economic activity, not a humanistic activity. First, they decided that the teacher is the most important determinant of student test scores (not true, the best predictor of student scores is family i

44 by dianeravitch / 3h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-28-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Help Sponsor Researchers to Study Failure of Vouchers in ChileProfessor Julian Vasquez Heilig of the University of Texas is trying to raise funding to take a research team to Chile to study the failure of the voucher progr. He needs your help. Tickets cost either $1,000 round trip or 30,000-60,000 frequent flyer miles. Please consi

by mike simpson / 8h 

5-29-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

UFT Contract: The Growing Divide - the Salary Gap Between UFT/Unity Caucus Leaders and Members Grows With New Contract

MORE, Love your blog!A pamphlet called "Before You Vote" hit my school Friday and people went nuts. It lists the $32.5 million in salaries of 606 UFT employees starting from Mulgrew ($276K)  on down- some of these people are making $100K and above and are trying to sell us a 1% contract--people are miffed.My school has a Unity stooge for CL and he was desperate to collect all copies to d

by ed notes online / 2h 

5-28-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: NYC Teacher David Garcia-Rosen Battles DOE for More Sports Teams fo Small SchoolsThe leadership of the DOE continues to believe offering me a job at the PSAL is the solution. They continue to defend the PSAL which is one of the most “separate and unequal” high school sports systems in the country. I can’t go work for the PSAL, when they continue to defend their current funding mod

by mike simpson / 7h