LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-8-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Tonight, I Will Be on Tavis Smiley@PBS

I was interviewed by Tavis Smiley a few minutes ago for a show that is airing tonight. Los Angeles Superintendent John Deasy follows me. I whack the Vergara decision, he praises it. Tavis and I talked about Vergara, Race to the Top, the “reform” movement, and why there is so much blaming of teachers for all the ills of society. I gave it my all. It was my first media gig since my knee accident las

3 by dianeravitch / 3min 

A Reader Comments on the Common Core Battle in Ohio

Chiara, a frequent commenter, sent the following summary of the Common Core fight in Ohio: “Meanwhile, the Common Core fight in Ohio continues. It’s the Tea party lawmakers versus the Republican lawmakers. “I have no idea why either group cares at all what is taught in Ohio public schools, because of both parties had their wish, there wouldn’t be any public schools at all. “I’m flattered by all

8 by dianeravitch / 1h hide  //  save

Politico Reports on RI Governor Race

Politico.com reports on Rhode Island governor’s race. Teachers favor Clay Pell, whose grandfather established the Pell grant program. Pell opposes standardized testing as a graduation requirement. The other candidates are Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, who supported the mass firing of teachers and charter schools. He was endorsed by DFER. And Gina Raimondo, who “is reviled by public-sector worke

3 by dianeravitch / 2h 

Katie Osgood: Don’t Be Fooled by TFA’s Push for Diversity

Katie Osgood warns not to celebrate Teach for America’s drive to recruit more corps members of color. Here are some of her reasons: “TFA has a direct tie to the overall reduction in teachers of color in schools. The black middle class is shrinking, and TFA’s anti-union stance and its attacks on the teaching profession are inextricably linked. Current education policies-which TFA aggressively p

10 by dianeravitch / 4h 

Scherrer: Why VAM Is “Intellectually Criminal”

Audrey Amrein-Beardsley posted a guest blog by a rising star in the Academy, Jimmy Scherrer of North Carolina State University, who previously taught in LAUSD. Scherrer wrote: “As someone who works with students in poverty [see also a recent article Scherrer wrote in the highly esteemed, peer-reviewed Educational Researcher], I am deeply troubled by the use of status measures—the raw scores of s

2 by dianeravitch / 4min hide  //  save

Reynoldsburg, Ohio: A Successful District at Odds with Its Teachers

Plunderbund reports on the disputes between the school board and the teachers in Reynoldburg, Ohio. The district gets high ratings from the state, even though poverty has steadily increased in the student body and nearly half the students live in poverty. Yet despite these accomplishments, the school board has not kept pace with teachers’ salaries and is now making a divisive contract offer. Plu

by dianeravitch / 5min 

NY1 Editorial: Cuomo Should Stop Running Away from Teachout!

Bob Hardt, NY 1’s editorial director, wrote that Cuomo should grow up and act like a Governor, not a bully. He was especially appalled by Cuomo’s behavior at the Labor Day parade, where he refused to shake Teachout’s hand and no matter how hard she tried to reach across to do so, Cuomo was surrounded by other officials and bodyguards determined to prevent a face-to-face encounter, or Heaven forbi

2 by dianeravitch / 28min 

Eton Headmaster: U.K. Exam System Is Obsolete

“Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, says that the U.K.’s testing system is unimaginative and misleading. “England’s “unimaginative” exam system is little changed from Victorian times and fails to prepare young people for modern working life, Eton’s headmaster has said. “Tony Little said there was a risk that “misleading” test scores may become more important than education itself, and warned agains

4 by dianeravitch / 51min 

Ellen Lubic: Time for an Audit and Grand Jury Probe of Deasy in Los Angeles

Ellen Lubic, director of Joining Forces for Education and a professor of public policy in Los Angeles, here describes the numerous failings of Superintendent John Deasy and calls for an independent audit and grand jury investigation. The article has gone viral, receiving nearly 700,000 hits since it was published by CityWatch. She writes: “Finally the lack of transparency of the mismanaged leade

5 by dianeravitch / 1h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-7-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Paul Tractenberg: Ideology Trumps Evidence in Press for All-Charter DistrictsPaul Tractenberg, a distinguished law professor at Rutgers University, challenges the idea that all-charter districts based on the New Orleans model are a magic bullet for Newark, Camden, and other low-performing districts in New Jersey. He notes that for

1 by mike simpson / 9h 

"The Teacher Wars" in the News:

“The Teacher Wars” in the News

It’s been a whirlwind launch week for my book, The Teacher Wars: A History of America’s Most Embattled Profession. Thank you for the many messages of support, the notes saying you bought the book, and–yes–the critiques, too! Here are some of the highlights:

My big interview with Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Air

My Vox longread (an adaptation from the book) on changes at the always-controversial Teach For America

At The Wall Street Journal, I turn in four ways for parents to spot great teachers

At The New Republic, Rebecca Traister and I discuss the complex historical relationship between feminism and the teaching profession

Also at The New Republic, one of my favorite education writers, Rick Kahlenberg, reviews my book alongside the excellent Building a Better Teacher, by Elizabeth Green

At Slate’s The Gist podcast, the awesome and hilarious Mike Pesca (son of a teacher) turns in a probing interview with me on the book, and what the U.S. can learn from how other nations structure the teaching profession

Warren Olney of PRI’s To The Point featured a segment on the book with teachers’ union president Lily Eskelsen Garcia, economist Eric Hanushek, principal Carol Burris, and myself

At Slate, I suggest we remember the important role of the principal, too

At Vox, crack education reporter Libby Nelson asks me super smart questions

And at NBC, Nona Willis Aronowitz wants to know how writing the book changed my own ideas about teaching and education

"The Teacher Wars" in the News:

9-8-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online:

Chicago Teachers Union and CORE - A Rational Social Justice Union and Caucus

Just about every group and grouplet in the USA has hijacked what we are doing in Chicago. We decided NOT to participate in the Ferguson activities, in part because some of our members are spouses of police officers, and the Ferguson activities have become anti-police.... Member, CORE steering committee CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators) votes not to address a resolution on Ferguson. At a rec

2 by ed notes online / 1h 

9-6-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineCongrats to John Elfrank-Dana who has now successfully battled two abusive principalsIf this were Atlanta, Almonte would be leaving in handcuffs..... Ed NotesBergtraum HS principal leaves after caught pushing kids into substandard online courses & violating sped rights; sadly she will now likely go and ruin some adult ed program. Congrats to John ElFrank-Dana wh

1 by mike simpson / 8h 

9-8-14 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.:

Diane Ravitch’s dinner with Bruce Rauner.

2 by Fred Klonsky / 4min 

Da Coach.

1 by Fred Klonsky / 49min 

Retirement and fine dining. More bologna than pâté.

My Logan Square neighborhood has become a Chicago dining destination. It seems that every week brings the announcement of another new restaurant for the twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings that have discovered the place we have called home for the past 40 years. The Sunday Farmers Market across from the Centennial Monument is another foodie destination, drawing visitors from far outside the n

4 by Fred Klonsky / 25min 

NYC Educator. A time for every purpose under heaven.

- NYC Educator is a teacher, local UFT leader and union activist. I was pretty surprised to read a story in the NY Post with a picture of a few dozen white teachers wearing NYPD shirts. Apparently they’d triumphed over the insidious UFT, which had somehow advised them against wearing said apparel. There was talk of appropriate apparel, and vague threatened consequences for wearing things deemed i

1 by Fred Klonsky / 1h

9-7-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.Whitney Young High School alums Bill Drew, Carlos Rosa and Sam Spitz canvassing my 35th Ward for Carlos. Mary Mitchell: Last week, (Chicago police officer) Evans was charged with two felonies for allegedly shoving his service revolver down a suspect’s throat and holding a Taser to the man

1 by mike simpson / 9h 

9-8-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

Heganoo Looks Like A Very Nice & Easy Online Map-Making Site

Heganoo looks like a very nice and easy online map-making site. After a quick registration (though I never received a confirmation email, but was still able to use the site without it) you can identify any location or locations on a map and make it a point-of-interest where you can add text, links and, most importantly as far as I’m concerned, an image by just pasting its url address. That abilit

2 by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min 

My Latest British Council Post Shares A Fun Introductory Activity I Do Every Year

Building Relationships is the title of my latest British Council post where I share a fun introductory activity I do with students at the beginning of each school year. It includes a link to a downloadable student hand-out, along with this artistically challenged teacher model I use: By the way, you can see all my previous British Council posts here.

8 by Larry Ferlazzo / 56min hide  //  save

NEA Today Unexpectedly Runs Article Featuring Classroom Practice Of…Me?

More Teachers Adopting Restorative Discipline Practices is the title of an NEA Today story that unexpectedly features my classroom practice. I had a short email interaction with the writer over the summer, but hadn’t thought much would come of it. You might find it interesting. I’m adding it to The Best Posts On Classroom Management.

7 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Here’s The Cover Of My Upcoming Third Book On Student Motivation (Along With Free Resources)

This is the cover of my upcoming third book on helping students develop intrinsic motivation (my own little trilogy ). It will be published by Routledge in early 2015. You can get free resources from all my six books here, including downloading all student hand-outs from my previous two student motivation books.

6 by Larry Ferlazzo / 37min 

Study: “Asking for Advice Makes You Seem More Competent, Not Less”

New York Magazine (and a bunch of other news outlets) recently reported on new research which found, as the headline of the magazine article and this post says, that “Asking for Advice Makes You Seem More Competent, Not Less.” Here’s an excerpt: I’ve certainly found this to be true, and often ask parents and students for their teaching advice, and definitely never hesitate asking the same of my c

11 by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h hide  //  save

Four Valuable Posts On Classroom Instruction

© 2012 Port of San Diego, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio Here are several recent and valuable resources on classroom instruction: No More Language Arts and Crafts is a must-read post by the one-and-only Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer. Dispelling the Myths: The Truth about Student Engagement is from the Alabama Best Practices Center. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles On Student Engagem

7 by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h 

9-7-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Quote Of The Day: “The Book That Got Teaching Right”Samuel G. Freedman has written a great column in The New Yorker about the book Up the Down Staircase whose author, Bel Kaufman, died this past summer. His column is headlined The Book That Got Teaching Right. Here’s an excerpt: I certainly had heard of the book and movie b

1 by mike simpson / 9h 

9-7-14 Wait What? - Malloy allocates $500k to figure out how to reduce standardized testing…

Wait What?:

Malloy allocates $500k to figure out how to reduce standardized testing…

After wasting tens of millions of taxpayer funds instituting his massive Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Coalition (SBAC) tests, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy has now said that he wants to “to reduce the time Connecticut students spend taking standardized tests” and has even come up with $500,000 in grants to hand out to schools to […] The post Malloy allocates $500k to figure out how to re

11 by jonpelto / 1h 

9-6-14 Wait What? - In the New York Democratic Primary: It is Governor Andrew Cuomo vs. Zypher Teachout

Wait What?: In the New York Democratic Primary:  It is Governor Andrew Cuomo vs. Zypher TeachoutThis coming Tuesday, Zypher Teachout, the liberal Fordham University law professor is challenging Governor Andrew Cuomo. Like Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy, Governor Cuomo supported some progressive causes like gay marriage and gun control.  But, also like Malloy, Cuomo has championed corporate welfare p

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

9-8-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet:

Anti-testing movement growing, finding success around country

A new report on growing resistance to high-stakes standardized testing around the country finds that the movement is growing and meeting some success in numerous states where officials have decided to cut back on the numbers of tests students must take and/or the consequences for students and educators. The report, titled “Testing Reform Victories: The […]

2 by Valerie Strauss / 0min 

Why kids should choose their own books to read in school

  At one time many public schools gave students time to read books of their own choosing, an activity based on the common-sense theory that kids will read what interests them, and that kids who can choose what they read will learn to enjoying reading, and, hence, read more. Unfortunately, many schools no longer let […]

12 by Valerie Strauss / 2h hide  //  save

Interactive science classes benefit black, first-generation college students, study finds

A new study about college-level science shows that all students do much better when traditional lecture classes are made interactive — but those most helped are first-generation and black students. The study — titled “Getting Under the Hood: How and for Whom Does Increasing Course Structure Work?” — looked at data from six semesters of large science lecture […]

2 by Valerie Strauss / 3h 

‘We must push back against the misguided and dangerous belief that a new generation of teachers can emerge spontaneously’

The Urban Teacher Education Consortium is a national consortium of teacher educators who are dedicated to development strong preparation programs for cities across the country. Members of the consortium have just released a position paper on the training of teachers, releasing it at a time of “encroaching dehumanization and disempowerment of both teachers and their […]

10 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

9-7-14 Answer Sheet

Answer Sheet: Does holding kids back a year help them academically? No. But schools still do it.It may seem to make sense to hold back for a year a student who can’t read well but a mountain of research shows that it doesn’t actually help. Unfortunately, school reformers don’t seem to care what the research says. Here to discuss this is Paul Thomas, an associate professor of education at Furman Un

1 by mike simpson / 8h