Big Education Ape

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

A Look Back: New Study Finds That Specific Ninth-Grade Intervention Very Effective & It’s Remarkably Similar To What We Do At Our School

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h

I’m beginning to republish posts that made it onto my A LOOK BACK: 2019’S BEST POSTS FROM THIS BLOG – PART TWO list. Kunnasberg / Pixabay The American Institutes of Research just released a study finding that a program called Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) was very effective at improving academic progress for ninth-graders and enhancing their connection to school. Here’s how Ed Week summa

YESTERDAY

The Best Resources, Articles & Blog Posts For Teachers Of ELLs In 2019 – Part Two

by Larry Ferlazzo / 13h

This is another end-of-year “Best” lists. I’m adding list list to ALL MY 2019 “BEST” LISTS IN ONE PLACE! You can find previous editions of this list, along with all “Best” lists related to ELL instruction, here. Here are my choices: To start off, you want to follow all these folks on Twitter and, if you’re not on Twitter, go to their Twitter page and then click on links to their blogs. They share

A Look Back: “If You Want Engaged Employees [or Students], Offer Them Stability”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 14h

I’m beginning to republish posts that made it onto my A LOOK BACK: 2019’S BEST POSTS FROM THIS BLOG – PART TWO list. TuendeBede / Pixabay If You Want Engaged Employees, Offer Them Stability is an interesting new article in The Harvard Business Journal. The author, Marla Gottschalk, makes lots of points that are directly applicable to the classroom. She highlights three main features, based on res

New CBS Video: “Documentary explores why black girls are punished more at school”

23by Larry Ferlazzo / 14h

waldryano / Pixabay Check out this video from CBS This Morning. You might also be interested in this three-part series Dr. Terri Watson guest-hosted at my Ed Week column on this very topic , as well as this previous post: Good USA Today Feature On How Black Girls Are Treated Unfairly.

Depressing Statistic Of The Day: The U.S. Has World’s Highest Rate Of Children In Detention

by Larry Ferlazzo / 14h

U.S. has world’s highest rate of detained kids; should be ‘last resort,’ says U.N. is a depressing article appearing at NBC News. It says: The United States detains an average of 60 out of every 100,000 children in its justice system or immigration-related custody, Nowak said, the world’s highest rate, followed by countries such as Bolivia, Botswana and Sri Lanka….The U.S. rate compared with an a

“Student Differences Are Not Deficits”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 15h

Student Differences Are Not Deficits is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Today’s commentaries on the difference between treating students “equally” and “fairly” come from Kelly Capatosto, Gina Laura

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Pushout: Documentary Explores Why Black Girls are Punished More at School | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

Pushout: Documentary Explores Why Black Girls are Punished More at School | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

Pushout: Documentary Explores Why Black Girls are Punished More at School

'Research shows black girls are much more likely to be punished in school than white girls. As part of our School Matters series, we spoke to a 13-year-old who says she was dragged outside and left in the cold by her teacher in the second grade. Author and producer Monique W. Morris talks with CBS This Morning's Jericka Duncan.'

Pushout: Documentary Explores Why Black Girls are Punished More at School | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

The Federal Government Collects Data on How Often Schools Seclude Children. The Numbers Don’t Add Up. — ProPublica

The Federal Government Collects Data on How Often Schools Seclude Children. The Numbers Don’t Add Up. — ProPublica

The Federal Government Collects Data on How Often Schools Seclude Children. The Numbers Don’t Add Up.
Even though school districts are required to report their use of seclusion and restraint to the U.S. Department of Education, it can be difficult for parents to see the full picture.

This investigation is a collaboration between ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune.

In fall 2015, Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Crystal Lake first used its Blue Room, a padded space that allows school workers to place students in “isolated timeout” for safety reasons.

Students were secluded in that room more than 120 times during the 2015-16 school year, according to records obtained by ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune. Yet the district, in its required reporting to the federal government, said it hadn’t used seclusion at all that school year.

Crystal Lake District 47 is an example of how even with federal reporting requirements, it’s nearly impossible to know how often some Illinois schools seclude children. An investigation by the Tribune and ProPublica Illinois found widespread use of seclusion but little transparency.

All public school districts are required to report their use of seclusion and physical restraint to the U.S. Department of Education as part of its Civil Rights Data Collection, which the department uses to help investigate discrimination complaints and to ensure districts follow federal policies. The data is collected every other school year and published online.

Because the Illinois State Board of Education does not monitor the use of seclusion or restraint in public schools, the federal data is the only systematic way for communities to determine whether and how frequently those practices are being CONTINUE READING: The Federal Government Collects Data on How Often Schools Seclude Children. The Numbers Don’t Add Up. — ProPublica

Research, the Media, and the Market: A Cautionary Tale | radical eyes for equity

Research, the Media, and the Market: A Cautionary Tale | radical eyes for equity

Research, the Media, and the Market: A Cautionary Tale

Reporting in The New York Times, Gina Kolata offers a compelling lede:

The findings of a large federal study on bypass surgeries and stents call into question the medical care provided to tens of thousands of heart disease patients with blocked coronary arteries, scientists reported at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association on Saturday.

The new study found that patients who received drug therapy alone did not experience more heart attacks or die more often than those who also received bypass surgery or stents, tiny wire cages used to open narrowed arteries.

And Julie Steenhuysen adds an interesting detail to this new major study: “At least two prior studies determined that artery-clearing and stenting or bypass surgery in addition to medical treatment does not significantly lower the risk of heart attacks or death compared with non-invasive medical approaches alone.”

But these details may prove to be the most important ones of all: “Over $8 billion worth of coronary stents will be sold annually by 2025, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. The increase over the years will be created by an increase in artery diseases coupled with a growing demand for minimally invasive surgeries,” explains Stephen Mraz.

So now let’s do the math. If heart doctors shift to what the new research shows, “The nation could save more than $775 million a year by not giving stents to the 31,000 patients who get the devices even though they have no chest pain, Dr. Hochman said,” reports Kolata.

Better and less intrusive patient care, lower overall medical costs for a U.S. healthcare system already overburdened—what is there to keep the medical profession from embracing compelling scientific research?

Well, the market of course.

Lower costs come from fewer heart surgeries, meaning heart surgeons lose income—and possibly patients.

Keep in mind that while the medical profession decades ago emphasized best practice in prescribing antibiotics (only when bacterial infections are CONTINUE READING: Research, the Media, and the Market: A Cautionary Tale | radical eyes for equity

Michigan: State Takeover of Detroit Schools was a “Costly Mistake” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Michigan: State Takeover of Detroit Schools was a “Costly Mistake” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Michigan: State Takeover of Detroit Schools was a “Costly Mistake”

Koby Levin of Chalkbeat reports that a study of the state takeover of Detroit’s public schools–which lasted for 15 years–was “a costly mistake.”

The state was supposed to solve intractable problems that elected school officials in Detroit could not.

It made things worse, according to a newly released report on the 15 years during which the Detroit school district was largely controlled by state-appointed officials.

The study, which was commissioned by the current school board, found a pattern of “startling mismanagement” in academic and financial matters whose consequences continue to weigh on the district’s future.

While some had hoped that the report would eventually lead to a lawsuit against the state, that seems unlikely. Instead, it provides a 172-page confirmation of what many Detroiters have argued for years: that installing state officials in place of the elected school board wasn’t enough to make the district’s problems disappear.

“The legacy of emergency management coupled with the continuing effect of inequitable school funding, will inevitably cause the District to hit a ceiling and impede its current progress toward a complete turnaround of CONTINUE READING: Michigan: State Takeover of Detroit Schools was a “Costly Mistake” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Democratic Plans to Boost School Funding Don't Pander to Teachers--They Seek an Important Goal This Nation Has Never Before Attempted - Education Law Prof Blog

Education Law Prof Blog

Democratic Plans to Boost School Funding Don't Pander to Teachers--They Seek an Important Goal This Nation Has Never Before Attempted

Derek W. Black, University of South Carolina

With few exceptions, the various Democratic plans for public education share a common theme: more funding, less privatizing.

Candidates Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders have promised to dramatically increase or triple current federal funding for low-income students and curtail charter school growth. Elizabeth Warren recently went even further, promising to quadruple federal funding for low-income students and end federal funding for charter expansion.

These proposals have provoked a deluge of harsh responses from commentators. Increasing public education funding and limiting charters, critics say, is nothing more than pandering to teacher unions and demonizing charter schools. While this critique may resonate on the surface, it ignores a decade of gross underfunding and privatization of public education. As my research shows, addressing these problems is key to improving student achievement.

Shrinking government by shrinking education

The way taxpayers do or do not fund public schools goes to the core question of the role of government in democracy. Public schools have long consumed the lion’s share of state and local tax dollars. No other single program comes close.

Many of the earliest statewide tax systems came into existence for the express purpose of funding schools. And later major expansions of state taxes, like the state income tax in New Jersey, were solutions to unequal funding across school districts. Education holds this special status because state constitutions specifically require legislatures to fund uniform and adequate systems of public schools.

Powerful politicians and advocates, however, object to the demands public education places on government. The Koch brothers, for instance, have claimed that government illegitimately coerces excessive taxes from the wealthy and redistributes them to the masses through social programs. Public education is one of the forms of redistribution that most concerns them.

The Kochs’ donor network heavily invests in campaigns to reduce public school expenditures, expand charter schools and subsidize private education through vouchers and tax credits. The theory behind these campaigns is CONTINUE READING: Education Law Prof Blog

CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Vouchers Are One Step Closer To Ugly Reality

CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Vouchers Are One Step Closer To Ugly Reality

PA: Vouchers Are One Step Closer To Ugly Reality

HB 1800, the bill intended to pilot vouchers in Pennsylvania, made it out of committee today. The vote was 13-12, with two GOP representatives (Rosemary Brown and Meghan Schroeder) voting no.

The precipitating excuse for this bill is the school system of Harrisburg, a system that has suffered from financial mismanagement and so was put in financial receivership, a sort of state takeover, last June. By August, House Speaker Mike Turzai was chomping at the bit, because after all, the state had had almost two whole months to turn things around.

Turzai is a Betsy DeVos fanboy with a long-standing dislike for public education, so Harrisburg's vulnerability must strike him as a great chance to once again try to sell vouchers to a GOP-dominated legislature that has already grabbed onto plenty of choice-flavored assaults on public ed.

The foot in the door is the classic voucher approach. It's generally "these will just be for the poor families" or "just for those trapped in a failing school." Turzai has always been a fan of the "We spent all this money on these schools and where are the shiny test scores?" line of reasoning, and Harrisburg schools don't have a lot of friends or political support right now, so they must look like a great chance to start the voucher train rolling in PA.

The bill is ugly. The state-appointed receiver is directed to offer vouchers, without caps and without oversight. Also, the districts have to provide transportation. Half of the voucher amount ($8,200) would come out of local money and half from the state subsidy. And the bill expressly forbids the state from forcing anyone to accept these vouchers-- so private schools can pick and choose which students they want to accept.

It's also worth remembering that where they have been implemented, vouchers tend to pump lots of CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Vouchers Are One Step Closer To Ugly Reality

Seattle Schools Community Forum: A Lot of Seattle Special Education News

Seattle Schools Community Forum: A Lot of Seattle Special Education News

A Lot of Seattle Special Education News

Via Facebook:

If your student identifies as 2e, please note and if you can help share that there is:
2e meeting tonight (Monday Night) at Thurgood Marshall and Dr. Liliana Sacarin will be the parent speaker tonight discussing Tomatis & Audio Therapy.

Additionally for anyone who wishes to come there is a Seattle Special Education PTSA Meeting Tuesday night at JSCEE at 7:00 and there are topics related to 2e, Dyslexia and Advanced Learning and Denise Juneau will be coming to answer questions on how the strategic plan will address these student and teacher needs.

Here is a recap on SSEPTA and if you can help make people aware via your school web pages and PTA, it will be such a help to support and advocate for children with disabilities. This can also be attended via Zoom, but in person support is appreciated to let Juneau and her team know we are expecting excellence on these topics outlined below.

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Who is the SSEPTA?
The Seattle Special Education PTSA are https://www.facebook.com/seattlespecialeducationPTSA/ Seattle parents, educators, friends, and students with the mission to represent all students in our schools with disabilities.

We are a racially, culturally, and socio-economically inclusive group that is representative of the students we advocate for in our schools.

SSEPTA Membership
We invite you to become a member of the Seattle Special Education PTSA an CONTINUE READING: Seattle Schools Community Forum: A Lot of Seattle Special Education News

WHEN BILLIONAIRES BUY YOUR SCHOOL BOARD: Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood

Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood

Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood

Today I experienced something that felt like a car accident but instead of getting hurt in a vehicle I crashed into the center of a Venn diagram. I landed in the zone where public education, naivete and privilege all come together and form a very ugly picture. What makes it worse is that it is happened in a community whom I have great history and affection, West Hollywood, CA. A town that is known around the world for progressive ideals is on the edge of hitting a low normally seen in TrumpLand. My hope is that by shining a light on this precarious edge some people will be motivated to make sound decisions and pull back to get on the correct side of history.

Like all LA stories, mine began today while driving. After I dropped my son off at school in the mid-city are of Los Angeles, I then headed fifteen miles north east for Eagle Rock High School. As I was slogging through the morning traffic in Koreatown and Silverlake my mind drifted to a spring day in 2016 when I met my friend Mary for breakfast at her favorite tony restaurant in WeHO.

Once I snuggled into the plush booth and ordered my matcha tea latte, the busboy brought Mary her decaf coffee. I was surprised when Mary got up and hugged the busboy and then said, “Carlos, this is Tracy she knows all about public schools and she will help your son Carlos Jr.”

Without a beat, I asked, “What’s going on?” I learned that Carlos Jr. was in fifth grade and needed to land in a good middle school. I was still a bit confused why my help was needed but when Carlos left to take care of another customer my friend told me in a hushed voice that his wife, the son’s mother, was dying of cancer and the family was having a hard time keeping it together and figuring out middle school was too hard a task. I knew right then I would help. It took a couple months and I had to navigate a language bump, but we somehow made it work and his son ended up at a very nice middle school in Glassell Park. Before his wife died, Carlos told me she was so grateful that we found Carlos Jr. a good school. I was so glad to have been a part of that journey for Carlos and his family.

I have thought about Carlos Jr. over the years and was thinking about reaching out to his dad just to see how he was doing when out of the blue I got a text on Saturday.

It was from Carlos Jr. who was now in eighth grade. He and his dad kept my cell number all these years and he asked, “Can you help me get into Fairfax High?”

I asked how he was doing and he told me that he had all ‘A’s last year. I said, “Let me go to Fairfax on Tuesday and see what we need to do to get you in one of the schools on campus.” I added, “But don’t you also want to consider Eagle Rock High School?”

I suggested Eagle Rock because it is near Glassell Park and there would be some kids from his school going there as well. He texted me back, “That would be great.” So, there I was today driving to Eagle Rock and then to Fairfax all to help Carlos Jr. What I had not realized was that the Venn diagram awaited me because WeHO parents were CONTINUE READING: Caught in a Venn Diagram in “Progressive” West Hollywood

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