Better Than You Think | Blue Cereal Education

Better Than You Think | Blue Cereal Education

Better Than You Think

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It’s almost the end of the semester and – more importantly – the end of another year. I’ve never been one to take on gym memberships I likely won’t use or promise to end habits I’ll probably continue. I do, however, like the idea of fresh starts. They’re rarely total and never complete, but new beginnings – like new school years, new principals, or impeachment hearings, imply a sort of absolution for what’s past and hope for what the future could be.

In other words, January 1st is a reboot of sorts. And some of us need it more than others.

Let’s face it – no one carries around a pervading sense of guilt and inadequacy like teachers. They care deeply, feel strongly, and give muchly – often to a fault. Many of us are able to be professionally developed, pedagogically creative, and politically active, all while scoring way too high on any clinical assessment of personal dysfunctions.

I think it actually goes together – the passion for learning, the tolerance for teenagers, and the emotional mess most of us manage to be. Two sides of the same smashed penny.  

Ruining the Pathology Curve

Not all teachers, of course. Some of you are relatively well-adjusted and fulfilled by a CONTINUE READING: Better Than You Think | Blue Cereal Education

Mitchell Robinson: ProTips, Holiday Edition: Avoiding the "Corporate-Reform-Agenda-Propaganda" (i.e., CRAP) | Eclectablog

ProTips, Holiday Edition: Avoiding the "Corporate-Reform-Agenda-Propaganda" (i.e., CRAP) | Eclectablog

ProTips, Holiday Edition: Avoiding the “Corporate-Reform-Agenda-Propaganda” (i.e., CRAP)

In the aftermath of the recent Public Education Forum in Pittsburgh last week, I’ve noticed an uptick in the number of education reform related posts on social media. Unfortunately, just as with our more strictly political dialogue these days, it can be difficult to distinguish between facts and “Corporate-Reform-Agenda-Propaganda” (i.e., CRAP), or #alternativefacts.

In the spirit of giving, I offer this handy list of tips to help savvy readers become better consumers of education policy information, and avoid stepping in too much CRAP over the holidays.

You know that the person you’re talking–or tweeting–with has probably never studied education, taught in a school, or cares even a little bit about public education–and just might be an “education reform troll” if they…

• talk about measuring educational achievement in “days or months of learning”
• cite Raj Chetty’s “research” on the economic value of kindergarten teachers
• mention, breathlessly, the CREDO study
• talk about “high-quality charter schools“
• complain about “failing schools“
• ask if you’ve heard about “education freedom savings accounts” (i.e., private school vouchers)
• think “that nice Cory Booker seems CONTINUE READING: ProTips, Holiday Edition: Avoiding the "Corporate-Reform-Agenda-Propaganda" (i.e., CRAP) | Eclectablog

EdAction in Congress for December 22, 2019 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress for December 22, 2019 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress for December 22, 2019

Educators Score Big End-of-Year Wins

NEA’S advocacy continues to make a difference for students and educators across the nation. And your activism and outreach to Members has been an integral part of that process.  Last week’s legislative achievements are proof.

Below are various funding highlights, but one of our biggest achievements is the full repeal of the 40 percent excise tax on “high cost” employer-sponsored health plans scheduled to take effect in 2022; the effective date had already been postponed twice.  Once in effect, insurance companies would pay the tax, but the burden would be borne by the 180 million Americans with employer-sponsored health coverage—including many educators—in the form of benefit reductions, higher deductibles, or both.

Funding highlights:

• FY 2020 Funding Bill:
  • $450-million increase for Title I grants
  • $410-million increase for IDEA
  • Increase to $25 million funding for full-service community schools, 43 percent higher than last year’s funding level
  • $550-million increase for Head Start
  • Provides $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health for research on gun violence as a public health issue—the first time since 1996 that Congress has funded such research
  • Provides $7.6 billion to the Census Bureau to ensure all people are counted in the 2020 Census
  • Extends for two years the Secure Rural Schools Act, which expired at the end of 2018
  • Raises by 3.1 percent pay for educators on military bases and other civilian federal employees
  • Rejects the Trump/DeVos efforts to cut education funding by $7.4 billion and rejects their plan to expand federal funding for private-school vouchers
• National Defense Authorization Act: Reverses a provision in the tax law of 2017 that treated as taxable income the moving expenses of federal civilian employees working overseas and provides 12 weeks of paid leave after birthing, adopting, or fostering a child

These achievements underscore the importance of our engagement in the issues that matter to communities across the nation.

House votes to quadruple educator tax deduction and lift cap that cut school funding

House members passed the Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act (H.R. 5377), lifting the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction for two years. The cap threatens states’ and local communities’ ability to adequately fund public education and other essential public services, robbing students of the opportunities they deserve for a well-rounded education. The legislation also quadrupled the annual educator tax deduction from $250 to $1000, acknowledging the tremendous sacrifice educators make when they spend their own money on classroom supplies for students in need. According to a U.S. Department of Education survey, approximately 94 percent of educators spent an average of $500 on school supplies in 2014-2015; nearly 1 out of 10 spent $1,000, and many NEA members make even larger expenditures for their students.

Shout-out to NEA’s cyber-lobbyist superstars

Kudos to an outstanding group of NEA superstars: the cyber-lobbyists listed below who are relentless in reaching out to their members of Congress. In all, NEA members made nearly 900,000 contacts to Congress about legislation affecting students, public education, workers’ rights, and other important issues, and these top 50 led the way. Thank you for making a difference in 2019—and let’s keep our activism going in 2020!

NEA’s top 50 cyber-lobbyists →

This Week’s Cheers and Jeers

NEA President Lily Eskelsen García for being among The Hill’s top grassroots lobbyists in 2019.

Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) for introducing the Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act of 2019 to help end homelessness and assist low-income families in finding housing.

Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for introducing a bipartisan resolution to ensure the fairness and accuracy of the 2020 Census. More than 40 Senators joined them as cosponsors.

Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) for getting language included in the National Defense Authorization Act to reimburse (retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018) educators on military bases, who are members of the Federal Education Association.

Rep. Steve Horsford (D-NV) for leading efforts to get the educator tax deduction included in the Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act; and Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) for introducing the original bill, the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act (H.R. 878).

Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rick Scott (R-FL) for introducing the K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2019, which would require the Department of Homeland Security to examine the cybersecurity risks schools face and create a set of recommendations and voluntary resources for schools.

EdAction in Congress for December 22, 2019 - Education Votes

The Most Important Article Written about Common Core | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Most Important Article Written about Common Core | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Most Important Article Written about Common Core

Lyndsey Layton of the Washington Post interviewed Bill Gates in 2014 and told the full story of the origin of the Common Core “State” Standards.

In case the Washington Post is behind a paywall, the full text of the Layton article is here.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other friends of the CCSS insisted that the standards were developed by governors, state superintendents, education experts, and teachers. No, they were developed by David Coleman, formerly of McKinsey, now CEO of the College Board, and a committee whose members included no working teachers but a full complement of testing experts from ACT and SAT. Google David Coleman and “architect” and you will see that he is widely credited with shepherding the CCSS to completion.

It would not have happened without the enthusiastic support and funding of Bill Gates.

Layton writes:

On a summer day in 2008, Gene Wilhoit, director of a national group of state school chiefs, and David Coleman, an emerging evangelist for the standards CONTINUE READING: The Most Important Article Written about Common Core | Diane Ravitch's blog

HAPPY SOLSTICE EVERYONE: What is the winter solstice? - Los Angeles Times

What is the winter solstice? - Los Angeles Times

What is the winter solstice?

HAPPY SOLSTICE EVERYONE

By PAUL DUGINSKI GRAPHICS AND DATA JOURNALIST 

The December solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs when the North Pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the sun, causing the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. In about six months, as Earth travels on its yearlong journey around the sun, the Northern Hemisphere will be tilted toward the sun, and the Southern Hemisphere will reach its maximum tilt away from the sun. The seasons are caused by the fact that Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees.

The winter solstice is regarded as the beginning of winter, but from this point the days begin to lengthen. Still, the coldest part of the winter lags behind the solstice, usually coming in January and February. That’s because Earth is constantly losing heat, and more heat is leaving the reservoir in the Northern Hemisphere’s mid- and high latitudes than is being added to it. In the same way, the warmest days of the year lag behind the summer solstice, much as the hottest part of a summer day occurs several hours after the sun is at its noonday high point.

What is the winter solstice? - Los Angeles Times

Winter solstice: Why pagans celebrate the shortest day of the year 

The December solstice happens at the same instant for everyone, everywhere on Earth – and December solstice 2019 arrives on December 22 at 04:19 UTC. That’s December 21 for much of North America. High summer for the Southern Hemisphere. For the Northern Hemisphere, the return of more sunlight!.

The winter solstice happens every year when the Sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun, delivering the fewest hours of sunlight of the year.

The Sun is directly overhead of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere during the December solstice and is closer to the horizon than at any other time in the year, meaning shorter days and longer nights.

The shortest day of the year lasts for 7 hours 49 minutes and 41 seconds in Britain, which is 8 hours, 49 minutes shorter than the June Solstice. As such, Thursday December 20th is the longest night of the year with the sun not rising until 08:03 GMT on Friday morning.

The day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite is true. Dawn comes early, and dusk comes late. The sun is high and the shortest noontime shadow of the year happens there. In the Southern Hemisphere, people will experience their longest day and shortest night.

Does the winter solstice always occur on December 21st?

While it more often than not falls on December 21st, the exact time of the solstice varies each year. In the Northern hemisphere the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, because it is tilted away from the sun, and receives the least amount of sunlight on that day.

However, the earliest sunset does not occur on the solstice, because of the slight discrepancy between 'solar time' and the clocks we use.

The shortest day of the year often falls on December 21st, but the modern calendar of 365 days a year - with an extra day every four years - does not correspond exactly to the solar year of 365.2422 days.

The solstice can happen on December 20, 21, 22 or 23, though December 20 or 23 solstices are rare.

The last December 23 solstice was in 1903 and will not happen again until 2303.

What does 'solstice' mean?

The term 'solstice' derives from the Latin word 'solstitium', meaning 'Sun standing still'. On this day the Sun seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then reverses its direction as it reaches its southernmost position as seen from the Earth.

Some prefer the more teutonic term 'sunturn' to descibe the event.

Is the solstice the first day of winter?

The answer might vary depending on who you ask. There are two types of winter: astronomical and meteorological.

Astronomical winter typically begins on December 21st, with the winter solstice, and ends on March 19th. Meteorological winter always begins on December 1st and ends on February 28th (February 29th during leap years).

While astronomical winters are determined by the Earth's orbit around the sun, meteorological winters are the three calendar months with the lowest average temperatures.

The Met Office tend to use the meteorological definition of the seasons.

Stonehenge and the solstice

Scores arrive at the prehistoric monument in Wiltshire to mark the occasion. Why is the site so important?

Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, is carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset (opposed to New Grange, which points to the winter solstice sunrise, and the Goseck circle, which is aligned to both the sunset and sunrise).

Archaeologists believe it was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC and it is thought that the winter solstice was actually more important to the people who constructed Stonehenge than the Summer solstice.

The winter solstice was a time when cattle was slaughtered (so the animals would not have to be fed during the winter) and the majority of wine and beer was finally fermented.

The only other megalithic monuments in the British Isles which clearly align with the sun are Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland and Maeshowe situated on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. Both famously face the winter solstice sunrise.

You can also see the solstice sunrise around the world; this website shows Winter solstice: Why pagans celebrate the shortest day of the year (a day late)

Four Views: Why Mayoral Control of the NYC Schools Should Be Ended or Modified or…..? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Four Views: Why Mayoral Control of the NYC Schools Should Be Ended or Modified or…..? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Four Views: Why Mayoral Control of the NYC Schools Should Be Ended or Modified or…..?

Attached are four statements that were delivered (in person or by email in my case) to the New York State Assembly Education Committee Hearing on Mayoral Control. The hearings won’t result in immediate action since mayoral control was recently renewed for three years.

It is hard to believe but there was a time, about a decade ago, when corporate reformers believed that mayoral control would lead to a dramatic transformation of schools. The problem, they believed, was democracy. When people have a chance to elect a board, the “reformers” said, they make bad choices, the unions have too much power, and the result is stasis. Chicago has had mayoral control since 1995, and the newly elected Mayor Lori Lightfoot has agreed that the city should have an elected board. Here is a list of mayoral-controlled school systems.

In New York City, Michael Bloomberg asked the Legislature to give him complete and unfettered control of the New York City public schools in 2002, soon after his election in 2001. He received it, and he promised sweeping changes. He closed scores of large schools and broke them up into four or five or six schools in the same building (escalating the cost of administration). Parents, students, and teachers objected passionately, but the mayor’s “Panel on Education Policy” ignored them. Bloomberg favored charter schools over the public schools he controlled, and their number multiplied. He tightly centralized the operations of the system and appointed a lawyer with no education experience (Joel Klein) to be his chancellor. Bloomberg was all about test scores and data and privatization.

When Bill de Blasio was elected in 2013, he embraced mayoral control.

What follows are three views, all concluding that mayoral CONTINUE READING: Four Views: Why Mayoral Control of the NYC Schools Should Be Ended or Modified or…..? | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Power of Purpose at Kentucky | Cloaking Inequity

The Power of Purpose at Kentucky | Cloaking Inequity

THE POWER OF PURPOSE AT KENTUCKY

This is no ordinary year.

In our world, our nation, here in Kentucky and at the University of Kentucky College of Education, we have witnessed change and challenge, as well as inspirational accomplishments. In my first semester as dean, I have been awed by the passion within our students, faculty, and staff as they demonstrate time and again the heart to step up and work together to be a powerhouse for change. You’ll see just a few examples in the stories below.

As we reflect on the past few months and look forward to what we will build in the new year, I am filled with a sense of purpose. That’s a powerful word – purpose. It reminds us that we are doing work that is relevant, real, and vital.

Best wishes in the year to come.

Julian Vasquez Heilig, Ph.D.
Dean, University of Kentucky College of Education

$2.3 million grant helps address special education faculty shortage
Without faculty, universities cannot fill the critical shortage of special education teachers. A $2.3 million grant is being used to recruit doctoral students to replace an aging special education faculty in Kentucky. (This means you – or someone you know – could earn a special education doctorate for free.)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium covers critical education issues
Some of the brightest minds in the field of education spoke at the University of Kentucky College of Education’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium in September.

Debunking a charter school myth
A common refrain: Charter schools are racially isolated because of where they tend to locate. UK College of Education Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig’s analysis debunks this myth.

How will a $1.2 million grant help Kentucky’s youngest students? 
Classrooms are short on preschool teachers and applied behavior analysts. Why is this workforce not meeting demand? A grant from the U.S. Department of Education is helping fill Kentucky’s gap. (Learn how you – or someone you know – can earn a master’s degree for free in this program.)

Searching for answers for a painful hip condition
University of Kentucky researchers are in search of answers for those who suffer from a painful hip condition known as Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome (FAIS). A study in the January issue of Clinical Biomechanics helps shed light on the short-term outcome of anthroscopic surgery for the condition.

These alumni are solid gold
It has been 50 years since the class of 1969 graduated from the UK College of Education. Some returned to campus to become initiated into the Golden Wildcat Society.

Making a difference: Helping kids achieve “wondrous” things
We thrive on partnerships with schools. Thanks to donations from faculty, staff, students, and friends of the college, we will be using reading and art to help enrich learning at two Fayette County Promise Academies.

Sharing is caring:

 

The Power of Purpose at Kentucky | Cloaking Inequity

Is There a 21st Century Report Card? | My Island View

Is There a 21st Century Report Card? | My Island View

Is There a 21st Century Report Card?

Change is inevitable and with the influence of technology it happens faster today than ever before in history. The first mobile phone call was made 45 years ago April 3, 1973, but the first true smartphone actually made its debut in 1992. In less than three decades we have redefined the purpose of a phone to be a mobile computer and camera with phone capabilities as one of its many functions. Beyond the communications industry technology-influenced changes have had a great effect on the film industry, the record industry, the typewriter industry, the media industry, the photography industry, and many, many more. In every case a reevaluation took place to assess what each industry had to offer and how technology could improve their product. Some industries benefitted greatly by the change. Unfortunately, many others were deemed obsolete in our technology-driven culture, causing their demise rather than their transformation.

The influence of technology has been slow in changing the industry of education. The idea of reassessing and reevaluating the product of education is difficult when the product is not something that is tangible. The other complication is the many facets of the education industry that need to be affected in order for the slightest change to take place in the final product that might be described as an individual’s education. There is no one silver bullet that will fix or evolve the education CONTINUE READING: Is There a 21st Century Report Card? | My Island View

CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Voucher Crisis Looming

CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Voucher Crisis Looming

OH: Voucher Crisis Looming

When does a voucher program lose support? When it comes for the wealthy white districts.

Ohio has quietly been working to become the Florida of North when it comes to education, with an assortment of school choice programs that are like a cancerous growth gnawing away at the health of the public school system. But now, due to a collection of lawmaker choices, the privatized schools of Ohio have dramatically advanced their bid to consume public education. And somer lawmakers have noticed.

"Hey! I would like to speak to a manager!"

Ohio has followed the basic template for implementing choice-- get your choicey foot in the door with some modest programs that are strictly to "save" poor, underserved students from "failing" schools. Then slowly expand. Only, somehow, somebody screwed up the "slowly" part.

Next year, the number of "failing" districts in Ohio will jump from 500 to 1,200. The voucher bill for many districts will jump by millions of dollars. (If you like a good graphic, here's a tweet that lays it out.) And the list of schools whose residents are eligible for the EdChoice program include districts that are some of the top-rated districts in the state.

It might not matter that top districts are now voucher-eligible-- after all, parents can just say, "Why go to private school when my public school is great?"-- except for one other wrinkle. Next year ends CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Voucher Crisis Looming

Class Size Presentations of Citywide and District Trends Since 2006 | Class Size Matters

Class Size Presentations of Citywide and District Trends Since 2006 | Class Size Matters Class Size Presentations of Citywide and District Trends Since 2006 | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes
Class Size Presentations of Citywide and District Trends Since 2006

The presentations below discuss citywide and district class size trends. Overall, class sizes are larger than they were in 2006 and continue to be larger than the Contract for Excellence goals.

Citywide PowerPoint

Manhattan PowerPoint

Bronx PowerPoint

Brooklyn PowerPoint

Queens PowerPoint

Staten Island PowerPoint

Class Size Presentations of Citywide and District Trends Since 2006 | Class Size Matters Class Size Presentations of Citywide and District Trends Since 2006 | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes