Monday, March 22, 2021

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Monday, March 22, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #openonlywhensafe #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform

 Big Education Ape

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES 



As students with disabilities return to school, districts are unprepared to meet their needs, report says https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/03/22/school-districts-unprepared-to-meet-need-of-returning-students-with-disabilities/?tid=ss_tw

NYC schools won't see budget cuts for enrollment drops this year: De Blasio - New York Daily News - https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-nyc-school-enrollment-funding-levels-20210322-eoya4zfnifhivfnxe2rfcuan3q-story.html via @nydailynews

NYC gave thousands of students iPads. For English learners, those devices have not been up to the task. - Chalkbeat New York - https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2021/3/19/22337070/ipads-nyc-doe-english-learners on chalkbeat

Student Loan Forgiveness Program Made Decisions in 12 Minutes, Documents Say - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/business/student-loan-forgiveness-betsy-devos.html on @nytimes

“Eight Instructional Strategies for Promoting Critical Thinking” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=116368 on @Larryferlazzo

“Let Them Sing!” School Sports Okayed, Singers Still Gagged! https://www.laprogressive.com/let-them-sing/

U.S. Department of Education Announces Additional Assistance for Students and Institutions Through HEERF Grant Program and Expanded SNAP Benefits | U.S. Department of Education - https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-additional-assistance-students-and-institutions-through-heerf-grant-program-and-expanded-snap-benefits

CDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closer | News | pressrepublican.com - https://www.pressrepublican.com/news/cdc-changes-school-guidance-allowing-desks-to-be-closer/article_03c3ce65-8251-5460-8d68-5e60bbdeed5e.html on @pressrepublican

Department of Education Announces Action to Streamline Borrower Defense Relief Process | U.S. Department of Education - https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-education-announces-action-streamline-borrower-defense-relief-process

High school football player dies after collapse during game - https://apnews.com/article/high-school-football-football-sacramento-de2732c815a6bbf54f0016924f7d1ebb on @ap

Parents, teachers react to new CDC guidance allowing 3 feet between students https://www.kcra.com/article/parents-teachers-react-cdc-3-feet-students/35890387

Oakland teachers union approves school reopening agreement - https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Oakland-teachers-union-approves-school-16042353.php on @sfchronicle

Rural California schools have been open for months. It's taken a learning curve http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/LMULlkM-yes/covid-19-lessons-reopened-rural-schools-california

NYC’s purchase of school buses should supercharge transition to electric fleet: advocates https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-electric-school-bus-expansion-20210322-fyuw72vfibb7ngybjfzjbnlaz4-story.html#ed=rss_www.nydailynews.com/arcio/rss/category/new-york/education/

PROOF POINTS: Paper beats pixels on most picture books, research finds https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-paper-beats-pixels-on-most-picture-books-research-finds/

Colleges are withholding transcripts and degrees from millions over unpaid bills https://hechingerreport.org/colleges-are-withholding-transcripts-and-degrees-from-millions-over-unpaid-bills/

SFUSD faces lawsuit over controversial renaming of 44 schools - https://www.sfchronicle.com/education/article/SFUSD-faces-lawsuit-over-controversial-renaming-16036702.php#new_tab on @sfchronicle

U.S. Public School System Tiptoes Back to Life | Education News | US News - https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2021-03-19/us-public-school-system-tiptoes-back-to-life#new_tab on @USNews

Mayor Breed calls for S.F. school board member to resign over racist tweets directed at Asian Americans - https://www.sfchronicle.com/education/article/Mayor-Breed-calls-for-S-F-school-board-member-to-16040970.php#new_tab on @sfchronicle

Yang lays blame on teachers union for sluggish pace of school reopenings https://politi.co/3lxC4TT

Teachers OK LAUSD reopening deal with strict protocols in place - ABC7 Los Angeles - https://abc7.com/education/teachers-approve-deal-to-reopen-lausd-schools/10439523/#new_tab via @abc7

In poor districts, pandemic overwhelms school counselors - https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-connecticut-bridgeport-distance-learning-coronavirus-pandemic-d93d22b868530332ba876b0023b185c8#new_tab on @ap

Covid 'may leave 12 million children unable to read' | Global development | The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/mar/22/un-covid-impact-education-inequality-half-children-cannot-read-by-age-10#new_tab on @guardian

Less than 30% of students ready to return to LAUSD campuses, survey shows http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/cRB1txd_Ye4/less-than-30-of-students-ready-to-return-to-lausd-campuses-survey-shows

Assembly committee considers bill to allow 'microschools' | Local Education | madison.com - https://madison.com/ct/news/local/education/local_schools/assembly-committee-considers-bill-to-allow-microschools/article_3dbf5054-192f-56f7-907a-6e435334ea26.html#new_tab on @CapTimes

N.J. school district suspends vice principal after COVID outbreak that sickened 8 staffers - nj.com - https://www.nj.com/education/2021/03/nj-school-district-suspends-vice-principal-after-covid-outbreak-that-sickened-8-staffers.html#new_tab on @njdotcom

Sacramento City Unified, Teachers Union Reach Agreement To Bring Back Students Starting April 8 https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/03/20/sacramento-city-unified-teachers-union-reach-agreement-to-bring-back-students-starting-april-8/#new_tab

Zoom paid $0 in federal income taxes on 4,000 percent profit increase during pandemic: report http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/s10jdp2KA5Y/

Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Whatever Happened to Monitorial Schools? | National Education Policy Center - https://nepc.colorado.edu/node/10817 on @NEPCtweet

Educators call on Congress to pass Voter Protection Bills https://educationvotes.nea.org/?p=48992#.YFjPLTHbifE.twitter via @EdVotes

McKee says he'll veto charter school moratorium if it passes - https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/19/mckee-says-hell-veto-charter-school-moratorium-if-passes/4768856001/#new_tab via @projo


Big Education Ape: Laurie’s Last Stand? – Tennessee Education Report - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/lauries-last-stand-tennessee-education.html


Big Education Ape: Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle: In Finland, Education is a Basic Civil Right | Diane Ravitch's blog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/pasi-sahlberg-and-william-doyle-in.html


Big Education Ape: Biden promised to end federal funding of for-profit charter schools. A new report explains how they operate. - The Washington Post - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/biden-promised-to-end-federal-funding.html


Big Education Ape: NEPC: Another Useless Report from NCTQ | Diane Ravitch's blog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/nepc-another-useless-report-from-nctq.html


Big Education Ape: Russ on Reading: Reading Aloud for Better Human Understanding: Asian-American Picture Books - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/russ-on-reading-reading-aloud-for.html


Big Education Ape: Teachers' Unions Uncertain on C.D.C.'s New 3-Feet Limit - The New York Times - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/teachers-unions-uncertain-on-cdcs-new-3.html


Big Education Ape: Teacher Tom: Embodied Learning - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/teacher-tom-embodied-learning.html


Big Education Ape: Education Secretary Miguel Cardona Begins to Rectify Injustice in Department’s College Loan Program | janresseger - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/education-secretary-miguel-cardona.html



High School Classes Continue. High School Buildings Open. | JD2718
High School Classes Continue. High School Buildings Open. Tomorrow is the day. High schools finally ….. Reopen? Bullshit. High schools have been open since September. Even then, the bulk of our teaching was via zoom and other remote platforms. Tomorrow, the bulk of our teaching will be via zoom and other remote platforms. In fact today more students will be fully remote than back in September. B
Why I'm Opting My Son Out Of Standardized Testing (And You Can, Too) | The Jose Vilson
WHY I’M OPTING MY SON OUT OF STANDARDIZED TESTING (AND YOU CAN, TOO) Recently, my son revealed the difficulty in observing his ninth birthday . Usually joyous occasions, this past birthday was mired in nervousness over the perpetual, coordinated assaults on American ideals of democracy. Just as he was finishing online class, government representatives over 200 miles away openly opined on electio
New CDC Guidelines to Reopen Schools Could be Dangerous - Institute for New Economic Thinking #tbats #openonlywhensafe #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform
Institute for New Economic Thinking New CDC Guidelines to Reopen Schools Could be Dangerous School re-opening push based on outdated science is poorly timed in face of coronavirus resurgence T he scale of disaster visited on the world by the COVID-19 pandemic defies any easy summary. But it is safe to say that the question of keeping schools open is among the most fateful decisions facing public
A simple proposal. Give public school teachers an extra year of retirement service credit for the pandemic year. – Fred Klonsky
A SIMPLE PROPOSAL. GIVE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AN EXTRA YEAR OF RETIREMENT SERVICE CREDIT FOR THE PANDEMIC YEAR I’ve been out of the classroom for nearly a decade. But as I speak to my colleagues who have taught this year it is mind boggling. That is true whether they taught remotely, in-person or hybrid. I have a simple proposal. It doesn’t begin to demonstrate what should be our profound thank

YESTERDAY

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Spring Is Here, Apparently Edition (3/21)
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Spring Is Here, Apparently Edition (3/21) Spring Is Here, Apparently Edition It's nice enough, but I've lived in NW PA too long to be fooled. We'll just see where this leads us. In the meantime, here's your reading for the week. Also, your reminder that you can get a daily dose of edubloggery by checking out (or subscribing to) NPE's Blog of Blogs Why Black Parents Aren't J

 Big Education Ape

Laurie’s Last Stand? – Tennessee Education Report

Laurie’s Last Stand? – Tennessee Education Report
LAURIE’S LAST STAND?



Laurie Cardoza-Moore, an anti-Muslim activist and participant in the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol will be considered for an appointment on the state Textbook Commission at a hearing in the House Education Instruction Committee on Wednesday, March 24th, at 11:00 AM.

Moore was appointed to the Textbook Commission by House Speaker Cameron Sexton. While most such appointments are approved with little debate or discussion, Moore is expected to generate at least some opposition.

In fact, Moore’s anxiety over losing out on the opportunity to shape Tennessee’s textbook choices was reflected in a column she wrote for the Tennessean:

I pray for a day, when parents in the Volunteer State can send their children to school with the knowledge that they are receiving a wholesome, accurate and unbiased American education.

She’s also a fan of encouraging her followers to “take back” America’s schools, as demonstrated in this letter about Dominion voting machines.

Apparently, taking back the schools has become a great source of profit for Moore. Just look at 2017, when:

. . . she paid herself $130,000. Then, she paid her husband’s business $67,000. There was a business “office expense” for occupancy at just over $49,000. She runs PJTN from her home, so that means she’s paying her CONTINUE READING: Laurie’s Last Stand? – Tennessee Education Report

Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle: In Finland, Education is a Basic Civil Right | Diane Ravitch's blog

Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle: In Finland, Education is a Basic Civil Right | Diane Ravitch's blog
Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle: In Finland, Education is a Basic Civil Right



In this post, Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle respond to a recent article that pitted civil rights groups against advocates for the Finnish model of education. They found the dichotomy puzzling. They wrote this article for this blog.

They write:

Two decades ago, Finland made big news in international education circles. Against all odds it became a top-performer in OECD’s first PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) study that compared 15-year-olds’ knowledge and skills in reading, mathematical and scientific literacies. Since about 2010 education experts and pundits in the United States have debated whether there is anything at all that American school systems could learn from that small Nordic nation’s school system. Ten years on and these debates still go on.


In their March 15, 2021 essay “Finland Meets Civil Rights”, Professor Jal Mehta and co-author Krista Galleberg make good points, including “we can draw on CONTINUE READING: 
Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle: In Finland, Education is a Basic Civil Right | Diane Ravitch's blog

Biden promised to end federal funding of for-profit charter schools. A new report explains how they operate. - The Washington Post

Biden promised to end federal funding of for-profit charter schools. A new report explains how they operate. - The Washington Post
Biden promised to end federal funding of for-profit charter schools. A new report explains how they operate



President Biden said while running for the White House that he would bar for-profit charter schools from receiving federal funding, and the 2020 Democratic platform explained why:

Charter schools were originally intended to be publicly funded schools with increased flexibility in program design and operations. Democrats believe that education is a public good and should not be saddled with a private profit motive, which is why we will ban for-profit private charter businesses from receiving federal funding.

Now a new report, titled “Chartered For Profit: The Hidden World of Charter Schools Operated for Financial Gain,” details how many for-profit management companies (referred to as EMOs) evade state laws banning for-profit charters.

They set up nonprofit schools and then direct the schools’ business operations to related corporations. For example, it says, one of the largest EMOs, National Heritage Academies, “locks schools in with a ‘sweeps contract’ where virtually all revenue is passed to the for-profit management corporation, NHA, that runs the school.”

“In other cases, the EMO recommends their own related companies for services that include leasing, personnel services, and curriculum,” it says

The report was produced by the Network for Public Education, an education advocacy group that opposes charter schools. It was written by Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education and a former award-winning New York principal, and Darcie Cimarusti, the network’s communications director.

The authors wrote that despite “strict regulations against the disbursement of funds from the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) to charter schools operated by for-profit entities,” they identified more than 440 charter schools operated for profit that received grants totaling approximately $158 million between 2006 and 2017.

They also found that fewer disadvantaged students, proportionally, attend charters run for profit than CONTINUE READING: Biden promised to end federal funding of for-profit charter schools. A new report explains how they operate. - The Washington Post