Tuesday, April 13, 2021

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Tuesday, April 13, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #openonlywhensafe #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES

Multiple victims reported in Tennessee school shooting https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/12/tennessee-school-shooting-481039

Curmudgucation: FL: Let's Assess Four Year Olds | National Education Policy Center - https://nepc.colorado.edu/node/10861 on @NEPCtweet

Students in grades six to nine can return to Philadelphia schools in May; seniors to get outdoor graduations - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/12/22380690/students-in-grades-six-to-nine-can-return-to-philadelphia-schools-in-may-seniors-outdoor-graduations on chalkbeat

Homeroom: The Worsening Homework Problem http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheAtlantic/~3/OudojxMSOOg/

Union leaders say teachers more comfortable returning to school post-vaccine https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/union-leaders-say-teachers-more-comfortable-returning-to-school-post-vaccine/article_b1acf672-9bb9-11eb-b3aa-1f2515f73353.html

Teachers Union Switches Stance, Now Endorses CDC Guidance on School Reopenings | Education News | US News - https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2021-04-12/teachers-union-switches-stance-now-endorses-cdc-guidance-on-school-reopenings on @USNews

Letter to my community: My faith in Judaism and my faith in unions are http://jd.fo/OJlz via @jdforward

Black children significantly more likely to have a parent who died of COVID-19 https://www.salon.com/2021/04/13/black-children-significantly-more-likely-to-have-a-parent-who-died-of-covid-19/

As Texas Legislature considers anti-trans bills, NCAA announces it will not hold events in states that discriminate against trans students https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/12/ncaa-transgender-laws-texas-legislature/

LAUSD's slow, cautious reopening shows the influence of the teachers union but has critics http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/qfhpg1fWXwo/la-teachers-union-influences-reopenings-online-school

When LAUSD reopens schools, K-8 students will spend more time in child care than class http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/mJSKAZpvPsw/when-lausd-reopens-k-9-students-will-spend-more-time-in-child-care-than-class

Newark schools reopen with hybrid learning plan https://www.njspotlight.com/video/newark-schools-reopen-with-hybrid-learning-plan/

COMIC: For Music Teacher, Virtual School Meant Teaching Kids 'To Hear The Way I Hear' https://www.npr.org/2021/04/13/985376138/comic-for-music-teacher-virtual-school-meant-teaching-kids-to-hear-the-way-i-hea

NYC to combine summer camp and summer school in new initiative called Summer Rising https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-summer-camp-school-combined-20210413-wrkobfvns5fdpl4fps3rumaajm-story.html#ed=rss_www.nydailynews.com/arcio/rss/category/new-york/education/

CUNY Board of Trustees tables vote on $3 million McKinsey proposal after criticism https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-cuny-mckinsey-reopening-plan-20210412-mogeiwjko5dgpdql3l3d2rsvyi-story.html#ed=rss_www.nydailynews.com/arcio/rss/category/new-york/education/

Oklahoma teacher calls student the N-word during bizarre altercation -- and it's caught on video http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/osEQUmel-Bo/

NCAA Says It 'Unequivocally' Supports Transgender Student Athletes https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ncaa-trans-student-athletes_n_6074d410e4b063a419483108

Rural schools have a teacher shortage. Why don’t people who live there, teach there? https://hechingerreport.org/rural-schools-have-a-teacher-shortage-why-dont-people-who-live-there-teach-there/

OPINION: New research shows that ninth grade matters more than ever https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-new-research-shows-that-ninth-grade-matters-more-than-ever/

Even as colleges pledge to improve, share of engineering and math graduates who are Black declines https://hechingerreport.org/even-as-colleges-pledge-to-improve-share-of-engineering-graduates-who-are-black-declines/

4th grader shames GOP Texas senators who have been “attacking me since Pre-K” https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/04/4th-grader-shames-gop-texas-senators-attacking-since-pre-k/#.YHXHtReyLTk.twitter

Texas high schoolers had a mock 'slave auction' where they put prices on Black classmates http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/qfJrHuSPzDc/

One dead, one injured in shooting at Austin-East High School in Knoxville - https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2021/04/12/police-respond-reports-shooting-near-austin-east-high-school/7194244002/#new_tab via @knoxnews

Teacher placed on leave after lesson about N-word | khou.com - https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/high-school-teacher-n-word-lesson-houston/285-3150bcfe-ff37-43a1-847b-1d04d9c8d677#new_tab on KHOU

One out of six Baton Rouge school teachers stayed home Monday as part of a protest | Education | theadvocate.com - https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/article_bccbdcea-9bb3-11eb-b397-cb34cb07ca2e.html#new_tab by @https://www.twitter.com/Charles_Lussier on @theadvocatebr

CPS high school teachers will refuse in-person work as reopening talks break down - Chicago Tribune - https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-covid-19-chicago-high-schools-union-cps-20210412-k2mhmyo4zjganbphmhjxkzm4uu-story.html#new_tab via @chicagotribune

Cardona: Schools need to rebuild trust as reopening continues https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/9/22376059/cardona-rebuild-trust-families-of-color-new-schools-guidance via @Chalkbeat

Washington state Legislature approves ban on Native American school mascots | king5.com - https://www.king5.com/article/news/education/washington-state-legislature-approves-ban-on-native-american-school-mascots/281-3bf9a3fa-1f18-4bd3-9654-ceef5ee00bee#new_tab on KING5Seattle

‘Race against time’: Pandemic propels fight to save Native American languages https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/13/pandemic-native-american-languages-481081

Big Education Ape: De-Gun the Police: A Reader – radical eyes for equity - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/de-gun-police-reader-radical-eyes-for.html

Big Education Ape: The Politics Of School Choice | Diane Ravitch's blog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-politics-of-school-choice-diane.html

Big Education Ape: Secretary Cardona Continues 'Help is Here' School Reopening Tour with a Visit to Mary Harris ‘Mother’ Jones Elementary School in Adelphi, Md. | U.S. Department of Education - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/secretary-cardona-continues-help-is.html

Big Education Ape: There’s a Lesson for Educators in the Life of DMX - Philly's 7th Ward - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/theres-lesson-for-educators-in-life-of.html

Teacher Tom: I Don't Know What They Are Learning . . . And Neither Do You

by Mike Simpson / 1h

I Don't Know What They Are Learning . . . And Neither Do You I was recently asked how I go about explaining to skeptical parents what their child is learning as she plays. It's a common enough question, one I don't need to address very often in my day-to-day life as a teacher, largely because the Woodland Park Cooperative School's reputation as a play-based school precedes it, mostly only attrac

Ken Futernick: Teacher Stories about Life Today | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Ken Futernick: Teacher Stories about Life Today About a decade ago, when policy elites were bashing teachers on a regular basis, Ken Futernick was writing about the challenges that teachers face every day, including lack of support by administrators and poor working conditions. Recently, he has been creating podcasts in which teachers explain how they teach about important issues of the day, lik

Education Matters: Gary Chartrand spreads misinformation about charter schools, again.

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Gary Chartrand spreads misinformation about charter schools, again Gary Chartrand really supports charter schools; that is undeniable; however, the same can’t be said for public schools, which he has for decades sought to undermine. His tenure on the state board of education, a position he as a grocer was completely unqualified for saw, high stakes testing go up, and teacher salaries go down as

CURMUDGUCATION: When Bill Gates Shows You Who He Is...

by Mike Simpson / 1h

When Bill Gates Shows You Who He Is... This recent article from the New Republic is a bit of a slog if you have not become a student of the various attempts to create covid vaccines, treatments, etc. But it hinges on two factors that matter a great deal in education-- intellectual property and Bill Gates. It comes, coincidentally, right around the 68th anniversary of Jonas Salk's creation of the

The Year Without Standardized Testing | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 1h

The Year Without Standardized Testing Last year was the first in nearly two decades that the US did not give standardized tests to virtually every student in public school. Think about that. Since 2001 almost every child took the tests unless their parents explicitly demanded they be opted out . For 19 years almost every child in grades 3-8 and once in high school took standardized assessments.

IT IS NEVER AS INNOCUOUS AS IT APPEARS UPON FIRST BLUSH – Dad Gone Wild

by Mike Simpson / 1h

IT IS NEVER AS INNOCUOUS AS IT APPEARS UPON FIRST BLUSH “What was educationally significant and hard to measure has been replaced by what is educationally insignificant and easy to measure. So now we measure how well we taught what isn’t worth learning.” —Arthur L. Costa; Professor of Education, Emeritus; CA State Univ, Sacramento Every once in a while I feel the need to do a kitchen sink editio

YESTERDAY

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Monday, April 12, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #openonlywhensafe #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform

by Mike Simpson / 22h

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES “I’ve never done any of this”: A Texas parent reluctantly dives into a school district’s battle over masks https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/12/texas-

Big Education Ape

De-Gun the Police: A Reader – radical eyes for equity

De-Gun the Police: A Reader

Officer Who Fatally Shot Daunte Wright With ‘Accidental Discharge’ Is Identified

The police officer said to have fatally shot Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man killed in what started as a traffic stop on Sunday, has been identified as Kim Potter.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in a statement on Monday evening described Potter as a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center, Minn., Police Department, now on administrative leave.
The department offered no other details about Potter’s career, saying, “Further personnel data are not public from the BCA under Minnesota law during an active investigation.”
However, a report from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office dated Aug. 5, 2020, indicates that at the time Potter also served as the Brooklyn Center Police Union president.
Police officials called Wright’s death the result of an “accidental discharge” of a gun by a police officer.
OFFICER WHO FATALLY SHOT DAUNTE WRIGHT WITH ‘ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE’ IS IDENTIFIED, BECKY SULLIVAN AND VANESSA ROMO

OPINION: To Lessen Police Violence, Remove Cops From Traffic Stops

The largest predictor of police violence in America is not poor training, lack of discipline, or militarization. The largest predictor is simply contact with the police — and the most common contact Americans have with police is traffic stops. There are at least 20 million traffic stops per year in the United States. Racial bias pervades traffic enforcement, enabled by its largely discretionary nature; there are more drivers speeding and violating other traffic laws than police have the capacity to pull over and ticket, so who are police disproportionately targeting? People of color.
TO LESSEN POLICE VIOLENCE, REMOVE COPS FROM TRAFFIC STOPS, ALESSANDRA BIAGGI

Inside 100 million police traffic stops: CONTINUE READING: De-Gun the Police: A Reader – radical eyes for equity

The Politics Of School Choice | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Politics Of School Choice

Julian Vasquez Heilig, Jameson Brewer, and Frank Adamson have written a peer-reviewed analysis of the politics of school choice. As Heilig wrote in his description of the analysis, “Modern notions of “markets” and “choice” in schooling stem from the libertarian ideas Milton Friedman espoused in the 1950s. Considering the underlying politics of school choice, it is important to examine the ramifications of neoliberal and collective ideology on market-based school choice research. In this chapter we point out that much of the research suggesting positive findings is continually conducted and promoted by neoliberal ideologically-driven organizations.” I would add to their analysis that Milton Friedman was not the sole originator of the ideology of “school choice.” As I wrote in the New York Review of Books, Friedman shares that dubious distinction with white Southern politicians who were adamantly opposed to the Brown decision and desegregation.

The Politics Of School Choice | Diane Ravitch's blog

Secretary Cardona Continues 'Help is Here' School Reopening Tour with a Visit to Mary Harris ‘Mother’ Jones Elementary School in Adelphi, Md. | U.S. Department of Education

Secretary Cardona Continues 'Help is Here' School Reopening Tour with a Visit to Mary Harris ‘Mother’ Jones Elementary School in Adelphi, Md.

Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov

Event Date 1 : April 13, 2021 -

8:45am to 9:00am

Event Date 2 : April 13, 2021 -

9:15am to 10:00am

On Tuesday, April 13, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will continue the "Help is Here" School Reopening Tour, where he will visit Mary Harris "Mother" Jones Elementary School Adelphi, Maryland. The visits are part of the Biden-Harris Administration's broader efforts to support states, schools, students, parents, and educators as they navigate returning to in-person learning and highlight how the American Rescue Plan will aid them in these efforts.

During the "Help is Here" tour, Secretary Cardona will visit schools that have successfully reopened and stayed open to highlight best practices and discuss how schools can ensure reopening efforts are advancing educational equity. He will also visit schools that are facing challenges as they work to reopen to provide educators with encouragement, support, and technical assistance. Secretary Cardona will share what he is hearing and learning on the visits with other states and districts and across the Biden-Harris Administration to help more schools reopen quickly and safely and reach the President's goal of reopening the majority of K-8 schools within the first 100 days of his administration.

This visit will consist of a stop in Adelphi, Maryland, on Tuesday, April 13. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the footage will be pooled by WJLA-TV. If you are interested in receiving the footage, please email press@ed.gov.

Event 1

Who :	Participants: Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Local educators and students Press: Pooled Press
What :	Tour of Mary Harris ‘Mother’ Jones Elementary School
When :	8:40-9 a.m. ET
Where :	Mary Harris "Mother" Jones Elementary School 2405 Tecumseh St. Adelphi, Md. 20783

Event 2

Who :	Participants: Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Local educators and parents Press: Pooled Press
What :	Roundtable Discussion on School Reopening in Adelphi, Md.
When :	9:10-10 a.m. ET
Where :	Mary Harris "Mother" Jones Elementary School 2405 Tecumseh St. Adelphi, Md. 20783

Secretary Cardona Continues 'Help is Here' School Reopening Tour with a Visit to Mary Harris ‘Mother’ Jones Elementary School in Adelphi, Md. | U.S. Department of Education

There’s a Lesson for Educators in the Life of DMX - Philly's 7th Ward

THERE’S A LESSON FOR EDUCATORS IN THE LIFE OF DMX

Rest in peace to Mr. Earl Simmons, popularly known as DMX. I pray that his soul is at rest.

What fascinates me about the life of a person, particularly artists who become celebrities, are the events and moments that fueled the person they became. When I think of Earl Simmons and his untimely death, I can’t help but think of the adults who failed him.

In a society where personal hardships are blamed on a lack of responsibility; it is easy to blame Earl Simmons for his shortcomings and ultimately his own death. However, as an educator who works with children, I am accustomed to considering the nurture in tandem with the nature.

For me, the art of teaching isn’t only about the content. It is about using who that child is to teach the content. It means, I need to invest in my students; every one of them – even the students are thought to be lost causes by others.

Earl Simmons left us with many memorable songs, stories and prayers. He also left us with a window into his pain to understand the person he became. Sadly, I think back on a podcast where he revealed that he was tricked into a CONTINUE READING: There’s a Lesson for Educators in the Life of DMX - Philly's 7th Ward

Teacher Tom: I Don't Know What They Are Learning . . . And Neither Do You

I Don't Know What They Are Learning . . . And Neither Do You

I was recently asked how I go about explaining to skeptical parents what their child is learning as she plays. It's a common enough question, one I don't need to address very often in my day-to-day life as a teacher, largely because the Woodland Park Cooperative School's reputation as a play-based school precedes it, mostly only attracting families who are seeking what we have to offer -- the opportunity for their children to play with other kids in a safe enough, loving, interesting environment, -- so I don't often have to deal with skeptics. The families of the children I teach tend to view play as a pure good, like love, one that needs no other supporting evidence.

When I see children on the floor, say, building with blocks, I know they are learning, because that's what play is: it's children setting about asking and answering their own questions. Can I stack this block atop that one? Can I make it even higher? Add a roof? Create a room? A zoo? Can I persuade this other person to join me in my vision? Can I join them in theirs? They aren't saying these things aloud or even in their heads, but it's quite clear that when humans play, when we freely choose an activity, that is what we are doing, testing the world, performing experiments, seeking answers CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: I Don't Know What They Are Learning . . . And Neither Do You

Ken Futernick: Teacher Stories about Life Today | Diane Ravitch's blog

Ken Futernick: Teacher Stories about Life Today

About a decade ago, when policy elites were bashing teachers on a regular basis, Ken Futernick was writing about the challenges that teachers face every day, including lack of support by administrators and poor working conditions. Recently, he has been creating podcasts in which teachers explain how they teach about important issues of the day, like teaching about racism and the Black Lives Matter movement, teaching during the pandemic, and teaching history in a way that is relevant to all students. He shared these three podcasts with me.

Brown University Psychology Professor Malik Boykin Teaches about Prejudice and Invites us to Dance for FreedomMalik Boykin (aka Malik Starx) is an accomplished musician and a professor of psychology at Brown University where he teaches a course on stigma and prejudice. Boykin shares two transformational teacher stories–the first from second grade when he was sent to the principal’s office for raising questions about Christopher Columbus. The second is about Dr. Jaia John, his social psychology professor at Howard University who carved out time at the start each class for students to share a poem, a personal story, or even a musical performance that had some relation to the course content.

Inspired by Dr. John, Boykin became a social CONTINUE READING: Ken Futernick: Teacher Stories about Life Today | Diane Ravitch's blog

Education Matters: Gary Chartrand spreads misinformation about charter schools, again.

Gary Chartrand spreads misinformation about charter schools, again

Gary Chartrand really supports charter schools; that is undeniable; however, the same can’t be said for public schools, which he has for decades sought to undermine. His tenure on the state board of education, a position he as a grocer was completely unqualified for saw, high stakes testing go up, and teacher salaries go down as well as the creation of one unfunded mandate after another that, for the most part, charter schools are exempt from.

Gary Chartrand has his truth; unfortunately, his truth is filled with caveats that he leaves out. Let’s look at his claim about the IDEA charter schools, which are coming to Jacksonville paid for with Jacksonville tax dollars.

He claimed that 100 percent of their graduates have been accepted to college. I am reminded of the old adage if something seems too good to be true, it probably is, and this definitely seems too good to be true. I could not find anything to independently verify that statement. Still, I was able to find plenty of how they routinely counsel out poor performers, and only sixty-five percent of their ninth-graders made it to graduation. Then it gets worse.

This is from the IDEA student handbook: As required by the IPS charter, a student may graduate and receive a diploma only if the student successfully completes the curriculum requirements identified by the SBOE, has been accepted into a four-year college or university, has completed a minimum of 125 hours of community service, and has performed satisfactorily on required end of course assessment instrument.

They are required to be accepted, not attend or do well, but just be accepted. To give you some CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: Gary Chartrand spreads misinformation about charter schools, again.

CURMUDGUCATION: When Bill Gates Shows You Who He Is...

When Bill Gates Shows You Who He Is...

This recent article from the New Republic is a bit of a slog if you have not become a student of the various attempts to create covid vaccines, treatments, etc. But it hinges on two factors that matter a great deal in education-- intellectual property and Bill Gates.

It comes, coincidentally, right around the 68th anniversary of Jonas Salk's creation of the polio vaccine, a hugely valuable piece of intellectual property that Salk famously gave away. "There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" Salk said. It seems like an obvious approach, both because Salk's work depended on tons of money contributed by folks and because a public health problem would seem to call for a public solution.

As Alexander Zaitchik reports it (and I'll now summarize), that was how the covid response story started, almost. Early in 2020, there was talk of open science, pooled resources, no-profit approaches. The world needed a solution, and quickly, and the barriers of intellectual property ownership shouldn't stand in the way.

That lasted till about April. Gates became involved, touting a public-private "charity" with IP rights and monopoly medicine respected and Gates in charge. Some folks warned that there could be a dual crisis of supply and access. But--

Gates not only dismissed these warnings but actively sought to undermine all challenges to his authority and the Accelerator’s intellectual property–based charity agenda.

“Early on, there was space for Gates to have a major impact in favor of open models,” says Manuel CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: When Bill Gates Shows You Who He Is...

The Year Without Standardized Testing | gadflyonthewallblog

The Year Without Standardized Testing

Last year was the first in nearly two decades that the US did not give standardized tests to virtually every student in public school.

Think about that.

Since 2001 almost every child took the tests unless their parents explicitly demanded they be opted out.

For 19 years almost every child in grades 3-8 and once in high school took standardized assessments.

And then came 2019-20 and – nothing.

No multiple guess fill-in the bubble questions.

No sorting students into classes based on the results.

No evaluating teachers and schools based on the poverty, race and ethnicities of the children they serve.

And all it took to make us stop was a global pandemic.

What are the results of that discontinuity?

We may never really know.

There are so CONTINUE READING: The Year Without Standardized Testing | gadflyonthewallblog

IT IS NEVER AS INNOCUOUS AS IT APPEARS UPON FIRST BLUSH – Dad Gone Wild

IT IS NEVER AS INNOCUOUS AS IT APPEARS UPON FIRST BLUSH

“What was educationally significant and hard to measure has been replaced by what is educationally insignificant and easy to measure. So now we measure how well we taught what isn’t worth learning.” —Arthur L. Costa; Professor of Education, Emeritus; CA State Univ, Sacramento

Every once in a while I feel the need to do a kitchen sink edition. A palate cleanser of a sort. Things pile up and I never get time to really address them. Today I’m going to hit as many of those as possible. So warning, this one may be a little more disjointed than most.

In the wake of recently passed legislation concerning literacy. the Tennessee Department of Education and in particular Its Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn, have kicked up their PR efforts.

What this translates to is a social media feed chock full of pictures of the commissioner visiting schools and posing for pictures with students and staff. A sure-fire method of currying favor with the masses. Who doesn’t love a picture of kids in the classroom?

It also means a subtle rewriting of history and putting a positive spin on events that transpired over the last several months. To serve this end, a new Twitter account has sprung up #LiteracyMatters Tennessee. A nice innocuous name, right? After all, everybody loves literacy.

There is little additional information about the account, but based on early thread entries I would suspect it’s been created by one of the regular culprits – TNDOE, SCORE, TNTP. All three paired CONTINUE READING: IT IS NEVER AS INNOCUOUS AS IT APPEARS UPON FIRST BLUSH – Dad Gone Wild

Tuesday, April 13, 2021