John Thompson: Reformers Should Respect Conventions of Scholarly Discourse

John Thompson: Reformers Should Respect Conventions of Scholarly Discourse

Reformers Should Respect Conventions of Scholarly Discourse

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A pioneering econometric study mistakenly concluded that slavery was profitable by assuming that half of the mules in Kentucky were male and half were female. Not knowing that mules are sterile, the Harvard professors projected x amount of profits due to mule reproduction.

I do not claim to have as many brain cells as when I was a graduate student deciphering those equations, but back then, scholars obeyed the conventions of honest discourse, and that provided an advantage in debating the significance of evidence produced by algorithms.

The Center for Education Data and Research (CEDR), however, continues the trend of violating the norms of social scientific inquiry in issuing another politicized study. This one is entitled,

Schools Matter: Breaking News: Boston Globe Has Something Worth Reading on Education

Schools Matter: Breaking News: Boston Globe Has Something Worth Reading on Education

Breaking News: Boston Globe Has Something Worth Reading on Education

by Jim Horn

Is the Boston Globe's printing of this a signal that the Oligarchs are having a change of heart? Don't kid yourself--that would first require, first, a heart:

. . . .Take heart. Finland, one of the world’s top educational performers according to the last PISA study and a recent McKinsey report, was once in a similar slump and can offer lessons for the United States and others seeking a cure for poor public schools.

As recently as 25 years ago, Finnish students were below the international average in mathematics and science. There also were large learning differences between schools, with urban or affluent students typically outperforming their rural or low-income peers. Today, as the most recent PISA study proves, Finland is one of the few nations that have accomplished both a high

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: The “Ignorance Hypothesis”

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: The “Ignorance Hypothesis”

The “Ignorance Hypothesis”

by The Perimeter Primate

U.S. Income Disparity: Actual, Perceived Actual, Perceived Ideal

From "Theoretical Egalitarians" by Timothy Noah for Slate, September 27, 2010:

…Why aren't the bottom 99 percent marching in the streets?

One possible answer is sheer ignorance. People know we're living in a time of growing income inequality, [Paul] Krugman told me, but "the ordinary person is not really

Hechinger Report | Learning from Finland

Hechinger Report | Learning from Finland

Learning from Finland

by Pasi Sahlberg

If Americans harbored any doubts about their eroded global edge, the recent release of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development’s fourth international comparison of educational performance should rattle the nation from its “We’re No. 1’’ complacency. The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study revealed that, although the United States made some modest gains, it is lagging behind many other developed nations in the ability of its 15-year-olds. The country isn’t flunking: like France, England and Sweden, learning here has stagnated at below-average levels. That “gentleman’s C’’ should be a call to change course.

Pasi Sahlberg

Take heart. Finland, one of the world’s top educational performers according to the last PISA study and a recent McKinsey report, was once in a similar slump and can offer lessons for the United States and others seeking a

Schools Matter: To Starve the Beast, We Must Drown the Children

Schools Matter: To Starve the Beast, We Must Drown the Children

To Starve the Beast, We Must Drown the Children

by Jim Horn

Posted at Kenniwick School District Citizens:

Waiting For SuperFraud
By Michael T. Martin

Public schools have to fail. There is no alternative. So give up trying to argue otherwise with facts and logic.
The mockumentary Waiting For Superman made this clear. Funded by millionaires, the movie told the story of some privatized schools in Harlem portrayed as saviors of children otherwise condemned to public schools. Privatized schools mostly funded by hedge fund millionaires on Wall Street. They spent two million dollars to promote the film nationally. Another major film titled “The

Waiting for Superfraud | Kennewick School District Citizens

Waiting for Superfraud | Kennewick School District Citizens

Waiting for Superfraud

5 Comments

During my many years of work on ASCD at the Washington State and International levels I had the good fortune to meet many state, national, and international leaders in education. A few years ago I ran across the work of Jerry Bracey and ended up as a subscriber to his listserve, the Education Disinformation Detection and Reporting Agency (EDDRA). Bracey was one of the giants of our time with extensive background in assessment and not afraid to call a spade a spade. EDDRA consisted of some of the top thinkers in the field of education who came together to identify and call out the misinformed, stupid, and out-and-out fraudulent information being promoted to the public. In Hemingway’s terms, we were a bunch of “crap detectors” bent on straightening things out.

I met many people through EDDRA, but one of the best analytical minds belongs to Michael Martin from Arizona. He is able to cut through the most obtuse argument to find the kernel of truth hidden within. I am amazed at his ability to read opposing views on a

Wix.com LS4C1 created by LS4C1CEO based on Kids Clothing

Wix.com LS4C1 created by LS4C1CEO based on Kids Clothing

Billionaires have a special place in our

philosophy. As Myron Miner himself is a

billionaire he is sensitive to their needs and concerns. Billionaires have the clout to influence public policy in a way that few other people can. There is no better way to democratize education in this country than by bringing the voices of CEOs and hedge fund managers into the equation.

Education is a 700 Billion Dollar a year industry. We will work with you to assure you get a piece of that money. We will gladly publicize your contributions if you wish to develop a philanthropic image or we will keep your contributions anonymous with the help of the Supreme Court's recent Citizens Untied decision.

Before You Think Of Your Master Plan — The Jose Vilson

Before You Think Of Your Master Plan — The Jose Vilson

Before You Think Of Your Master Plan

by Jose

Apple's "Think Different" Posters

Last year around this time, I already looked at 2010 as that year. Unlike prior years, I came into this year willing to exert as much of my will into my goals as humanly possible. In 2008, I didn’t set any resolutions or goals whatsoever, burnt by my failure to achieve any major ones all through that year. In 2009, I switched up the

The Answer Sheet - Willingham: 3 brain facts every educator should know

The Answer Sheet - Willingham: 3 brain facts every educator should know

Willingham: 3 brain facts every educator should know

My guest today is cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” By Daniel Willingham Here are three facts about the brain that every educator ought to know. Fact 1: The brain is always changing. Sometimes an education nostrum is supported by the claim that "it actually changes the brain.” (Less often it's offered as a warning against some alleged danger, e.g., video games.) The phrase is meant to convey that the object under discussion has a powerful impact, but a change in the brain is no evidence of impact at all. The brain is always changing. Every experience you have, however trivial, leads to some change in the brain.

Hotel Stays, Flights and a $400 Bottle of Wine voiceofsandiego.org: Education

voiceofsandiego.org: Education

26Dec

Hotel Stays, Flights and a $400 Bottle of WineComments | 5:24 pm

When San Diego County Office of Education employees flew to Boston to learn more about a company they were considering doing business with, they didn't need to worry about the bill.

The company paid for their flight to Boston. It also paid for their hotel stay. And when one of the employees, Dan Puplava, picked out a bottle of wine from Napa Valley over dinner, he wasn't really sure who paid, but believes it was either the company or its marketing company. He thought the bottle cost $400.

Read the rest of this article

A $5 Children’s Book vs. a $47,000 Jail Cell — Choose One - Steve Cohen - Admissions - Forbes

A $5 Children’s Book vs. a $47,000 Jail Cell — Choose One - Steve Cohen - Admissions - Forbes

A $5 Children’s Book vs. a $47,000 Jail Cell — Choose One

Dec. 25 2010 - 9:27 am | 999 views | 0 recommendations | 3 comments

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“Texas uses fourth grade reading scores to project the number of prison cells they’re going need 10 years later.”

I first heard that astounding pronouncement in 1995 while co-chairing a White House task force on literacy. And though I later learned that the formula for projecting the number of jail cells was more nuanced, it was not inaccurate. Moreover, Texas wasn’t alone in using elementary school reading difficulties as a

Education Week: Parents oppose NYC schools chancellor choice

Education Week: Parents oppose NYC schools chancellor choice

Wake Schools Chief Allowed to Do TV, Web Stints New Wake County Schools Superintendent Anthony Tata can do stints as a commentator on national network news shows and conservative websites.

Parents Oppose NYC Schools Chancellor Choice

Detroit Teacher Shortage Causes Cascade of Problems More than three months into the school year, a teacher shortage is shaking Detroit Public Schools, causing a cascade of problems from overcrowded classes to report cards with no grades to the sudden transfer of students, some with autism.

Democratic Schism Opens on Fixing Schools Across the nation Democrats have begun to split over education, with a growing chorus arguing the party must move away from its traditional allegiance with teachers unions in order to improve chronically low-performing schools.

Teacher Salaries Debate Heats Up in Philadelphia Area

From AP classes to remedial ed — Joanne Jacobs

From AP classes to remedial ed — Joanne Jacobs

From AP classes to remedial ed

by Joanne

In their zeal to send all students to college, some high schools are pushing struggling students into Advanced Placement classes, writes Michele Kerr, a high school algebra teacher, in a San Jose Mercury News op-ed. Unprepared students usually fail the AP exam and end up in remedial college classes. Why not teach K-12 skills in high school, so students can take college-level classes in college?

Those who advocate “AP for all” argue that some students have a chance at passing, and that even a failing score can improve college outcomes.

. . . A National Center for Education Statistics study shows that remedial math placement halves

Seattle Public Schools community blog: Oh, So NOW the District is Sending Out the Pay for K Bills

Seattle Public Schools community blog: Oh, So NOW the District is Sending Out the Pay for K Bills

Oh, So NOW the District is Sending Out the Pay for K Bills

by Melissa Westbrook

From our Open Thread Sunday. The district seriously sent out huge bills for Pay for K right before Christmas?

I just want to say that I got my $828 Pay4K bill on DECEMBER 24!! Really, SPS? I knew it would be coming, although I NEVER once got any information about it before school started - I never got a Welcome to Kindergarten packet from the district, but I have been saving my money while waiting to learn how to Pay4K- but

Schools Matter: How to Fix Bill Gates and Randi Weingarten

Schools Matter: How to Fix Bill Gates and Randi Weingarten

How to Fix Bill Gates and Randi Weingarten

by Jim Horn

Looking at the Newsweek photo, I was struck at how it might feel to find yourself in a pre-arranged motel room with the antithesis of what your chosen partner would look like.

Here is Bill, having become the richest man in the world as the result of federal tax largesse and a marketing department that has made his second-rate products standard issue for corporate America. (Did you know that Microsoft paid less in taxes on its $12 billion income in 1999 than a family of four in Kentucky with an income of $36,000? (Anyon, 2006).

And next to him across a gash of winter light from the partially-curtained window, his unlikely partner, Randi Weingarten, who no doubt is getting used to these pre-arranged econo-dates where she gives up it up (the "it"

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Learning from Finland

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Learning from Finland

Learning from Finland

by Mike Klonsky

Finland is one of the few nations that have accomplished both a high quality of learning and equity in learning at