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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Schools Matter: Oligarchs Pay For Evaluation of Oligarchs' Teacher Evaluation System

Schools Matter: Oligarchs Pay For Evaluation of Oligarchs' Teacher Evaluation System

Oligarchs Pay For Evaluation of Oligarchs' Teacher Evaluation System

by Jim Horn
When Arne Duncan came out publicly in support of Kaya Henderson as Chancellor of DC Schools, it was a clear sign that the same failed approach that led to Wonderwoman's departure would remain in place as long as Henderson was ostensibly in charge. From Rhee's sordid history in DC, we know that she was a cartoon super-heroine, with scripts provided by the Broadies and Waltons.

That arrangement continues, with DCPS announcing that an "independent" evaluation of the pay per score evaluation system called IMPACT will be undertaken by Harvard's most famous tenured panderer to the Oligarchs, Roland Fryer. Ha ha, ha ha ha. Excuse me.

Will Mayor Gray continue to allow this charade?

From Bill Turque at WaPo:
By Bill Turque
The Harvard think tank that experimented with paying D.C. middle schoolers for good grades and
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Early and often. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Early and often. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Early and often.

by Fred Klonsky

Former Chicago Alderman, "Fast" Eddie Vrdolyak.

Chico was Daley’s gofer.

The Chicago Reader’s Ben Joravsky documents the long and sorry relationship between Gery Chico and Richie Daley.

In the last 20 years, Chico’s been the mayor’s deputy chief of staff and chief of

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Queens Teacher: Cathie: You Should've Listened

Queens Teacher: Cathie: You Should've Listened

Cathie: You Should've Listened

by Queens Teacher
Looks like Cathie won't be catching a break any time soon. Parents have had it. I tried to tell Cathie to back out in November and she didn't listen. Let's try again.

Open Letter to Ms. Black

Dear Ms. Black,

Please do the right thing and withdraw yourself from the fray.

You will be vilified by the public, not taken seriously by educators & parents and tossed aside when Bloomberg
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NYC Public School Parents: The PEP meeting last night

NYC Public School Parents: The PEP meeting last night

The PEP meeting last night

by Leonie Haimson
Last night at the Panel for Educational Policy, my statement to the new Chancellor Cathie Black.



For more on the $1 billion extra the DOE wants to spend on new technology, see today's NY Post. Typically, the city wants to blame this on the state and the feds mandating online assessments. This doesn't fly; nowhere else
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New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools 1-20-11 Get Involved- Read Education News

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools
Get Involved- Read Education News


Parents 4 democratic Schools

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Making Alliances With Open Eyes - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Making Alliances With Open Eyes - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Making Alliances With Open Eyes

by Deborah Meier

Dear Diane,

When it comes down to it, what motivates me is my dislike of bullies. I can't recall who recently wrote this—or words to this effect, but it struck me that my dedication to democracy boils down to precisely this—a loathing for bullies. And, I suppose, a fear of them, which goes back a long way to my youth. Part of our task is connecting that natural aversion (and attraction) to bullying to democracy. A substantial state of equality is the key ingredient.

Are we born with it?

Who cares, I suppose. But it's a good place to unravel what democracy is and isn't about. Like all things good, it also reminds us that getting rid of bullies probably comes at a price. We are always in the process of making unintended trade-offs, with consequences we later rue. But often don't learn from.

There is no way to avoid such trade-offs, but the more consciously we make them, the more prepared we are to handle the less-desirable consequences.

I think of this often when colleagues/allies with whom I align on current educational policy disagree with me on

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ASCD Inservice: Are We Putting Kids in a Box or a Rocket?

ASCD Inservice: Are We Putting Kids in a Box or a Rocket?

Are We Putting Kids in a Box or a Rocket?

Davis_alinaMy four year old loves to read David Shannon's Too Many Toys. In it, Spencer has too many toys and Mom wants to clear out all the ones he doesn’t use. At the end of the book he doesn’t care to keep the toys, but the box that holds them. He transforms it into a rocket and soars around the house.

Is impromptu creative play a concept of the past?

Skill and drill and standardized testing are the rigorous practices of our kids today, the driver for schools to be deemed successful. As I view the curriculum and walk into classrooms across my school district, I don't see the kind of activity that allows for students to create. The interactions with peers, where empathy, impulse control, problem-solving and risk taking are nurtured, are minimal or nonexistent. I see children lined up neatly in a row, learning their standards and preparing for assessments. They can regurgitate math facts, identify elements of a story but they don't know how to invent a game.

We do need to have a time where skills are developed and knowledge is enhanced. But we also need time to foster

Revisiting Multiculturalism

by ASCD Bloggers
With the U.S. population becoming more diverse than ever and census trends projecting significant increases in Hispanic student enrollment, how can schools draw strength from authentic and worthwhile multicultural approaches in the classroom? What have schools learned from past iterations...

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Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily
Damn Good Education Daily

scholasticadministrator.typepad.com - Much to the consternation of the centrist reformers who simply can't believe that they don't own every media outlet out there, Valerie Strauss has turned her Washington Post blog into an education ...

alexanderrusso



huffingtonpost.com - In the most recent issue of Dissent "Got Dough? Public School Reform in the Age of Venture Philanthropy," Joanne Barkan reveals the connection between the philanthropic educational projects of such...

cajacobson
studentactivism.net - At least fifty protesters — Twitter reports say as many as eighty — were arrested this morning at the University of Puerto Rico as new student fees went into effect. (article | translation) Student...

studentactivism



voices.washingtonpost.com - My holiday weekend reading included an early copy of "The Bee Eater," Richard Whitmire's biography of former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, due out next month. Full disclosure at the top...

KennethLibby



pheedcontent.com - I knew my friend and former Post colleague Rick Weintraub had a son with learning disabilities. Rick had told me how Philip worked hard, got an education, and eventually became a productive married...

alexanderrusso
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