Tuesday, January 25, 2011

New Posts on Parents 4 democratic Schools 1-25-11 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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Few Students Show Proficiency in Science, Tests Show - NYTimes.com

Few Students Show Proficiency in Science, Tests Show - NYTimes.com

In Tests, Few Students Excel in Science

By SAM DILLON
Published: January 25, 2011

On the most recent nationwide science test, about a third of fourth graders and a fifth of high school seniors scored at or above the level the federal Department of Education calls proficient, according to results released on Tuesday.

Only one or two students out of every 100 displayed the level of science mastery that the department defines as advanced, the government said.

“I was rather dismayed at the relatively lackluster performance at the top of the achievement levels,” said Alan Friedman, a former chief executive of the New York Hall of Science who sits on the board that oversees the federal tests. “The fact that

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If you stand for children, wouldn’t you do something about this data? « Fred Klonsky's blog

If you stand for children, wouldn’t you do something about this data? « Fred Klonsky's blog

If you stand for children, wouldn’t you do something about this data?

by Fred Klonsky

45% of Illinois public school children are poor. And the number is growing.

While Reformy groups like the well-funded Oregon-based Stand for Children concentrate on non-issues like tenure, and teacher-blaming issues like teacher collective bargaining rights, the number of children who qualify for free lunch programs continues to rise.

Chicago Tribune:

As a group, Illinois’ public school children are fewer in number, increasingly poor, more diverse and more likely than in recent years to spend the entire

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This Week In Education: Cheating: How Schools Enforce Code Of Silence

This Week In Education: Cheating: How Schools Enforce Code Of Silence
Cheating: How Schools Enforce Code Of Silence [image: ScreenHunter_08 Jan. 17 16.58] They say that cops are strict about enforcing the code of silence, but what about teachers? There's a fascinating story in the AJC about how whistleblowers in the classroom have been treated in their buildings ...
Quote: Should KIPP Shift To Elementary Schools? *[image: Quotes2] If KIPP focuses just on students who start in pre-K and kindergarten, it may ignore the needs of fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders who could also use nine-hour school days and imaginative teaching.* - Washington Post ...
Value-Added: Surprising Caution From Rhee [image: ScreenHunter_26 Jan. 23 19.14]When the LA Times first published ratings for individual teachers, Michelle Rhee expressed more caution that Arne Duncan (who endorsed the move immediately and without reservation). Since then, she's come out in ...
AM News: State Of The Education Union [image: Newsneon] State of the Union Edu-Cheat Sheet - Politics K-12EdWeek: President Barack Obama is expected to talk a lot about K-12 policy, call on Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and link his education agenda ..
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NYC Educator: Your Predictions about the New English Regents Here

NYC Educator: Your Predictions about the New English Regents Here

Your Predictions about the New English Regents Here

by Miss Eyre
As we high school teachers kick off Regents this week, the English teachers among us will have no doubt turned away dozens of students looking for their scores on the English Regents. The English Regents was given two weeks ago, two weeks before any other Regents, because it is a brand-new test format and the testing gnomes in Albany will need to norm it and curve it and all that before they establish what the raw cut score is.

I'm interested to see the results of this process. I scored the exam at my school, of course, and I was underwhelmed by the results. When I first saw the new exam format in the fall, my first reaction was one of something like revulsion; namely, "This test is so darn easy." But I don't know that the students at my school did all that well on an exam that I thought was lowballed quite a bit.

I think, then, what comes out of Albany will likely send a
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The Death of Federalism? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

The Death of Federalism? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

The Death of Federalism?

by Diane Ravitch

Dear Deborah,

I have received many informative letters this past year from teachers, principals, parents, and others, who tell me what is happening on the ground. One of the most informative arrived a few days ago. I must keep the letter-writer's identity hidden, for reasons that will be obvious.

A superintendent in a small district in the Midwest wrote to tell me that his district wants to adopt higher standards than the ones prescribed in federal law (which rely on the state tests). His district would like to use the ACT for its standards, because its tests are content-based, not skills-based.

But the district needs a federal waiver to switch to higher standards. The superintendent has received the written

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Damn Good Education Daily

Damn Good Education Daily
Damn Good Education Daily

good.is - It's a no-brainer that we need an educated workforce for the 21st century economy, so it's no surprise President Obama's stepping up to the education plate during Tuesday's State of the Union addre...

emilyschoolsyou



tomwhitby.wordpress.com - January 24, 2011 by tomwhitby As an adjunct professor at a local private college, I have the privilege each semester to teach one of several methods courses required for our secondary English educa...

tomwhitby
studentactivism.net - There’s a new book out called Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses that got a lot of ink last week. It claims that only 55% of American college students improve their scores on...

studentactivism



twtpoll.com - Total: 43 votes 1) Is Portfolio Assessment a viable alternative to Summative Assessment Testing? [ 16% (7 votes) ] 2) Will Merit Pay be applicable to all teachers regardless of their subject, o...

tomwhitby



sacbee.com - When Gov. Jerry Brown replaced seven members of the State Board of Education earlier this month with seven appointees of his own, the overnight response could have been predicted: This was politica...

TeacherRealit
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NJ Spotlight | Local Boards vs. Charter Schools

NJ Spotlight | Local Boards vs. Charter Schools

Local Boards vs. Charter Schools
Communities -- especially suburban communities -- are looking to have some say over charter schools in their districts

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By John Mooney, January 25 in Education |1 Comment

How much say should local school districts and communities have over charter schools within their borders?

Related Links

Christie Doctrine for Charter Schools?

Newark and Glen Ridge: Different Routes, Same Road

With tensions reaching a boil over charter schools in New Jersey -- especially ones in the suburbs -- several proposals are being floated from both sides of the political aisle that would provide communities with some additional say over the semi-autonomous schools.

In a nearly four-hour hearing on charter schools before the Assembly education committee, leading Democrats yesterday said they would support putting new charter schools to a vote by local referendum, much like the local school budget or a school construction project.

“I do believe a local referendum should be required,” said state Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-

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Last Stand for Children First: Fire All the Bottom Teachers

Last Stand for Children First: Fire All the Bottom Teachers

Fire All the Bottom Teachers

by Last Stand for Children
The past year was a sobering one for Americans, as we learned just what overpaid thieves the teachers of this country truly are and learned that the only people who care about our children are the billionaires working hard to reform education like Eli Broad, Bill Gates, and the Walton Family. To his credit, President Obama put forward a plan for change that hit the mark, a brilliant stroke that even that reminded us that the key to nurturing a growing child is cutthroat competition. Race to the Top, the competitive grant program that harnesses stimulus dollars to drive reform, convinced a surprising number of governors and legislators to have The Gates Foundation fill out the extensive paper work.

The grants from Race to the Top encouraged 27 states to broaden their charter school laws, which will make it much easier for wealthy entrepreneurs like
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