Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - Learning Inductively Works…

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - Learning Inductively Works…

Learning Inductively Works… I’ve a lot here in this blog and in my books about how much I use teaching and learning inductively and how effectively I think it is — with both language learners (even Google Translate learns inductively!) and non-ELL’s. Now, researchers have ...

July’s Most Popular Posts I regularly share my picks for the most useful posts of each month. I also have tried publish a list of the month’s most popular posts, based on the number of times they are “clicked-on.” I’m very behind on that one, though. I also share a list of ...

Great Video Demonstrating An “Appetite For Learning” Being intrinsically motivated, which I interpret to English Language Language Learners as “having an appetite for learning” and “perseverance,” are some of the qualities researches have found in successful language learners. Here’s a great video ...

A Fun Video Showing Perseverance Research has shown that perseverance is a critical characteristic of a successful language learner. I’m adding this fun video to The Best Videos Illustrating Qualities Of A Successful Language Learner as an example of that quality. Be like Gus!

Photo Galleries Of The Week Obviously, photos can be great educational tools with English Language Learners and with any students (see The Best Ways To Use Photos In Lessons). I post about many photo galleries, also called slideshows. To do it in a little more organized way, ...

Ruling next week on Dougco vouchers | EdNewsColorado

Ruling next week on Dougco vouchers | EdNewsColorado

Ruling next week on Dougco vouchers

by Nancy Mitchell

A Denver judge says he’ll issue a ruling next week on a motion to halt the Douglas County voucher pilot until legal challenges surrounding the plan are resolved.

Diana Oakley testified Thursday about how a voucher could help her son. / File photo

Denver District Judge Michael A. Martinez made the announcement after three full days of testimony that concluded Thursday with the mother of a student with special needs explaining why she wants a voucher worth

The digital natives are coming | Thoughts on Public Education

The digital natives are coming | Thoughts on Public Education

The digital natives are coming

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Bernie Trilling explains the meaning of life....long learning

Posted on 8/05/11 • Categorized as Technology

By Kathryn Baron

When my son was about four years old, we got him a children’s science program for the computer. I put in the disc and ran to the laundry room saying I’d be right back to boot it up. Minutes later I returned to find him sitting at the desk, legs dangling a foot off the ground, as he happily clicked the mouse and sorted animals into piles of mammals, reptiles, birds, and slimy things. Unfortunately, when he started school, technology pretty much stayed behind at home.

I was reminded of that incongruity yesterday, when

A conversation: Kopp, West, Smiley on Teach for America - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

A conversation: Kopp, West, Smiley on Teach for America - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

A conversation: Kopp, West, Smiley on Teach for America

by Valerie Strauss

Here’s a conversation that Wendy Kopp, Tavis Smiley and Cornel West had on Smiley’s and West's radio show (called “Smiley & West”) back in January about Teach for America, which Kopp founded and heads. Someone who found it infuriating just sent it to me, and though it took place months ago, it is still worth reading. Share your reaction in the comments. You can see the rest of the transcript here.

My colleague Jenna Johnson just wrote about the 2011 acceptance rate for Teach for America: 11 percent, down from 12 percent last year and nearly 15 percent in 2008. The organization recruits new college graduates to commit to teaching for two years in underserved urban and rural schools, gives them five weeks of summer training and then places them in classrooms. Teach for America’s critics say that five weeks of training, and a two-year commitment, is hardly enough to really help schools and the program is as much a resume builder as anything else. You can read Kopp’s defense of the program below.

Read full article >>

All Education Matters: President Obama Talks About His Own Student Loan Debt

All Education Matters: President Obama Talks About His Own Student Loan Debt

President Obama Talks About His Own Student Loan Debt

by C. Cryn Johannsen

President Obama has tried to woo younger voters about sharing stories about having his own student loan debt, and paying it off.

Recently, he opened up about his student loan debt. He and his wife had $125,000 in student loan debt after they both graduated from Harvard. He said, "it took us 10 years to pay it off," and added, "we were lucky, because we had gone to good law schools, and we knew that we could earn it. It was still a good investment."

Hmmm . . . really? Because I have heard that people who graduate from Harvard Law now aren't doing so well,

Schooling in the Ownership Society: More on Murdoch's $27M no-bid contract from NY Dept. of Ed

Schooling in the Ownership Society: More on Murdoch's $27M no-bid contract from NY Dept. of Ed

More on Murdoch's $27M no-bid contract from NY Dept. of Ed

by Mike Klonsky

Leveraged with Duncan's Race To The Top $$$

The Daily News reports:

More than a dozen private firms wanted to work on a project like the one the state Education Department is set to award to a Rupert Murdoch-owned company in a $27 million no-bid contract. Critics say, state officials had ample time to competitively bid out the contract and still meet a fall 2012 deadline for a federal Race to the Top grant.

"It raises all kinds of questions," said Susan Lerner, executive director of good government group

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More on the DOE's anti-Ravitch strategy

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More on the DOE's anti-Ravitch strategy

More on the DOE's anti-Ravitch strategy

Following up on yesterday's post re. the DOE's anti-Ravitch strategy, one need look no further than this disgusting piece ( "Double-Agent Diane") by willing anti-Ravitch think-tanker Jay Greene. Greene is a long-time hack fellow at the far right-wing Manhattan Institute where he shares a home with racist Bell Curve theorist Charles Murray. Not surprisingly, Greene and the Institute currently find common ground with Duncan and the D.O.E in their crusade against Ravitch, teacher

Day 1 – The AERO Education Conference in Portland | Lefty Parent

Day 1 – The AERO Education Conference in Portland | Lefty Parent

Day 1 – The AERO Education Conference in Portland

by Cooper Zale

I have never tried this thing of blogging each day from an event. My typical blog piece requires about four to twelve hours of work writing or at least staring at the computer thinking what to write. Tonight I figure I have about an hour to pound this out.

This my third AERO conference, my strategy has evolved to focusing on connecting with people, not so much in attending workshops for the content of those sessions. Reconnecting with people I already know, plus making new connections with a few people that I don’t already know that I can include in my circle. Also with Sally in attendance as well, I really wanted to introduce her to a handful of people that I have either met at previous conferences or interacted with through the phone or the Internet on various projects or discussions.

So I feel I was pretty successful in that regard, since today Sally and I were able to connect with several people who were involved with democratic-free schools patterned on the Sudbury Vally model. Sally, who has now read

School board hears debate about new charter school - Latest News - sacbee.com

School board hears debate about new charter school - Latest News - sacbee.com

School board hears debate about new charter school

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By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Published: Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011 - 8:55 pm

Supporters of St. HOPE Public Schools flooded the Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting Thursday evening in support of a new charter petition, but the large group was met with resistance during the first public hearing for the Oak Park middle school.

Push back for the proposal has been expected, as the district and St. HOPE have had a rocky relationship since a previous school board approved the controversial move of turning Sacramento High into a charter in 2003. St. HOPE operates three schools - Sacramento Charter High, Public School 7 and Triumph Center for Early Childhood Education.

In its newest petition, St. HOPE is asking to create a middle school called Oak Park Preparatory School, which would serve 60 students beginning in 2012 and grow to 180 students. Sacrament

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/04/3818294/school-board-hears-debate-about.html#ixzz1U7oKA5iw

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Autocrat Bloomberg's Golden Rule: He who's got the gold makes the rules

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Autocrat Bloomberg's Golden Rule: He who's got the gold makes the rules

Autocrat Bloomberg's Golden Rule: He who's got the gold makes the rules

by Mike Klonsky

According to a story in today's New York Times, Mayor Bloomberg "cajoled" five of his impossibly wealthy peers to help him foot the cost of the midyear Regents examination.

The mayor put $30 million of his own philanthropic stash — along with $30 million

Kids in the Kitchen: Food Obsession Hits the Next Generation - The Bay Citizen

Kids in the Kitchen: Food Obsession Hits the Next Generation - The Bay Citizen

Kids in the Kitchen: Food Obsession Hits the Next Generation

by Jesse Hirsch

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Thomas McNaughton, chef at Flour + Water restaurant, addressed a room full of attentive grade-school-age children. “Today, we’re going to make pig brain lasagna!” he said, smiling broadly. His punch line, though, fell flat. While a typical group of children may have squealed at the gross image, the students from Sprouts Cooking Club, a training program for aspiring young foodies, did not find cooking with brains to be such an outlandish proposition. “We learn that you have to use every part of an animal, even the blood,” said Julia Sweeney, 13, a third-year veteran of the program. Sprouts, a nonprofit in Berkeley that runs four intensive one-week summer camp sessions, as well as after-school programming during the year, is one of several[...]

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Whitney Tilson Attempts To Defile Matt Damon

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Whitney Tilson Attempts To Defile Matt Damon

Whitney Tilson Attempts To Defile Matt Damon

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

Looking back, I had noticed that the name Whitney Tilson has only graced the pages of this blog only twice in the last 4 months. For those of SBSB's readers who come here looking for a good laugh, we here at SBSB do apologize profusely. We have been attempting to live by the words of my mothers, "always wear clean underwear in case you are hit by a car, and never argue with egotistical, attention seeking hedge fund managers." But sometimes mom's are wrong.

This past weekend, there was a thing called the SOS March

An Urban Teacher's Education: On Data: Part One

An Urban Teacher's Education: On Data: Part One

On Data: Part One

by James Boutin

Basing decisions on data is not the same as basing them on knowledge.
- Jeff Henig, Guest Post for Rick Hess Straight Up

"Please explain why it's so important for data to drive the decisions of educators," directed a principal during a recent interview I had for a teaching job.

A red flag went up in my head. My experience with people who like to talk about data-driven decision making in education has not been a positive one. I gathered myself and tried to address the question as sincerely as possible.

I said (as best I can remember):

I think good teachers have always used evidence of student understanding to guide their

Returning with the Same Old Lesson? Spice it Up! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

Returning with the Same Old Lesson? Spice it Up! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

Returning with the Same Old Lesson? Spice it Up!

by Oldschoolteach

I attended a DEN (Discovery Education Network) weeks ago. I always love professional development where I can take away at least one thing I didn’t know. I took away more than one thing, but I am going to share this one, PhotoPeach as a quiz! When Cynthia Brown shared this little tidbit, I knew immediately what [...]

School Tech Connect: Miracle of Miracles

School Tech Connect: Miracle of Miracles

Miracle of Miracles

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

What a terrible summer it's been for reading, at least for me. I've struggled through book after book, trying to find something that interests me. And I'm a reader.

The good news is I finally read a book this summer without it being interrupted by 50 naps.

I just finished Paul Aster's Invisible (2009) and it was brilliant. I found it in this curiously open-to-the-public building up the street where they have all of these books they'll let you read for free. Would have cost me $10 on my Kindle. That tenspot is being immediately redeployed into the frothy refreshment budget, believe me.

But this isn't a book review.

I mention it because it's becoming clearer and clearer to me that the time I spend on

Paper galore at Lakeview Elementary School | The Education Report

Paper galore at Lakeview Elementary School | The Education Report

Paper galore at Lakeview Elementary School

By Katy Murphy
Thursday, August 4th, 2011 at 1:13 pm in budget, community, elementary schools.

Lakeview Elementary School should not run out of copy paper this year. Today, the charitable arm of the 78-year-old Lake Merritt Breakfast Club dropped off

IEA President attempts to explain Soglin’s role on anti-union group’s board of advisors. « Fred Klonsky's blog

IEA President attempts to explain Soglin’s role on anti-union group’s board of advisors. « Fred Klonsky's blog

IEA President attempts to explain Soglin’s role on anti-union group’s board of advisors.

by Fred Klonsky

Jerry Mulvihill is a colleague in my Local. He sent an email to new IEA President Cinda Klickna asking why IEA Executive Director Audrey Soglin had joined the Board of Advisors of the anti-union National Council on Teacher Quality.

Here is Klickna’s response.

Dear Jerry,

Thank you for your email.

You correctly state that the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) is not a traditional ally of education employee unions and has not always supported what we would consider the best ideas for improving teaching and learning.

This is why, a few months ago, Audrey received encouragement from the IEA officers (myself, Ken

More Heat Than Light: The empty promise of the Parent Trigger « Parents Across America

More Heat Than Light: The empty promise of the Parent Trigger « Parents Across America

More Heat Than Light: The empty promise of the Parent Trigger

by leoniehaimson

Parents Across America’s position paper on the Parent Trigger is here. The following commentary is by Bill Ring, a PAA member from Los Angeles and founder of TransParent®

The American Federation of Teachers apparently embarrassedthemselves recently when their Connecticut affiliate was caught with a document on its website memorializing its strategy to defeat Connecticut’s version of California’s parent empowerment legislation (unfortunately known in California as the “parent trigger”).

I went through the powerpoint credited to Connecticut AFT’s legislative advocate, Jennifer

Daily Kos: the "Teacher Organ Program" - a creative way of school financing #SOSMarch

Daily Kos: the "Teacher Organ Program" - a creative way of school financing

the "Teacher Organ Program" - a creative way of school financing

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Anyone around schools has seen the desperate lengths to which educators and parents are now going attempting to maintain programs, both academic and extra-curricular.

While at the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action last weekend, I encountered a woman who had had a biting letter published in a local newspaper. I have her permission to publish it in its entirety, which I will do. We cannot, however, link to or in any way directly reference the publication in which it appeared. I do want to offer that publication kudoes for having the courage to print the letter, which I now present to you:

Thinking outside the box

The problem with school financing is that we haven’t gotten creative enough. While in college, my

4LAKids: TWEET TWEET TWEET: Collective bargaining @ 140 characters per msg

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: TWEET TWEET TWEET: Collective bargaining @ 140 characters per msg

PARENT & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA Randomly observed by smf Fairfax County is neither inside nor outside the D.C. Beltway – it is a beltloop! Fairfax County surrounds Washington D.C.* and Arlington, VA** – where Arne Duncan actually sends his kids to public school (though to a ...

TWEET TWEET TWEET: Collective bargaining @ 140 characters per msg retweeted DrDeasyLAUSD :: John Deasy We are ALL in this together... working with our bargaininng units to save 3,500 jobs despite the State budget crisis. bit.ly/n8QsTW 3 hours ago DrDeasyLAUSD :: John Deasy AB114 calls 4 districts 2 ...