Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts


Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts


Film: 'American Teacher' - California Teachers Association

Film: 'American Teacher' - California Teachers Association:Film: 'American Teacher'By Sherry Posnick-GoodwinFilms about teachers often tend to be stereotypical in nature. “Waiting for Superman” blamed “bad teachers” for being complacent and ineffective. Other movies — “Freedom Writers,” “Stand and Deliver,” “Dangerous Minds” — portray teachers as self-sacrificing saints eager to take a vow of poverty. “American Teacher” is more realistic. The film shows that the majority of teachers are smart, resourceful, hardworking, and doing the best they can in challenging circumstances. ... more »

Trigger Laws: Does Signing a Petition Give Parents a Voice?

Trigger Laws: Does Signing a Petition Give Parents a Voice?:Trigger Laws • Does Signing a Petition Give Parents a Voice?Illustration: Michael DuffyBy David BaconParent trigger laws, according to their proponents, give parents power. Gregory McGinity, managing director of policy for the Broad Education Foundation, calls them “a way for parents’ voices to be heard.”Sounds good. But is the parent trigger concept a way to put parents in charge of their kids’ education, or is it part of a political agenda ... more »

All Education Matters: Tune In This Evening at 10 PM EST To Casey Ryan's The Cutting Room Floor

All Education Matters: Tune In This Evening at 10 PM EST To Casey Ryan's The Cutting Room Floor:Tune In This Evening at 10 PM EST To Casey Ryan's The Cutting Room Floorby Cryn JohannsenCasey Ryan has invited me on as a guest to discuss student loan debt and OWS this evening. Please tune in at 10 PM EST to listen.

Occupy LAUSD: WHAT DOES ‘THE MAN’ HAVE TO DO WITH L.A.’S EDUCATIONAL WOES #ows

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Occupy LAUSD: WHAT DOES ‘THE MAN’ HAVE TO DO WITH L.A.’S EDUCATIONAL WOES:Occupy LAUSD: WHAT DOES ‘THE MAN’ HAVE TO DO WITH L.A.’S EDUCATIONAL WOESBY MUD BARON IN LAIST| HTTP://BIT.LY/NYQN7JOccupy LAUSD tents on Day 3 (Photo by @JoseDelBarrio via yfrog)October 21, 2011 2:20 PM - Since Tuesday, Santee teacher Jose Lara has been sitting--no standing--at the corner of 4th and Beaudry at LAUSD Headquarters. Occupy Wall Street has beget Occupy L.A. ... more »

LAUSD & UTLA CONTRACT Prepare To Negotiate

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD UTLA CONTRACT: Los Angeles Unified School District United Teachers Los Angeles Prepare To Negotiate:LAUSD UTLA CONTRACT: Los Angeles Unified School District United Teachers Los Angeles Prepare To Negotiateby smfAnna Almendrala | The Huffington Post | http://huff.to/o0hUF5 10/21/11 07:19 PM ET - Even though contract negotiations between the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) union and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) haven't even been scheduled yet, Superintendent John Deasy's supporters ... more »

Can Teachers Be Friends With Students? - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher

Can Teachers Be Friends With Students? - Classroom QA With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher:Can Teachers Be Friends With Students?By Larry Ferlazzo on October 21, 2011 1:19 AM | 1 Comment | RecommendThis week's question comes from Brad Patterson, who asks:Can we be friends with our students? Where do we create barriers? How about social-media wise? I'm interested to hear about your experience, lessons learned, regrets, what you would offer as advice for new teachers.It's an important question with ... more »

Mar Vista: WALGROVE AVENUE ELEMENTARY NEIGHBORS OPPOSE CHARTER LAND LEASE PROPOSAL, FEEL IGNORED BY LAUSD

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Mar Vista: WALGROVE AVENUE ELEMENTARY NEIGHBORS OPPOSE CHARTER LAND LEASE PROPOSAL, FEEL IGNORED BY LAUSD:Mar Vista: WALGROVE AVENUE ELEMENTARY NEIGHBORS OPPOSE CHARTER LAND LEASE PROPOSAL, FEEL IGNORED BY LAUSDBY GARY WALKER - THE ARGONAUT | HTTP://BIT.LY/QT7V71Oct 20, 2011 - A group of homeowners who reside within blocks of Walgrove Avenue Elementary School in Mar Vista is asking the Los Angeles Unified School District to reconsider its land lease proposal to offer ... more »

SBE Screening Committee Meeting for Nov 2011 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)

SBE Screening Committee Meeting for Nov 2011 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education):CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION1430 N Street, Suite 5111Sacramento, CA 95814Phone: 916-319-0827Fax: 916-319-0175State Board of Education Screening Committee MembersIlene Straus, ChairJim AschwandenYvonne ChanCarl CohnJames RamosMeeting Notice:Screening Committee of the State Board of EducationTuesday, November 1, 201111:00 a.m.California State Board of Education Office1430 N Street, Conference Room 5101Sacramento, California916-319-0827The purpose of this meeting is to review applicatio... more »

How turnarounds will reshape the system in the coming years | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Where is all this heading? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:Where is all this heading?Activists, educators, and officials weigh in on how turnarounds will reshape the system in the coming years.by Dale MezzacappaPhoto: Benjamin HeroldGratz High School is one of the latest crop of school turnarounds in Philadelphia. Gary Ray (center), a 10th grader, waits outside the school, now known as Mastery-Gratz, on the first day.COMMENTS (0)PRINTEMAILTags:career/tech ed. data Mastery Charter Schools charter schools school improvementstandardized testing Leroy Nunery low-performing schools... more »

Shanker Blog » The Teachers' Union Hypothesis

Shanker Blog » The Teachers' Union Hypothesis:The Teachers’ Union Hypothesisby Matthew Di CarloFor the past couple of months, Steve Brill’s new book has served to step up the eternally-beneath-the-surface hypothesis that teachers’ unions are the primary obstacle to improving educational outcomes in the U.S. The general idea is that unions block “needed reforms,” such as merit pay and other forms of test-based accountability for teachers, and that they “protect bad teachers” from being fired.Teachers’ unions are a convenient target. For ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts“Don’t mess with my TRS!” Call now. 888-412-6570. « Fred Klonsky's blogBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-3 hours ago“Don’t mess with my TRS!” Call now. 888-412-6570. « Fred Klonsky's blog:“Don’t mess with my TRS!” Call now. 888-412-6570.by Fred KlonskyThe lines are now open. Dial 888-412-6570 and follow the prompts. You will be connected with your state senator or representative. Tell them to do the right thing, say NO cutting the modest ... more »

Rick Scott, “Amateur Education Mechanic” | Scathing Purple Musings

Rick Scott, “Amateur Education Mechanic” | Scathing Purple Musings:

Rick Scott, “Amateur Education Mechanic”

Writes J. Earle Bowden from the Pensacola News Journal:

Gov.Rick Scott, an amateur education mechanic working under a shade tree, knows better. His latest nonsense debases the liberal arts, an essential component of higher education, targeting Florida anthropology students — even if his daughter studied the diversified field that contributes greatly to science and discovery.

His stirring words: “We don’t need a lot more anthropologists in the state. It’s a great degree if people want to get it, but we don’t need them here. I want to spend our dollars giving people science, technology, engineering, and math degrees. That’s what our kids need to focus all their time and attention on, those types of degrees, so when they get out of school, they can get a job.”

Yes, a job. Yes, plenty of jobs. But we need less of Scott’s

Modern School: Labor Relations Board Tells Chicago To Back Off Longer School Days

Modern School: Labor Relations Board Tells Chicago To Back Off Longer School Days:

Labor Relations Board Tells Chicago To Back Off Longer School Days


A state labor relations board has asked the Illinois state attorney general’s office to seek an injunction to prevent Chicago public schools from lengthening their days. Chicago Public Schools has been seeking to lengthen the school day at its schools and the union has been resisting, despite pockets of support by doormat teachers at several schools. Nine elementary schools have already extended their days by 90 minutes and will not be affected by any future ruling by the courts, according to the Chicago Tribune.

CPS complained about the possibility of the courts making a decision without hearing arguments from both sides. However, there is no need to hear both sides of an argument when one side is trying to violate a labor contract. Indeed, the board’s request specifically called for an end to the practice of offering financial incentives to teachers who vote in favor of the longer day and to “cease and desist from unilaterally modifying terms” of the existing contract. They

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - Lots Of Resources On Wealth & Inequality

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - Lots Of Resources On Wealth & Inequality:

Lots Of Resources On Wealth & Inequality

“Page O Rama”

More Halloween Resources

Easily Create Animations With “Disapainted”

This Will Be A GREAT Project For ELL Students!

“Can Teachers Be Friends With Students?”

“Can Teachers Be Friends With Students?” is the question of the week at my Education Week Teacher column.

Check out the post and consider leaving a response there or, if you prefer, here…

Transporting Finland’s education success to U.S. - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Transporting Finland’s education success to U.S. - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Transporting Finland’s education success to U.S.

This was written by Mark Phillips, professor of secondary education at San Francisco State University and author of a monthly column on education for the Marin Independent Journal.

By Mark Phillips

Finland is dominating my educational radar screen.

When I read Linda Darling Hammond’s excellent “The Flat World and Education” (2010) a few months ago, her description of “The Finnish Success Story” fascinated me. Watching the film American Teacher last month, the most hopeful piece of information for me was that in Finland teaching is the most admired job by college students. In the Q and A that followed a local showing of the movie, questions and comments

Daily Kos: 50% of All Workers Made Less than $26,000 in 2010

Daily Kos: 50% of All Workers Made Less than $26,000 in 2010:

50% of All Workers Made Less than $26,000 in 2010

So reads the title of this post at The Atlantic that went up mid-morning on Friday. It is based on Wage Statistics for 2010 from the Social Security Administration, a report whose official release is today. The title of Derek Johnson's post is not quite accurate, as the real median wage is $26,364, which means "the typical wage is at its lowest level since 1999, after adjusting for inflation." That is one of the key points Johnson borrows from the analysis of David Cay Johnston, to which he also links. The other two are that the number of millionaires increased by 20% since 2007, while simultaneously we have lost about 10,000,000 workers, a figure derived by noting the number of jobs lost and the number of additional people who should have entered the workforce since 2007.

Johnson (Atlantic editor, not the economist) notes


October 22, 1811

saw the birth of the great pianist and composer Franz Liszt, perhaps the first real "rock star" of the musical world.

Most know Liszt for his piano music, whether it is fiery technical brilliance of his better known works or the meditative sounds of his later Années de Pèlerinage, although the body of his work was vast, he anticipated aspects of Impressionism, and as a teacher founded a tradition of piano performance that lasted well into the 20th Century.

I am and have always been fond of Liszt, and not because I was a pianist.

I spent 8 summers at National Music Camp as it was then called, at Interlochen Michigan, 1954-60 and 1962. Each camp season ended with a performance of a symphony, usually one of the four by Brahms, although one

What Happened to My Grade Book?: Curriculum-Based Instruction & Standards-Based Education

What Happened to My Grade Book?: Curriculum-Based Instruction & Standards-Based Education:

Curriculum-Based Instruction & Standards-Based Education


"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson


Once upon a time...
teachers went to work and were handed a curriculum. The curriculum that I taught from was developed by our district. It was a packet of what, exactly, I was expected to teach in every subject area. It detailed all of the subject areas and the content I was expected to teach. I used my professional judgement to assign grades reflective of student performance. (Don't tell but I never once made it all the way through everything.)

Teaching a curriculum went something like this...

NEXT DC parent Power Meeting

Diary of a Social Art-tivist Mommy: NEXT DC parent Power Meeting:

NEXT DC parent Power Meeting

Monday, November 7th, 6:30-8:30pm
Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Neighborhood Library
Room: SPK Room

DC Parent Power seeks:
* Authentic public engagement
* Transparency at all stages of policy development
* Less emphasis on standardized testing
* Richer curriculum
* Strong backing for public education, as opposed to increasing privatization
* Decreasing racial and economic school segregation
* Use of proven methods in all levels of school reform
* Equitable funding for all Wards

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE A TEACHER? By Jeff Foxworth « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE A TEACHER? By Jeff Foxworth « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE A TEACHER? By Jeff Foxworth

I walked into the copy room and this was sitting on a table with the words: “This is a must READ:) “.

I agree, and I think it is also a “Must Share!” I Googled it and realized it has been around for years, but I got a laugh out of most of them!:)

  1. You get a secret thrill out of laminating things.
  2. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.
  3. You walk into a store and hear the words, “It’s Ms./Mr. ____________ and know you have been spotted.
  4. You have 25 people who accidentally call you Mom/Dad at

Human Tutoring vs. Computer Tutoring: Who Wins? (Mike Goldstein) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Human Tutoring vs. Computer Tutoring: Who Wins? (Mike Goldstein) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Human Tutoring vs. Computer Tutoring: Who Wins? (Mike Goldstein)

Mike Goldstein founded MATCH Charter Public High School in Boston. He is involved in many ventures including the one below. The post appeared October 7, 2011. For another analysis of Houston’s “no excuses” turnaround of failing schools and the tutoring component, see Matt Di Carlo’s post.

[I]n Summer 2010 we sent a team to Houston. Their job was to design and launch a massive cohort of full-time math tutors. This was 1 part of a 5-pronged effort (called Apollo 20) to do “turnarounds” of 9 of their lowest-performing schools.

The news:

1. Roland Fryer, the economist who put this whole thing together … published a scholarly paper analyzing the effects of the Apollo effort.

2. Ericka Mellon of the Houston Chronicle wrote a news article … about that study.

Tutoring seems to work

Fryer’s research found that the

Friday, October 21, 2011

Film: 'American Teacher' - California Teachers Association

Film: 'American Teacher' - California Teachers Association:

Film: 'American Teacher'

By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin

american teacher

Films about teachers often tend to be stereotypical in nature. “Waiting for Superman” blamed “bad teachers” for being complacent and ineffective. Other movies — “Freedom Writers,” “Stand and Deliver,” “Dangerous Minds” — portray teachers as self-sacrificing saints eager to take a vow of poverty. “American Teacher” is more realistic. The film shows that the majority of teachers are smart, resourceful, hardworking, and doing the best they can in challenging circumstances. Instead of playing the blame game, the film makes a strong case that our teachers — who are responsible for educating America’s future generations — deserve to be valued, supported, and paid what they are worth.

The documentary is based on the book “Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America’s Teachers” (New Press 2005) authored by journalist and teacher Daniel Moulthrop, writer Dave Eggers, and Ninive Calegari, a former teacher and co-founder of 826 National, a student writing center.

Trigger Laws: Does Signing a Petition Give Parents a Voice?

Trigger Laws: Does Signing a Petition Give Parents a Voice?:

Trigger Laws • Does Signing a Petition Give Parents a Voice?




Illustration: Michael Duffy

By David Bacon

Parent trigger laws, according to their proponents, give parents power. Gregory McGinity, managing director of policy for the Broad Education Foundation, calls them “a way for parents’ voices to be heard.”

Sounds good. But is the parent trigger concept a way to put parents in charge of their kids’ education, or is it part of a political agenda that will rob parents of even more control?

The first parent trigger law was passed in California last year. It says that if the parents of 51 percent of a public school’s students sign a petition (the “trigger”), that petition will result in one of four options: firing the principal, bringing in an entirely new staff, closing the school, or handing over the school to a charter school operator. Rather than triggering a broader process, the specific option—for example, the specific charter school company—is part of the petition.

Several very conservative players in national education reform, in addition to Broad, have made parent trigger proposals a key part of their agenda. Many teachers fear the expansion of a privatized education system, and view parent trigger laws as a means for rushing the

All Education Matters: Tune In This Evening at 10 PM EST To Casey Ryan's The Cutting Room Floor

All Education Matters: Tune In This Evening at 10 PM EST To Casey Ryan's The Cutting Room Floor:

Tune In This Evening at 10 PM EST To Casey Ryan's The Cutting Room Floor

Occupy LAUSD: WHAT DOES ‘THE MAN’ HAVE TO DO WITH L.A.’S EDUCATIONAL WOES #ows

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Occupy LAUSD: WHAT DOES ‘THE MAN’ HAVE TO DO WITH L.A.’S EDUCATIONAL WOES:

Occupy LAUSD: WHAT DOES ‘THE MAN’ HAVE TO DO WITH L.A.’S EDUCATIONAL WOES

BY MUD BARON IN LAIST| HTTP://BIT.LY/NYQN7J

occupylausd-day3.jpg
Occupy LAUSD tents on Day 3 (Photo by @JoseDelBarrio via yfrog)

October 21, 2011 2:20 PM - Since Tuesday, Santee teacher Jose Lara has been sitting--no standing--at the corner of 4th and Beaudry at LAUSD Headquarters. Occupy Wall Street has beget Occupy L.A. has beget Occupy LAUSD. The movement states "This is a call out to the 99% in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is time we Reclaim Our Schools from the 1% wealthy."

But what does "the man" have to do with huge class sizes, dirty classrooms, empty libraries, fallow gardens and laid off teachers? Haven't the schools been the victim of state budget cuts? According to Lara and education activist Robert Skeels the beleaguered



LAUSD & UTLA CONTRACT Prepare To Negotiate

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD & UTLA CONTRACT: Los Angeles Unified School District & United Teachers Los Angeles Prepare To Negotiate:

LAUSD & UTLA CONTRACT: Los Angeles Unified School District & United Teachers Los Angeles Prepare To Negotiate

Anna Almendrala | The Huffington Post | http://huff.to/o0hUF5 10/21/11 07:19 PM ET - Even though contract negotiations between the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) union and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) haven't even been scheduled yet, Superintendent John Deasy's supporters are gearing up for a long fight. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education sent out

BROWN SHAPES, SIGNS RttT ENTRY: State hopes feds buy different approach

By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess |http://bit.ly/oj4qUL Posted on 10/20/11 • After keeping child education advocates and his own staff in suspense for months, Gov. Jerry Brown approved the state’s application to the federal Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge on Wednesday – but not before shaping it in a way that will either turn off or intrigue federal officials and competition

A BULWARK AGAINST BAD EATING: Torlakson's new initiative for healthy habits

By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess | http://bit.ly/osI5KV Posted on 10/21/11 • With monster 49ers tackle Bill “Bubba” Paris heading a soccer ball to Brandi Chastain (her idea) and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson leading elementary school students in San Jose on a lap around the field while still in a suit, Torlakson on Thursday kicked off Team California for Healthy Kids,

THE WEALTHIEST SLIVER

Themes in the News for the week of Oct. 17-21, 2011 by UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/oB4m6b 10-21-2011 - Some California schools have very fine facilities and learning resources. Consider the high schools with 12 students in a class; experienced teachers with Ph.D.s teaching advanced placement and honors classes; fully stocked libraries; cutting-edge technology in science laboratories; access to

Can Teachers Be Friends With Students? - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher

Can Teachers Be Friends With Students? - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher:

Can Teachers Be Friends With Students?

| 1 Comment | Recommend

This week's question comes from Brad Patterson, who asks:

Can we be friends with our students? Where do we create barriers? How about social-media wise? I'm interested to hear about your experience, lessons learned, regrets, what you would offer as advice for new teachers.

It's an important question with two key components. One relates to the question of how teachers and students view their relationships with each other on a

Mar Vista: WALGROVE AVENUE ELEMENTARY NEIGHBORS OPPOSE CHARTER LAND LEASE PROPOSAL, FEEL IGNORED BY LAUSD

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Mar Vista: WALGROVE AVENUE ELEMENTARY NEIGHBORS OPPOSE CHARTER LAND LEASE PROPOSAL, FEEL IGNORED BY LAUSD:

Mar Vista: WALGROVE AVENUE ELEMENTARY NEIGHBORS OPPOSE CHARTER LAND LEASE PROPOSAL, FEEL IGNORED BY LAUSD

BY GARY WALKER - THE ARGONAUT | HTTP://BIT.LY/QT7V71

Oct 20, 2011 - A group of homeowners who reside within blocks of Walgrove Avenue Elementary School in Mar Vista is asking the Los Angeles Unified School District to reconsider its land lease proposal to offer space at the school to a charter organization.

Citing long-standing and rapidly worsening conditions with traffic, overburdened infrastructure, noise and a lack of attention to the elementary school, the homeowners and parents say these problems have infringed upon their lives since Ocean Charter School began sharing campus space with Walgrove five years ago, and the potential of a new charter could have devastating consequences on the neighborhood.

LAUSD has released a request for proposal (RFP) that will offer a 500-seat school on a 2-acre parcel of land at Walgrove to a charter

SBE Screening Committee Meeting for Nov 2011 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)

SBE Screening Committee Meeting for Nov 2011 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education):

CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
1430 N Street, Suite 5111
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-319-0827
Fax: 916-319-0175

State Board of Education Screening Committee Members

Ilene Straus, Chair
Jim Aschwanden
Yvonne Chan
Carl Cohn
James Ramos

Meeting Notice:
Screening Committee of the State Board of Education

Tuesday, November 1, 2011
11:00 a.m.

California State Board of Education Office
1430 N Street, Conference Room 5101
Sacramento, California
916-319-0827

The purpose of this meeting is to review applications for the 2012-2013 Student Board Member position, and select twelve semi-finalists to be interviewed in conjunction with the 2011 Student Advisory Board on Education (SABE) Conference.

Agenda

  1. Call to order, Chair
  2. Welcome and Introductions, Chair
  3. Review and Discuss applications
  4. Selection of twelve semi-finalists
  5. Adjournment

ALL TIMES ARE APPROXIMATE AND ARE PROVIDED FOR CONVENIENCE ONLY
THE ORDER OF BUSINESS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY

Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in a meeting or function of the California State Board of Education (SBE), may request assistance by contacting the SBE Office, 1430 N Street, Room 5111, Sacramento, CA, 95814; telephone, 916-319-0705; fax, 916-319-0175.

For more information concerning this agenda, please contact Dana Wittek, Office Technician, California State Board of Education, at 1430 N Street, Room 5111, Sacramento, CA, 95814; telephone 916-319-0826; fax 916-319-0175. This agenda is posted on the State Board of Education's Web site.