Sunday, August 11, 2013

Morning Wink 8-11-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



TODAY

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher's Experience with Common Core
Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher's Experience with Common Core: A Teacher's Experience with Common CoreEmail ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookIs this the explanation of Common Core? The post below is from a teacher about her first few days teaching Common Core.  She writes about the training received on CCSS teaching methods and bursts the CCSSO talking points that CCSS doesn't
by mike simpson / 42min 
8-11-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Bronx Success Academy 2 Ranks 3rd In State On Test ScoresIn the middle of this Michael Goodwin propaganda piece on Eva Moskowitz in today's NY Post, we get this:The numbers tell the tale. Success Academy Bronx 2 was the top-performing nonselective school in the city and ranked third out of more than 3,500 schools across the state. Some 97 percent of its students passed math
by mike simpson / 55min 
ONLY ON 3: Low pay forces teacher of the year candidate to quit | WWAY NewsChannel 3 | Wilmington NC News
ONLY ON 3: Low pay forces teacher of the year candidate to quit | WWAY NewsChannel 3 | Wilmington NC News: ONLY ON 3: Low pay forces teacher of the year candidate to quitSubmitted by Holden Kurwicki on Fri, 08/09/2013 - 5:58pm.BOILING SPRING LAKES, NC (WWAY) -- We’re just weeks away from the start of school and the Brunswick County school system is losing one of its top educators.Richie Brown is l
by mike simpson / 1h 
Let’s Not Expect Everyone to Run a 4 Minute Mile - School Leadership 2.0
Let’s Not Expect Everyone to Run a 4 Minute Mile - School Leadership 2.0: Let’s Not Expect Everyone to Run a 4 Minute MilePosted by David A. Gamberg on August 11, 2013 at 7:28amView BlogI don’t know about you but when I occasionally run in 5K a 9 minute mile average pace is pushing it for me. Now I’m sure there are some very fit, athletic 50 year olds who can do much better, but clearly if we expe
by mike simpson / 1h 
Chicago Teachers Union to Washington to fight for Trayvon | The Daily Caller
Chicago Teachers Union to Washington to fight for Trayvon | The Daily Caller: Chicago Teachers Union headed to Washington to fight for Trayvon, against foreclosures The Chicago Teachers Union has announced that it will send a bus to the 50th Anniversary March on Washington, a full week of events to be hosted by the four children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and several organizations including Al Sha
by mike simpson / 1h 
Thinking About Schools: Testing: Here's What. So What? NOW What?
Thinking About Schools: Testing: Here's What. So What? NOW What? (19 suggestions): Testing: Here's What. So What? NOW What? (19 suggestions)Here’s WhatSchools have always used standards, designed curriculum, taught kids, and assessed learning and acknowledged there is a lot of room for improvement. Still, SAT, ACT, and AP participation and scores are up as is college attendance and hundreds of tho
by mike simpson / 1h 
Arthur Getzel: Small Lies, Big Lies, and School Statistics - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Arthur Getzel: Small Lies, Big Lies, and School Statistics - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Arthur Getzel: Small Lies, Big Lies, and School StatisticsBy Anthony Cody on August 11, 2013 8:59 AMGuest post by Arthur Getzel.Over the past few days, I was torn whether or not to publish a letter I wrote to Michael Mulgrew. I was hesitant for several reasons. First, I hold a position with th
by mike simpson / 1h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Losing the Heart of the CommunityWhat happens when privately managed charter schools replace public schools? when experienced teachers are replaced by TFA temporary teachers? A reader comments: “From what I can tell, Arizona’s TFA teachers are thought of as rock stars in education. Knights in shining armor to save the school day. I
by mike simpson / 1h 
Philly state lawmakers to Corbett: Give extra money to schools now | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Philly state lawmakers to Corbett: Give extra money to schools now | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Philly state lawmakers to Corbett: Give extra money to schools nowby thenotebook on Aug 10 2013 Posted in Latest news="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on emailCOMMENTS (19)PRINTby Holly OtterbeinMoney is so tight in the Philadelphia Scho
by mike simpson / 1h 
When Charter Schools Are in Churches, Conflict Is in the Air - NYTimes.com
When Charter Schools Are in Churches, Conflict Is in the Air - NYTimes.com: By MORGAN SMITHPublished: August 10, 2013SEnlarge This ImageMichael Stravato for The Texas TribuneLatisha Andrews hopes to convert her private elementary school, which is housed at an Assembly of God church in Houston, into a charter school.Expanded coverage of Texas is produced by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit news organ
by mike simpson / 1h 
NYC Educator: Education, Cajun Style
NYC Educator: Education, Cajun Style: Education, Cajun StyleUS Education Secretary Arne Duncan famously stated that Katrina was the best thing to happen to education in New Orleans. But hey, you can't just flood the whole country. First of all, even if you have a very important job like Arne does, you still don't get power over time, space, and nature.Unfair though that is, you have to deal with i
by mike simpson / 1h 
Nutter, Clarke disagree on solution for schools - Philly.com
Nutter, Clarke disagree on solution for schools - Philly.com: Nutter, Clarke disagree on solution for schoolsBy Troy Graham, Inquirer Staff WriterPOSTED: August 10, 2013At the heart of the impasse that Philadelphia School Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. says is threatening his ability to start class on time this fall are two men - Mayor Nutter and City Council President Darrell L. Clarke - who
by mike simpson / 1h 
Tony Bennett Emails Jeb – Count the Errors #HugeFail | Continuing Change
Tony Bennett Emails Jeb – Count the Errors #HugeFail | Continuing Change: Tony Bennett Emails Jeb – Count the Errors #HugeFail This is an email written by our former Florida Commissioner of Education, Tony Bennett. The email is addressed to Jeb Bush. Both men call for higher standards in public schools and for more accountability.Read one paragraph from the email below.  Answer the questions that
by mike simpson / 1h 

YESTERDAY

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress
Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: H.R.2930 Transition-to-Success Mentoring ActTo amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to award grants to eligible entities to establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring programs to assist at-risk middle school students with the transition from middle school to high school.49min Bill Introduced: H.R.2943 Schoolch
by mike simpson / 10h 
Jersey Jazzman: Scoring NY Tests With the Triple Lindy!
Jersey Jazzman: Scoring NY Tests With the Triple Lindy!: Scoring NY Tests With the Triple Lindy!One of my guilty pleasures is screwball comedies, and one of my favorites stars the great Rodney Dangerfield: Back To School. In the climatic scene of the movie, Rodney wins the big diving meet ("Hey gang, forget about the football game; let's get pumped for the big diving meet!") by flawlessly executin
by mike simpson / 13h 
A Democratic Alternative Legacy within Command & Control Public Education | Lefty Parent
A Democratic Alternative Legacy within Command & Control Public Education | Lefty Parent: A Democratic Alternative Legacy within Command & Control Public EducationAugust 10th, 2013 at 15:47Public education in the U.S. has featured state control of human development since Horace Mann and other educational “reformers” within the New England Protestant elite brought this novel approach of Pru
by mike simpson / 14h 
Want to be successful? Be a sponge. | Connected Principals
Want to be successful? Be a sponge. | Connected Principals: Want to be successful? Be a sponge.August 10, 2013By George Couroscc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo shared by George CourosI have worked with some brilliant leaders and educators and I have noticed the same things about all of them.They listen.No matter their position, they are successful because they see every opportunity as an oppor
by mike simpson / 14h 
Nite Cap 8-10-13 #BATsACT #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYThree Cheers for School! Building a Better School DayThree Cheers for School! Building a Better School Day: Three Cheers for School! Building a Better School DayBy MICHAEL BRICK7 inspiring ideas to deepen learning, engage students, close achievement g
1 by mike simpson / 15h 
Three Cheers for School! Building a Better School Day
Three Cheers for School! Building a Better School Day: Three Cheers for School! Building a Better School DayBy MICHAEL BRICK7 inspiring ideas to deepen learning, engage students, close achievement gaps, and better prepare our kids for a 21st-century world.As a preschooler in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, 4-year-old Hannah has been splitting her time between day care and an early-childhood education cen
by mike simpson / 16h 
Why did charter scores fall more? | JD2718
Why did charter scores fall more? | JD2718: Why did charter scores fall more?AUGUST 10, 2013 PM31 1:50 PMtags: Charter Schools, Common CoreStephen Krashen warned (in advance, in a letter to the NYDN):…Robert Linn of the University of Colorado and his colleagues have shown that test scores are typically low when a new test is introduced. Then the scores improve, about one to two points a year, as s
by mike simpson / 16h 
Saturday coffee AUGUST 10, 2013 | Fred Klonsky
Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee.AUGUST 10, 2013This is a late Saturday Coffee post.While retirement may mean that everyday is Saturday, some Saturdays are not like others.I got up early. I fed Ulysses and let him out to do his stuff, letting Anne take him for his morning walk.I rode my bike up to the Logan Square train stop and rode the EL downtown (using my senior discount card)
by mike simpson / 16h 
Top July 2013 Posts! | Diary of a Public School Teacher!
Top July 2013 Posts! | Diary of a Public School Teacher!: Top July 2013 Posts!Posted August 10, 2013 by Oldschoolteach in Blogging about Education, Education Blog, Elementary Education Blog. Tagged: Diary of a Public School Teacher, education blog, popular posts. Leave a CommentHere is a review of the top July 2013 posts. If you missed any, here’s your chance to catch up!The Teacher Code of Silenc
by mike simpson / 16h 
Diane in the Evening 8-10-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: REIGN OF ERROR COMING SOON (CLICK here)Demolition Derby in Michigan for School DistrictsUnder a recently passed state law in Michigan, two school districts will be dissolved. Inkster and Buena Vista school districts no longer exist. Their students and teachers have scattered. The students are looking for schools, the teachers are l
by mike simpson / 16h 
Why we can’t all get along over school reform
Why we can’t all get along over school reform: Why we can’t all get along over school reformBy Valerie Strauss, Published: August 10 at 4:30 pmE-mail the writer2CommentsMoreAli and Frazier in 1974. (AP)Why can’t we all get along in the battle over school reform? Here is one view, from veteran educator Larry Ferlazzo, who teaches English and Social Studies at Luther Burbank High School in Sacrament
by mike simpson / 16h 
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Rahm selling off everything that's not nailed down
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Rahm selling off everything that's not nailed down: Rahm selling off everything that's not nailed downI don't think so. Following the direction set by his predecessor, Mayor Emanuel has put the whole city up for sale. Next up on the auction block, the airports, hospitals, and port. Writes Mick Dumke in the Reader:"We are taking what was an underutilized, run-dow
by mike simpson / 16h 
Dallas ISD demoted and encouraged principals to leave. How did their schools perform in state ratings? | Education Blog
Dallas ISD demoted and encouraged principals to leave. How did their schools perform in state ratings? | Education Blog: Dallas ISD demoted and encouraged principals to leave. How did their schools perform in state ratings?By Matthew Haagmhaag@dallasnews.com11:26 am on August 10, 2013 | Permalink530Dallas ISD will start the school year with about 60 new principals. A large share of those new posit
by mike simpson / 21h 
8-10-13 Saturday Special Corporate Reform School Girls News Breakout
8-10-13 Saturday Special Corporate Reform School Girls News BreakoutBOOING EXPOSES A COWARDLY GOVERNOR | Teachers Fight BackBOOING EXPOSES A COWARDLY GOVERNOR | Teachers Fight Back: BOOING EXPOSES A COWARDLY GOVERNORleave a comment »Illinois governor Pat Quinn canceled the traditional Democratic rally next week at the Illinois State Fair.  The governor gave some phony explanation to the press as t
3 by mike simpson / 21h 
BOOING EXPOSES A COWARDLY GOVERNOR | Teachers Fight Back
BOOING EXPOSES A COWARDLY GOVERNOR | Teachers Fight Back: BOOING EXPOSES A COWARDLY GOVERNORleave a comment »Illinois governor Pat Quinn canceled the traditional Democratic rally next week at the Illinois State Fair.  The governor gave some phony explanation to the press as to why he canceled the event.  We all know the real reason.  The governor was booed and harassed unmercifully at last year’s
by mike simpson / 21h 
Seattle Schools Community Forum Saturday Updates 8-10-13
Seattle Schools Community Forum:  Saturday UpdatesBig meteor shower this weekend (Perseid by name).   It has just turned cloudy here (and boy, what a lightening/thunderstorm last night) but if the clouds part.  From My Northwest:"If you watched for an hour in a typical Perseid shower, you'd probably see about 70 meteors, maybe a meteor per minute," says University of Washington astronomy professor
by mike simpson / 21h 

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Inflential Florida Schools Superintendent Calls For A “Decommission” of School Grade FormulaPosted on August 10, 2013by Bob Sikes      Rate ThisH/T to Gradebook for this Miami Herald story by Gustavo Solis:Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho lauded student achieve
by mike simpson / 21h 
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent “Involvement”
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent “Involvement”:  Sorry Again About The Multiple EmailsSorry again for the multiple emails. This post is a test one being sent out by Edublogs staff to confirm the problem has been fixed. It’s another example of why I recommend Edublogs so highly — their customer service is unmatchable!by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h Prezi: “Syracuse: A Citywide Education Exp
by mike simpson / 22h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-10-12 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: New NY Scores Prompt Increased Interest in Opting Out of Next State TestsLong Island’s Newsday has a story about growing interest by parents in opting out of state testing. It says that the terrible scores will increase the number of parents who don’t let the schools test their children. William Johnson, the superintendent of Rockv
by mike simpson / 22h 
A Brief Tutorial on Reading “Miracle” Graphs | deutsch29
A Brief Tutorial on Reading “Miracle” Graphs | deutsch29: A Brief Tutorial on Reading “Miracle” GraphsAugust 10, 2013On August 8, 2013, Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) founder and director Caroline Roemer Shirley sent out an email announcement regarding the supposed superiority of the state-run RSD charter schools over non-charters. She even states that her child will atten
by mike simpson / 22h 
8-10-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: New NY Scores Prompt Increased Interest in Opting Out of Next State TestsReblogged from Diane Ravitch's blog: Long Island's Newsday has a story about growing interest by parents in opting out of state testing. It says that the terrible scores will increase the number of parents who don't let the schools test their children. William Johnson, the superintendent of Ro
by mike simpson / 22h 
2nd Banana 8-10-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #soschat #p2 #1u
BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANA RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTHow closing schools hurts neighborhoodscoopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours agoHow closing schools hurts neighborhoods: How closing schools hurts neighborhoods Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 6, 2013 at 6:00 am 0 Comments More [image: (thenotebook.org)] (thenotebook.org) On Thursday, the Philadelphia school district’s governing bo
1 by mike simpson / 22h 
Morning Wink 8-10-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYPerdido Street School 8-10-13Perdido Street School: TODAYAdd The SLO's And The City Tests To Next Year's Battery Of State TestsA parent made the following comment on the Newsday article about the Opt Out movement:My son gets almost 90's on every one of his "real" tests. He doesn't need to sit for 420 minutes of standardized testing in April, nor count
1 by mike simpson / 23h 

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Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher's Experience with Common Core

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher's Experience with Common Core:

A Teacher's Experience with Common Core

Is this the explanation of Common Core?

 

The post below is from a teacher about her first few days teaching Common Core.  She writes about the training received on CCSS teaching methods and bursts the CCSSO talking points that CCSS doesn't tell how/what teachers need to teach.  The amount of stress on teachers and students forced to adapt to these mandates (not voted on by voters or legislatures) may, in fact, create a demand for 21st century jobs.  Read the article and see if you can guess what job might be the number one profession in the next decade.

Reprinted with permission.  From duetsch29.com and My First Days With Full-blown Common Core:

 

 ************************************

August 8, 2013 
In this post I write about my experience as a traditional public school teacher facing Common Core(CCSS). Before I do so, there are a few statements I must offer.

First, let me be clear that I am writing about my own experiences on my own blog using my own computer and sitting in my own home on my own time.

Second, I teach in a wonderful school for an administration that cares about their students. The 
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8-11-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:




Christine Quinn And The Legal Drop-Out Age
From Daily Politics:Kids would be legally barred from dropping out of high school until they turn 18 under a proposal announced Sunday by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.The mayoral hopeful is pushing to raise the legal drop out age to 18 from the current minimum of 17. “As a government, we give students permission to drop out of school at 17. When they’re children, we give them the permissio
by reality-based edu... / 2min 

Why Is The Daily News Going Light On Sheriff Andy Cuomo?
Following the news that Governor Andrew Cuomo received $400,000 in campaign donations direct into his account or to a Democratic Party account that his campaign could tap for ad money from a real estate developer and his affiliates in return for $35 million in tax breaks, the Daily News is kinda sorta calling for an investigation into Cuomo:The commission investigating Albany’s outrageous tax give
by reality-based edu... / 44min 


Common Core Testing
by reality-based edu... / 9min 






Can Spitzer Buy His Way Into The Comptroller's Office?
The NY Post reports that Eliot Spitzer has spent more than 10 times what Scott Stringer has spent in the comptroller's race:It looks like Eliot Spitzer will be a financial “steamroller” this time around. Spitzer, who’s self-funding his campaign, has put in $3.7 million since declaring his candidacy for comptroller on July 7.What’s more, the former love gov spent $2.6 million on the race for comptr
by reality-based edu... / 2min 

Don't Worry, We'll Fix The Low Test Scores With More Test Prep!
Buried in this New York Daily News story about how the "achievement gap" between white and Asian students and black and Latino students widened with the new Common Core tests and how schools they had more high needs students did worse on the tests than schools with fewer high needs students is this doozy:Despite launching several reforms to close the achievement gap, like Mayor Bloomberg’s Young M
by reality-based edu... / 4min 

Bronx Success Academy 2 Ranks 3rd In State On Test Scores
In the middle of this Michael Goodwin propaganda piece on Eva Moskowitz in today's NY Post, we get this:The numbers tell the tale. Success Academy Bronx 2 was the top-performing nonselective school in the city and ranked third out of more than 3,500 schools across the state. Some 97 percent of its students passed math and 77 percent passed English, despite a poverty rate of 85 percent. The school
by reality-based edu... / 10min


Perdido Street School 8-10-13
Perdido Street School: TODAYAdd The SLO's And The City Tests To Next Year's Battery Of State TestsA parent made the following comment on the Newsday article about the Opt Out movement:My son gets almost 90's on every one of his "real" tests. He doesn't need to sit for 420 minutes of standardized testing in April, nor countless dozens of other hours for SLOs, benchmarks, field test questions and wh
by mike simpson / 7h 
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ONLY ON 3: Low pay forces teacher of the year candidate to quit | WWAY NewsChannel 3 | Wilmington NC News

ONLY ON 3: Low pay forces teacher of the year candidate to quit | WWAY NewsChannel 3 | Wilmington NC News:

ONLY ON 3: Low pay forces teacher of the year candidate to quit

Submitted by Holden Kurwicki on Fri, 08/09/2013 - 5:58pm.
BOILING SPRING LAKES, NC (WWAY) -- We’re just weeks away from the start of school and the Brunswick County school system is losing one of its top educators.
Richie Brown is leaving his post at South Brunswick High School for a job in the private sector, but says he is worried that more of his former colleagues may soon follow if there isn’t a change in the bottom line.
"I was about to be a seventh-year teacher, and I would be paid the same as I was as a second-year teacher,” said Richie Brown. “When you get into education you know you're not going to become a millionaire. I wasn't getting into this because of the money, but you still expect to be compensated fairly"
Brown and his wife Kristina, who is also a teacher, were trying to have another child and realized that it was going to be extremely difficult on them financially.
To be able to afford his expanding family Richie says he was forced to look for another job 
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Let’s Not Expect Everyone to Run a 4 Minute Mile - School Leadership 2.0

Let’s Not Expect Everyone to Run a 4 Minute Mile - School Leadership 2.0:

Let’s Not Expect Everyone to Run a 4 Minute Mile




I don’t know about you but when I occasionally run in 5K a 9 minute mile avera

ge pace is pushing it for me. Now I’m sure there are some very fit, athletic 50 year olds who can do much better, but clearly if we expected (or mandated) that everyone at my age should run a 4 minute mile the results would be much like what we see in the recently released NYS assessment failure rates. The standard setting equivalent of expecting all to perform at high levels that are dubious in terms of attending to the stated goal of college and career readiness is akin to saying that the health of individuals is tied primarily to how fast they run.

Our first obligation is to do no harm. I am convinced that those who claim to be pushing a reform agenda in the name of helping children are doing quite the opposite. There is great harm being seen and heard in the aftermath of the release of these results to all who live and work with children as well as the students themselves. Those of us who support, and celebrate the individual uniqueness of our students have strong aspirations for all of them.

No, we should not expect everyone to “perform” at the same level using a select set of measuring sticks. In reality, we all have unique strengths that must be honored and celebrated. In fact, let us insure that we do not marginalize the poets, musicians, and artists of the future in the name of getting the data to show higher percentages of 3s and 4s. The engineers, mathematicians, and scientists would also do well to experience a strong well-rounded foundation in their primary and secondary educational experiences. All current and future citizens benefit from time to play and 
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Chicago Teachers Union to Washington to fight for Trayvon | The Daily Caller

Chicago Teachers Union to Washington to fight for Trayvon | The Daily Caller:

Chicago Teachers Union headed to Washington to fight for Trayvon, against foreclosures


 The Chicago Teachers Union has announced that it will send a bus to the 50th Anniversary March on Washington, a full week of events to be hosted by the four children of Martin Luther King, Jr. and several organizations including Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
The march will celebrate The Great March on Washington, which took place 50 years ago in the summer of 1963 and culminated with King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech. It set to occur Aug. 21 through Aug. 28.
The Chicago Labor Freedom Riders bus trip is slated for Aug. 23 to 25.
The first day of school for students in Chicago Public Schools is Monday, August 26. However, Aug. 23 is scheduled as an official Teacher Institute Day. Any teacher taking the bus to the march will be absent that day.
The actual march will occur on August 28.
A mass email sent out to the Chicago entire Teachers Union’s mailing list urges union members to attend the march to protest foreclosures, the Second City’s recent rash of school closings and, of course, the verdict in favor of George Zimmerman, a Hispanic man who shot a black teenager during an altercation.
“The attack on the working people of Chicago and the country — school closings, high rates of unemployment, evictions and foreclosures, mass incarceration of our youth, lack of


Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/08/09/chicago-teachers-union-headed-to-washington-to-fight-for-trayvon-against-foreclosures/#ixzz2bfSePXdk
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Thinking About Schools: Testing: Here's What. So What? NOW What? (19 suggestions)

Thinking About Schools: Testing: Here's What. So What? NOW What? (19 suggestions):

Testing: Here's What. So What? NOW What? (19 suggestions)


Here’s What
Schools have always used standards, designed curriculum, taught kids, and assessed learning and acknowledged there is a lot of room for improvement. Still, SAT, ACT, and AP participation and scores are up as is college attendance and hundreds of thousands, millions of student success stories. 

But after the “Nation At Risk Report” in the ‘80s and other critiques going back to the late ‘90s, politicians and CEOs saw an Achilles heel that would advance their interests on the backs of kids and teachers while ignoring administrators and local school boards.  Well intended efforts to “level the playing field” and “a new civil rights movement” were about as sincere as billionaires using the momentum of 
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Arthur Getzel: Small Lies, Big Lies, and School Statistics - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Arthur Getzel: Small Lies, Big Lies, and School Statistics - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Arthur Getzel: Small Lies, Big Lies, and School Statistics

By Anthony Cody on August 11, 2013 8:59 AM

Guest post by Arthur Getzel.
Over the past few days, I was torn whether or not to publish a letter I wrote to Michael Mulgrew. I was hesitant for several reasons. First, I hold a position with the United Federation of Teachers and I was in no mood for flak from those just above me because I would be publicly disagreeing with the leader of my union. Second, I thought that if I sent the head of my union a personal letter disagreeing with him, I should at least have the courtesy to wait until he replied. Right now, it is over three days since I sent the letter and as of yet, no reply. What prompted the letter was an email to union members critiquing Bloomberg's reaction to the recent results of the ELA and Math Common Core State Assessments. In a nutshell, he made two statements that I had to disagree with. One, that educators developed the Common Core and that the Common Core is the way to make our students college and career ready as well as develop deep higher level thinking skills.
In the last seventy-two hours, three things convinced me that I have to publish the letter. First, I asked the opinion of several bloggers who I greatly respect. One wrote me saying that I should not care what he thinks while the other blogger said that my letter was powerful and needed to be heard. Next, I read a great blog from NYC Educator critiquing Mulgrew's email 
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