Educators Take Stand Against Bullying During National Bullying Prevention Month | NEA Today

Educators Take Stand Against Bullying During National Bullying Prevention Month | NEA Today:

Educators Take Stand Against Bullying During National Bullying Prevention Month

October 2, 2013 by twalker  
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories

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By Sara Robertson and Edward Graham

October marks the observance of National Bullying Prevention Month, an annual campaign that brings educators, schools, and communities together to combat the damaging impact that bullying can have on students. With nearly one-third of students reporting being bullied in school and nearly half of adolescents and teens saying they have been bullied online, bullying has reached epidemic levels, especially as some studies connect bullying with suicidal thoughts.

At the first ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention in 2011, President Obama discussed the scope of the bullying epidemic in schools across the country.

“Almost 3 million students have said they were pushed, shoved, tripped, even spit on,” Obama said. “It’s also more likely to affect kids that are seen as different, whether it’s because of the color of their skin, the clothes they wear, the disability they may have, or sexual orientation.”

National Bullying Prevention Month was started in 2006 by PACER’s National Center for Bullying Prevention, and since its conception the National Education Association and other education-oriented organizations have partnered up to provide schools with bullying prevention tools and resources. All across the country this month, hundreds of schools and organizations are recognizing the harmful affects of 

 

Head Start Preschoolers Sent Home Thanks to Shutdown

For 770 preschool-aged children in eastern Alabama, school is out indefinitely. Thanks to the government shutdown which began Tuesday morning, Cheaha Regional Head Start (CRHS) has had to close all 16 of its locations, furlough its 240 employees without pay, and tell parents to keep all of the program’s students at home. “There’s nothing that we can do, and there’s no way to head it off,” said CRH

by twalker / 19min 

Do We Really Need Connected Educators? | My Island View

Do We Really Need Connected Educators? | My Island View:

Do We Really Need Connected Educators?

October 2, 2013 by tomwhitby

To answer this question in the very month that the United States Department of Education has set aside to recognize as Connected Educator Month, we need to first examine what a connected educator is. We also need to understand to what it is that educators are connected.

The way information and content is housed and disseminated today has little resemblance to the housing and disseminating of a few short decades ago. Information then was stored in a manner that required some form of physical media. Text was stored in print on paper, and film. Movies were stored on both film, and videotape. Sound was stored on audiotape.  All of this media needed to be stored somewhere until someone needed access to learn from it, or to share it with others. Colleges, schools, and libraries served as hubs of information to give access to specific people for that purpose. That was the model for centuries. Access to information was limited to few, and that often came at a price. There has always been a cost for education and access to information.

The speed at which technology has changed this dynamic is mind-boggling. The conversion of all information and content spanning centuries of history in any form to a digital version took less than 50 years. Access to the Internet is now almost seamless using many different devices. Access is no longer limited to a 

John White warns that school reforms movement won't survive unless it reforms itself | NOLA.com

John White warns that school reforms movement won't survive unless it reforms itself | NOLA.com:

John White warns that school reforms movement won't survive unless it reforms itself

State Superintendent John White, a prominent figure in the education movement that turned New Orleans into a city of choice and charter schools, warned Tuesday that the movement is under attack and won't survive unless it reforms itself.

His companions "risk becoming part of the establishment" they once resisted, as they gain more power and charter schools become more mainstream, White told a crowd at the pro-charter American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.

New education leaders are also now ripe for attack from what White characterized as an anti-authoritarian populist movement in American that goes after whoever's in charge. And he urged advocates of change to move beyond a focus on urban education and failing schools.

He said inequity in education "has fueled the reform movement," but school choice proponents would become irrelevant if they remain focused only on poor students in inner cities, because inequity is complex and many people live in surburban or rural areas.

White ascended to the state's top education job as Gov. Bobby Jindal pushed a 2012 

Diane Ravitch’s new book criticizes ‘reform’ movement | EdSource Today

Diane Ravitch’s new book criticizes ‘reform’ movement | EdSource Today:

Diane Ravitch’s new book criticizes ‘reform’ movement

October 1st, 2013 | Comments Off | 
By Lillian Mongeau

Diane Ravitch discussing her book, “Reign of Error,” on stage in Stanford’s Memorial Hall. Credit: Barbara McKenna, SCOPE

Diane Ravitch was at Stanford University on Monday to discuss her most recent book,“Reign of Error,” which argues that American schools are doing better than public discourse suggests.

Ravitch told a standing-room-only crowd at Stanford’s Memorial Auditorium that what she called the “privatization movement,” which includes reforms such as charter schools run by private companies, is a “hoax.”

“Somehow reform has turned into a process that includes … closing public schools, turning public dollars over to private entrepreneurs and pretending test scores are the most important part of public schooling,” Ravitch said.

See Jonathan Kozol’s New York Times review  of “Reign of Error” here. 

After a career as a distinguished education historian, Ravitch emerged as a prominent figure in education policy in the early ’90s when she worked as an assistant secretary of education under then-President George H.W. Bush. At the time, she thought charter schools could be a useful laboratory for trying out new ideas that could then be incorporated into public schools. That has 

10-2-13 LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

An Interview in San Francisco

Michael Krasny is one of the best book interviewers in the nation. I love to appear on his show because he asks good questions. And that brings out the best in me. This reader thinks you should listen: “This might not be news to Diane’s readers, but I wanted to mention that her September 30 interview on KQED’s Forum with Michael Krasny is well worth a listen. You can find it on the NPR smart phone

by dianerav / 13min mark as read  //  save

David Sirota: Who Does Obamacare Benefit? What Is the Fight About?

David Sirota says that the big winners under Obamacare are the big insurance companies. Read this fast, as it will be online only for 20 hours, then goes behind a paywall. Or copy it and save it. Here is a sample from one of our great investigative journalists: “In this made-for-TV cartoon series, the battle over the new law has been depicted as a fight between competing small guys. Bam! Democra

3 by dianerav / 45min 

Matthew Di Carlo Deciphers Latest DC Test Scores

Given that D.C. has become a Petri dish for Rhee-style reform, every test score release is treated as earth-shattering. Matthew Di Carlo of the Shanker Institute says not so fast. Reporting on test scores is far more complicated than it seems, and the public never understands that the setting of the cut scores is a decision made by humans, not a matter of scientific weights and measures. He wri

by dianerav / 20min 

The Right-Wing Agenda of MinnCAN

Here is a summary of a recent mayoral forum in Minneapolis, sponsored by MinnCAN. MinnCAN is a spinoff of ConnCAN and 50CAN, organizations that promote school choice and look askance at public education. To be fair, they are quite happy to take public dollars, but to run their schools with rules that are very different from those that govern public schools, which are not allowed to pick their stud

by dianerav / 8min 

A Good Book about the Attacks on Teachers

Ken K. Kumashiro’s Bad Teacher! How Blaming Teachers Distorts the Bigger Picture should be on your reading list. He has written a thoughtful critique of the current fad in which it is fashionable to blame teachers for the ills of society and for low test scores and student misbehavior. The current fad eliminates any accountability for those who make the laws, write the regulations, decide the poli

5 by dianerav / 54min 

Accountable Talk Blogger Reviews “Reign of Error”

Accountable Talk, a popular education blogger, here reviews Reign of Error. He or she writes: The book is a thorough excoriation of the reform movement. Starting with who the major players are and how they stand to benefit financially from their “reforms”, Ms. Ravitch unravels, one by one, all the myths spun by the corporate raiders looking to cash in on public education dollars. She lays bare the

by dianerav / 12min 

EduShyster: Adell Cothorne Speaks!

Adell Cothorne is the brave principal in Washington, D.C., who reported to her headquarters that she saw cheating going on. She was featured on a PBS Frontline special about the uncertain legacy of Michelle Rhee. What happened after she reported cheating by a group of staff? Nothing. Nothing except she became persona non grata for blowing the whistle. For a long time, her lawyer told her to remain

by dianerav / 23min 

Louisiana Educator Reviews “Reign of Error”

Louisiana Educator is a blog written by one of that state’s finest educators, now retired, Mike Deshotels. He reviews Reign of Error here. It is hard to pick a single excerpt from his review because every paragraph is compelling. (I tried but was not very successful.) Deshotels writes: In this, her latest meticulously researched book, Ravitch describes the myths upon which the current corporate re

3 by dianerav / 1h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-1-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's  blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why VAM Is a ShamAudrey Amrein-Beardsley of Arizona State University is one of the nation’s leading authorities on teacher evaluation. She has the advantage of having taught middle school math for several years. She understands better than almost any other researcher just how flawed value-added measurement is. Next year, her book

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-2-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Video- Inspiring Brooklyn New School Principal Anna Allanbrook: BNS Principal's weekly letter 10.1.13

How come so many progressive principals like Anna Allanbrook and Carol Burris have become heroes to so many teachers while we look at our union leadership with disdain? I was inspired last night when I taped the panel at Anna Allanbrook's remarkable statement with Shael Polokow-Suransky, not only one of the chief Tweedies but second in command to Walcott standing a few feet away.Many were asking w

1 by ed notes online / 7h mark as read  //  save

Borowitz: Panicstricken Tea Party Supporters Flee U.S.

October 1, 2013Millions Flee ObamacarePosted by Andy Borowitz at the New Yorkerhttp://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2013/10/millions-flee-obamacare.html?utm_source=tny&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=borowitz&mbid=nl_Borowitz%20%28176%29 UNITED STATES (The Borowitz Report)—Millions of Tea Party loyalists fled the United States in the early morning hours today, seeking wha

1 by ed notes online / 7h 

Vote James for Public Advocate Today

All out for James. I don't have much time so check my blogroll for all the other bloggers supporting her. I also don't have time to republish the video I made of her at a PEP -- check the archives.Here is James Eterno at the ICE blog:VOTE FOR LETITIA JAMES IN TUESDAY'S RUNOFF (My View Only)  Get out the Vote for Tish James on Tuesday in the Democratic Runoff! Letitia James fought the mayor's repre

2 by ed notes online / 7h

9-30-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: TODAY: Portelos Hearing, Protest Eva Invasion of Seth Low, High Stakes Test Forum at PS 51KOy! On a beautiful day that I would love to be spending in my backyard contemplating my little garden construction project that has become my obsession (contemplate, not do actual work on it -- but look for a photo soon to show where I am at with it) I am about to leave for the Portelos hear

by mike simpson / 3h 

10-2-13M Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

Times, Post, and DN Newspaper Endorsements - NYers Didn't Care About Them

Blake Zeff:Politicians thought voters cared what the top papers thought. That may not be the case any longer. In New York, the city’s three largest papers – which each happen to also be among the nation’s top ten in circulation – suffered huge collective whiffs in recent weeks. For the office of mayor, the entire trifecta of the New York Times, Daily News, and Post, all endorsed Christine Quinn in

by reality-based edu... / 3min 

The Mayor's Race - Where It Stand In Early October

The last two polls taken in the mayor's race and released a few days after the primary election showed Bill de Blasio beating his GOP opponent Joe Lhota by 43 and 41 percentage points respectively.Expect the next slate of mayoral polls that come out to show a bit of a closer race.First, de Blasio has been taking a beating in the press ever since the NY Times Sandanista hit piece.De Blasio has had

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

UFT Caught Paying "Fake" Political Consultant Group

The geniuses at 52 Broadway can't do much of anything right:A "super PAC" formed by the powerful city teachers' union paid more than $370,000 to an apparently fictitious political consulting firm, which was actually the well-known New York firm the Advance Group, records and interviews show.The listing of the phony firm, "Strategic Consultants, Inc.," in campaign filings, obscu

by reality-based edu... / 24min 

Merryl Tisch Attacks Bill De Blasio Over Charter School Rent Plan

The NY Post reports that Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch criticized Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio for saying charter schools should pay rent:Chancellor Merryl Tisch said she’s concerned that forcing publicly-funded charter school to pay rent for sharing space in public school buildings, as the Democratic mayoral nominee has proposed, could stymie growth and innovation. “Anything that y

by reality-based edu... / 5min 

NYC Shifts From Plutocrats To Populists

12 yrs of trickle-down urbanism burst as the most left-labor candidates win Mayoral & PA nods. Big shift from plutocrat to populists.— Mark Green (@markjgreen) October 2, 2013De Blasio isn't mayor yet, Tish James isn't public advocate yet, Stringer isn't comptroller yet.There are still elections to be held in November as we learned in 2001, anything can happen between the primaries and Electio

by reality-based edu... / 12min 

NYC Shifts From Plutocrats To Populists

12 yrs of trickle-down urbanism burst as the most left-labor candidates win Mayoral & PA nods. Big shift from plutocrat to populists.— Mark Green (@markjgreen) October 2, 2013De Blasio isn't mayor yet, Tish James isn't public advocate yet, Stringer isn't comptroller yet.There are still elections to be held in November as we learned in 2001, anything can happen between the primaries and Electio

by reality-based edu... / 12min 

Cuomo To Appoint Pataki, McCall To "Tax Cut Task Force"

Anybody who thinks a Mayor de Blasio is getting a tax increase on rich people in Governor Andrew Cuomo's re-election year should take note of this news: ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo is turning to the Republican who defeated his father to come up with ways to cut taxes, the Daily News has learned. In a surprising announcement scheduled for Wednesday morning, Cuomo will appoint former Gov. George Pataki and

by reality-based edu... / 56min mark as read  //  save

A Very Solid Win For Tish James Over Dan Squadron Last Night

Turnout was pretty good for a runoff election with nothing else at stake.Tish James got over 111,000 votes.Some pundits were saying turnout was going to be about 100,000 overall for the runoff.It was closer to 187,000And James won by 36,000 votes.A very solid win for James and a stinging defeat for Dan Squadron.Given what a scummy campaign he ran, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy.

by reality-based edu... / 2h 

Bill Gates Faces Shareholder Revolt At Microsoft

Apparently teachers aren't the only people who think Gates wields more power than one man should:these Three of the top 20 investors in Microsoft are lobbying the board to press for Bill Gates to step down as chairman of the software company he co-founded 38 years ago, according to people familiar with matter. The outgoing Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has been under pressure for years t

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

10-1-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Sleazy Dan Squadron Refuses To Take Responsibility For His Campaign's Anonymous RoboCall Attack Against Tish JamesDan Squadron is a sleazeball.It's one thing to attack your opponent and take responsibility for the attacks.Alas, Squadron doesn't have the courage or the moral core to do that - as Politicker reports here: State Senator Daniel Squadron would not deny tonight tha

by mike simpson / 10h