10-17-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

NYSUT, Alliance For Quality Education Announce Their Own Common Core Forums

From Capital Confidential:The powerful New York State United Teachers union and the Alliance for Quality Education — which is partially funded by NYSUT — plan to host a series of forums for parents and educators “to fill the void caused by the cancellations of PTA-sponsored forums” by state Education Commissioner John King. The union’s membership is not a big fan of the way the state has implement

by reality-based edu... / 27min 

Time To Reform The NYSED And Board Of Regents

A commenter at Huffington Post responds to the calls for NYSED Commissioner John King to resign:No, he shouldn't resign. He and the regents should be called to provide testimony to specify how they were each appointed, who directs their agenda regarding education policies, and we should reform THAT process:eliminate them and institute a state-wide consortium of educators and administrators to set

by reality-based edu... / 36min 

Isabella's Story

Diane Ravitch posted a letter from a mother on Long Island describing the damage the Common Core has done to her daughter.It is a riveting letter and I want to re-post it in full:This is the message I recently sent to the Board of Regents and my state representatives:I have been very vocal about my concerns regarding the implementation of the Common Core Standards, testing, and curriculum in NYS.

by reality-based edu... / 27min mark as read  //  save

Lhota And De Blasio Agree - NYC Schools Should Be Closed On Muslim Holidays

From the Daily News: No matter who is elected mayor next month, city kids will likely find two new vacation days on the school calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the holiest days of the Muslim year. Both Democrat Bill de Blasio and Republican Joe Lhota say schools should close on the two holidays, just as they do for major Jewish and Christian days. It's a matter of "respect" for a r

by reality-based edu... / 27min 

NYSED Commissioner John King Channels Christine Quinn

New York State Senator Lee M. Zeldin had a meeting with NYSED Commissioner John King yesterday.Zeldin said in a press release that the meeting "went well," in that neither he nor King threw anything at each other and they both got to make their respective points about Common Core and the SED reform agenda.Given how last week's meetings with the public turned into what Capital Confidentia

by reality-based edu... / 3h 

10-16-13 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: State Senator Jack Martin: John King Must Reschedule Parent Hearings Or Immediately ResignAnother politician jumps in on the side of parents against NYSED Commissioner John King:Common Core But No Common Sense Make no bones about it. I have been consumed with nonstop questions and concerns regarding the state education department’s rollout of the Common Core curriculum. I’m

by mike simpson / 10h 

Stanford professor finds Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s teacher evaluation system was effective | EdSource Today

Stanford professor finds Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s teacher evaluation system was effective | EdSource Today:

Stanford professor finds Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s teacher evaluation system was effective

October 17th, 2013 | Add a Comment | 

By John Fensterwald

Michelle Rhee ~ Photo courtesy of Neighborhood Centers

Score one for Michelle Rhee and performance pay.

A study released Wednesday of the controversial teacher evaluation system that Rhee initiated when she was chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools has found that both its threats of dismissal and big pay incentives worked as intended. Within its first three years, the system led to increases in the retention and the performance of effective teachers while encouraging ineffective teachers either to quit or improve.

The research, co-authored by Professors Thomas Dee of the Stanford Graduate School of Education and James Wyckoff of the University of Virginia, is one of the first studies to show a positive impact of offering more money to teachers who perform better. As they acknowledge, most of the research “raises considerable doubt about the promise of teachers’ compensation-based incentives as a lever for driving improvements in teacher performance.” Especially when the pay incentives were linked to increasing test scores alone, “it may be that teachers generally lack the willingness (or, possibly, the capacity) to respond to 

Potential weaknesses in new school funding law demand attention - by Louis Freedberg

There are great expectations that the historic – and necessary – reforms of California’s outdated and opaque school financing system signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown this summer will translate into improved student performance. However, there are several potential weaknesses in the law that could threaten its ability to produce ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today we

3 by Louis Freedberg / 6h 

Parents seek communication with SRC - Philly.com

Parents seek communication with SRC - Philly.com:

Parents seek communication with SRC

By Susan Snyder, Inquirer Staff Writer

POSTED: October 16, 2013

Five weeks into the school year and under a cloud of fiscal uncertainty, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission on Tuesday night got an earful about the need to improve interaction with parents.

"You've undermined whatever people have tried to build with virtually next to nothing," said Rebecca Poyourow, who has two children at Cook-Wissahickon School.

The district continues to operate without sufficient counselors and teachers, and with financial woes.

Poyourow was one of about 100 parents and community members who attended the SRC meeting, held specifically to discuss parent engagement.

"Don't make decisions in secret," one parent said. "Communication is two-way," said another.

Gail Clouden urged the SRC to not just listen but act on what it heard.

Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. and other leaders of the forum vowed to do that.

Core Standards, lack of aid strain Pa. schools

First of three parts Pennsylvania's public schools have been waiting for three years to find out whether the state will move ahead with new education standards designed to make students more globally competitive.

19 6h mark as read  //  save

Coatesville parents, residents tell NAACP of district bias

Parents and residents of the Coatesville Area School District testified at an NAACP public hearing Tuesday that the district had shown a pattern of discrimination against certain types of students over the years.

23 6h 

Special Late Nite Cap EXTRA 10-16-13 #EDCHAT #P2 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk

Nite Cap EXTRA

EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA

Sacramento City Council votes 5-4 for strong mayor proposal - Our Region - The Sacramento Bee http://bit.ly/19O8lb9

The Purpose-Driven Education

First, answer the question yourself: What is the core purpose of publicly funded education in America? Then, ask yourself: Would most Americans agree with you? Click the headline to read the full post. Questions? Email websupport@epe.org.

5 by Nancy Flanagan / 31min 

The debt deal’s gift to Teach For America

Unobtrusively slipped into the debt deal that Congress passed late Wednesday night to reopen the federal government after 16 days and allow the United States to keep borrowing money to pay its bills is a provision about school reform that will make Teach For America very happy. In language that does not give a hint […]    

38 by Valerie Strauss / 39min 

Study: Poor children are now the majority in American public schools in South, West

A majority of students in public schools throughout the American South and West are low-income for the first time in at least four decades, according to a new study that details a demographic shift with broad implications for the country. Read full article >>    

5 by Lyndsey Layton / 27min

The School Lunch That Saved Cincinnati

Some of the amazing stories behind the building of the National School Lunch Program.

34min

Yosemite reopens after deal to end government shutdown

Officials at Yosemite National Park announced that it reopened Wednesday night after Congress approved a deal to end the federal government shutdown.

by By Robert J. Lope... / 17min 

Your Money Adviser: Stumbling Blocks in Reducing Balance on a Student Loan

Difficulties in having payments properly applied to a student loan balance is a common complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.    

6 by By ANN CARRNS / 29min mark as read  //  save

National Briefing | New England: Massachusetts Schools Dial Back on Obesity Reports

The state Public Health Council voted Wednesday to stop automatically sending letters home with public school students about their weight.    

5 by By JESS BIDGOOD / 29min 

Sacramento colleges offer lectures for the curious

Michael Spurgeon was on the lookout for literary inspiration.

by lkalb@sacbee.com ... / 20min 

21 Reasons To Quit Your Job And Become A Teacher

21 Reasons To Quit Your Job And Become A Teacher by Katrina Fried In a recent article about happiness at work, Harvard professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter suggests that the happiest among us are those who are solving the toughest problems and “making a difference” in people’s lives. If contributing to the betterment of the world is indeed among the keys to happiness, then it’s no wonder that the extra

by aristotlethewise / 12min 

Statement by the President of the United States

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 8:28 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening, everybody.  Tonight, the Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together around an agreement that will reopen our government and remove the threat of default from our economy.  The Senate has now voted to approve this agreement, and Democrats and Republicans in the House still have an important vote to take, bu

by The White House / 47min 

Study: D.C.’s teacher evaluation system affects workforce

Rewards and punishments embedded in the District’s controversial teacher evaluation program have shaped the school system’s workforce, affecting both retention and performance, according to a study scheduled for release Thursday. Read full article >>    

2 by Emma Brown / 12min 

Another Broad Super Is Failing in Montclair, NJ

This is a really remarkable story, but it requires a bit of set up: Eli Broad, one of the richest men in America, runs a private, unaccredited "academy" to train budding school leaders in corporate education reform. I put "academy" in quotes because the thing is really a book club: six weekends over ten months, which I consider an insult to the many dedicated professionals I k

by Duke / 6min 

Resources From All My Blogs

In addition to this blog, I regularly post at several other sites: Engaging Parents In School: Weekly Posts At Classroom Q & A With Larry Ferlazzo: Weekly Posts At The New York Times Learning Network on Teaching English Language Learners: Periodic Posts at Edutopia: All My Class Blogs: Class Blog: Beginner & Intermediate ELD Class Blog: ESL/EFL Student Showcase Class Blog: Intermediate EL

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 9min 

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 10-16-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMIt’s Official: Gov. Corbett Hurt Philly Schools for No Good ReasonHe delayed a $45 million payment and got work rules changed. Was it worth it?BY JOEL MATHIS  |  OCTOBER 16, 2013 AT 12:37 PMSHARE ON EMAIL3 COMMENTSThe good news is: Gov. Tom Corbettfinally released $45 million the state owed to Philly public schools. The bad news? Lots of

1 by mike simpson / 1h  

Nite Cap 10-16-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

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 CAPTODAYAsthma Shouldn't Kill – Every School Needs a Nurse | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and OpportunityAsthma Shouldn't Kill – Every School Needs a Nurse | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education

1 by mike simpson / 5h

10-16-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman:

Another Broad Super Is Failing in Montclair, NJ

This is a really remarkable story, but it requires a bit of set up: Eli Broad, one of the richest men in America, runs a private, unaccredited "academy" to train budding school leaders in corporate education reform. I put "academy" in quotes because the thing is really a book club: six weekends over ten months, which I consider an insult to the many dedicated professionals I k

by Duke / 6min 

10-16-13 Jersey Jazzman

Jersey Jazzman: Syracuse: The Failure Of Test-Based Teacher EvaluationNo wonder NY Education Commissioner John King is hiding in an undisclosed location:   Syracuse -- Virtually all the teachers at Henninger High School received fewer points than they should have on performance evaluations handed out Friday, several teachers told The Post-Standard. The issue drove some teachers from an "effec

by mike simpson / 10h