12-20-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:

London Theater Collapses and Injures People.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-many-as-80-people-injured-in-collapse-at-crowded-london-theater/At 8:15 p.m., the London theater collapses and injured 80 people. 7 were hurt severely. Click the link for more details.

by Vincent Chan / 2min

Mexican Government Has Made A Change With Oil

Recently, the Mexican Congress approved the constitutional reform opening up oil exploration, extraction, refining, transportation, distribution and sale of oil and its by-products to local and foreign private investment. If oil and gas production are stepped up, greater prevention of risks is needed, and companies should incorporate the environmental and human costs of their activities.The reform

by Michelle Thao / 7h hide  //  save

Nuclear Weapon in Iran

How close is Iran from creating new nuclear weapons?Over the last two year Iran has been incresing their nuclear capability. Because of all the uranium and centrifuges they have on land, in a couple of months they can create a lot of weapons and nuclear bombs. But if there were a way to stop them, then their time in making these weapons will take longer. It will take them more than a year to finis

by Ka Bao Thao / 8h 

12-19-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: New Mexico Supreme Court Rules Gay Marriage Constitutional">The New Mexico Supreme Court  : On Thursday, The New Mexico Supreme Court declared gay marriage consitutional based on it being unconstitutional to deny a marriage license to gay and lesbian couples. From the ruling: Prohibiting same-gender marriages is not substantially related to the governmental interes

1 by mike simpson / 3h 

12-20-13 12-19-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

My Favorite Posts In 2013 — Part Two

I regularly publish a list of my personal favorites posts during the year, and it’s usually my last annual “Best” list of the year. You might also be interested in: My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume One, focused on the year 2007 and includes a fair amount of still-useful material (at least in my opinion). I’d say the same thing about my review of posts from 2008, which you can find in My Best

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

The Best Posts On Study Finding That Standardized Tests Don’t Measure Cognitive Ability

I’ve previously posted about a new study which found that standardized testing may measure how well a school is doing on training students on lower-level thinking skills needed to do well on…standardized tests, but has practically no value in measuring “fluid intelligence” abilities like ability to transfer knowledge in one area and apply it towards solving a problem in another. There have been a

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Surprising Study — NOT: People Learn A Second Language Better By Physically Simulating Words

A new study concludes that: “If language comprehension is a simulation process that uses neural systems of action, then perhaps we can better teach kids how to understand what they read by getting them to literally simulate the actions,” he explained. Researchers attributed this conclusion to what are called “mirror neurons.” Kevin Washburn has a useful and short piece on them if you want to lear

9 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

12-19-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Find Out What Word Was First Used The Year You Were BornThe OED birthday word generator: which words originated in your birth year? is an interactive from the Oxford English Dictionary that does what its title says. Just because I don’t have any other place to put it, I’m adding it to The Best “Today In History” Sites.8 by

by mike simpson / 9h 

12-20-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Michele Rhee’s StudentsFirst rally to support Steve Perry; Board fails to take up Perry’s threatening tweet

At last night’s Hartford Board of Education meeting Hartford Superintendent Christina Kishimoto and Hartford Board of Education Chairman Matt Poland failed to address the status of the promised investigation into Capital Prep Steve Perry’s threatening email rant or the growing controversy surrounding the Capital Prep Scholarship Fund. Instead the meeting was dominated by a lobbying […]The post Mic

5 by jonpelto / 51min 

 

12-19-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Yup, Capital Prep’s Steve Perry Tweets about the dangers of Social Media…Dr. Steve Perry ‏@DrStevePerry Social media has had a net negative affect on schools. Kids & adults are free to tee off on each other & the schools are left to clean it up (December 18, 2013)   This from a man who has sent out 32,971 Tweets, many during school hours, costing Hartford and Connecticut […]The

by mike simpson / 9h 

12-20-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Phil Robertson: A former teacher with a master’s degree

“Duck Dynasty’s” Phil Robertson, now  famously suspended from his family’s popular cable reality television show for making shockingly offensive remarks about blacks and gays in a GQ interview, once taught in Louisiana schools, has a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a masters degree in education, with an English concentration. He even “kinda liked” Shakespeare. […]    

11 by Valerie Strauss / 31min 

Colorado university terminates popular prostitution lecture

A tenured sociology professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder is leaving the school after being told by school officials that she could no longer teach a lecture on prostitution — which includes a voluntarily skit in which students portray the lives of prostitutes as they speak to an interviewer — in a long-popular […]    

1 by Valerie Strauss / 0min 

Evaluating the evaluations of teacher education programs

Donald E. Heller is dean of the College of Education at Michigan State University who, in this post, describes a recent written encounter with the National Council on Teacher Quality, an organization created by the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in 2000 in order to promote alternative teacher certification and try to diminish the influence of […]    

6 by Valerie Strauss / 33min hide  //  save

Five basic — but misinterpreted — keys to creating a cool classroom culture

Here’s an excerpt from a new book about American education by veteran teacher David Greene called Doing the Right Thing — A Teacher Speaks. Greene taught social studies and coached in New York City schools for 38 years, worked as a field supervisor for Fordham University, mentored Teach For America Corps members in the Bronx and […]    

3 by Valerie Strauss / 4h 

Why grade inflation (even at Harvard) is a big problem

The Harvard Crimson, the university’s student newspaper, recently published a story about the continuing problem of grade inflation at the elite institution. Here’s a piece about why it matters, from Diane R. Dean is associate professor for higher education administration and policy at Illinois State University. Arthur Levine is president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship […]    

19 by Valerie Strauss / 5h 

12-19-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Maryland takes on new Common Core role as ‘favor’ to Obama, Gov. O’Malley saysHow’s this for messy? Top Maryland officials approved a contract making the state the “fiscal agent”  for one of two multi-state consortia developing  standardized tests aligned with the Common Core State Standards despite objections that the contract has no minority business participation and concerns

by mike simpson / 5h 

12-20-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

2014 Is Going to Be a Great Year for Education

THERE IS NO PLACE LEFT FOR THE WIZARD BEHIND THE CURTAIN TO HIDEDING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD!FRIDAY, DEC 20, 2013 12:45 PM UTCExposing the education “reformers’” big lie: Here’s how progressives — and our kids — beat the corporate establishmentA populist uprising is coming in defense of public schools. Are Democrats on the side of Wall Street or the people?JEFF BRYANT                     more  TOPI

by freetoteach / 13min 

Happy Holidays, Wendy--Now, Goodbye!

Wonder if this will earn the Pittsburgh School Board some threatening letters from Exxon-Mobil for its non-CorpEd stance:Here’s some education news that you don’t hear every day: The Pittsburgh school board is rescinding a $750,000 contract with Teach For America, and keeping open an elementary school slated to be shuttered.The board’s four new members, taking a new reform tact, drove the decision

by Jim Horn / 20min 

Doug Martin's Podcast with Justin Oakley Now Posted

by Doug MartinIf you missed my talk with Justin Oakley on his Just Let Me Teach show on Indiana Talks radio and several great call-in guests (Rick Muir, Cindi Pastore, Melanie Wright, Clyde Gaw, and Crystal Bramel), you can now listen to the podcast. Thanks for tuning in!!!!! And thanks to Donna Yates Mace for her support, too!!!! We discuss current school privatization efforts in Indiana and beyo

4 by Doug Martin / 3h 

Who Controls the Table Wins

NOTE: The current education reform agenda focusing primarily on Common Core remains to be a failure of leadership. Public school teachers, public schools, and public school students are little more than collateral damage in the battle to see who can out-standard and out-test and out-rigor whom. Professional organizations, unions, and political leadership are fighting for a place at the table—not s

7 by P. L. Thomas / 3h 

YESTERDAY

Advanced math: Offer, don't require

Sent to the Denver Post, Dec. 19, 2013Sandra Stotsky thinks that the "Common Core fails to prepare students for STEM") Dec. 17), and that all students should be required to go way beyond Algebra II to be ready for the brave new world of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Even if the STEM crisis were real, this is not a good idea. Of course, advanced math classes should be offere

2 by skrashen / 7h 

12-19-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Excuses, Excuses...In response to test scores for New York City:New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's reign as head of the nation's largest school system resulted in greatly improved graduation rates, but test scores that lagged behind the pace of other large American cities. New York City students' scores on national math and reading tests released Wednesday didn't show signific

by mike simpson / 9h 

12-20-13 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:

Three Indiana Charter School USA Takeovers Earn F’s

From the Indianapolis Star: A year of state intervention hasn’t improved failing grades for Indianapolis’ worst public schools, A-F accountability grades released today show. Four chronically underperforming Indianapolis Public Schools under state takeover — Arlington High, Emma Donnan Middle, Manual High and Howe High — continued their pattern of F grades this year. That didn’t come as any surpri

by Bob Sikes / 54min 

Tony Bennett’s Favorite Charter School Gets an F

From AP reporter Tom LoBianco on the ABC News Feed: The Indianapolis charter school at the center of Indiana’s grade-changing scandal saw its grade drop from an “A” to an “F” in school grades released Friday. The Christel House Academy benefited last year from grading changes made by former schools Superintendent Tony Bennett. But grades released for the 2012-2013 school year showed a precipitous

13 by Bob Sikes / 30min 

The Curious MacDill AFB Charter School USA Proposal Gets More Curious

After the Hillsborough school board unanimously rejected a Charter Schools USA proposal to open a school on MacDill AFB, superintendent Maryellen Elia went to work on coming up with alternatives. They came up with some good one’s, but not good enough for MacDill’s base commander. From The Tampa Tribune’s Erin Kourkounis: ……Col. Scott DeThomas said the charter school still seems the best way to go

8 by Bob Sikes / 6min 

The Disappearing Influence of Jeb Bush and His Foundations on Florida Ed Policy

H/T: Jeff Solochek Pensacola News Journal reporter Rhema Thompson reports on yesterday’s meeting between 30 state’s superintendents of schools and education commissioner Pam Stewart: ….district superintendents are reiterating the need for more time and presenting a list of other recommendations to the commissioner, including funding for additional days of instructional training for the new standa

6 by Bob Sikes / 7min 

Politicians and Rich Guys Want Common Core; Everyone Else, Not So Much

There’s always been something for everyone to hate about Common Core. Alonzo Weston from the St. Joseph News-Press talked to a Missouri parents group who have a handle on the entire boondoggle. The Common Core learning standard is more than just an initiative to align testing curriculum across state lines — it’s detrimental to education as a whole. That’s the belief of Jill Noble and her group, Co

21 by Bob Sikes / 3h 

12-19-13 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: Deja Vu All Over Again: Charter Schools USA to Appeal Denial of Application to State BoardBaseball legend Yogi Berra’s yummy pleonasm seems appropriate when it comes to the manner that Charter Schools USA takes advantage of a system they helped game themselves. No for-pr

by mike simpson / 9h 

12-20-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE:

UPDATE: Common Core Unrest in 22 States

On November 23, 2013, I wrote a post briefly detailing the 17 states in which officials (legislators, governors, state superintendents) have formally registered some anti-Common Core (CCSS) intention (e.g., legislation, resolution). Today I will repost the original 17 states and add another 5, to yield now 22 states in which CCSS questioning might well lead […]

2 by deutsch29 / 1h 

Worst Education Op-Ed of 2013?

I know the competition is tense, but just under the wire, I am ready to suggest this is the worst education Op-Ed of 2013: Friedberg: Can American students get smart? I really don’t know what to say except that every point raised and every claim made by Friedberg are so incredibly wrong, I haven’t a […]

5 by plthomasedd / 2h 

12-19-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Center for Union Facts… Yeah, Right.On December 10, 2013, the deceptively-named Center for Union Facts (CUF) bought a full-page ad in the New York Times in order to tell the public that some of the 2012 US PISA scores are the “fault” of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten. Right there, we begin with stupid. The CUF attacks […]3 by deutsch29 / 6h 12-18

by mike simpson / 9h