1-2-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter:

The common core ignores the evidence

Sent to the Los Angeles Times, Jan 2Al Austin, in his letter to the Times (Jan 2) notes that the common core calls for "a sharp reduction" in literature in schools in favor of increased exposure to informational text. This policy was created without any empirical evidence. The common core designers ignored  (or were not aware of) not only studies showing that reading literature contribut

by skrashen / 20min 

Do Teachers Matter?

I am seeking ways to address teachers and workers—and the conditions impacting all workers—as a focus of my public work in 2014.Recently, I came across a wonderful piece about Roberto Clemente: Common bond for uncommon men: Clemente and King shared a hatred for discrimination, by David Zirin.In part, this piece speaks to the importance of solidarity and community, the sense of empathy any one pers

by P. L. Thomas / 0min 

Social Studies National Curriculum: Pearson and Gates Ready for Next Push

Even as 22 states are rethinking, restricting, or dropping prior commitments to national Common Core corporate standards for schools, this has not stopped the CorpEd machine from quietly pushing forward with another prong of its overreaching and lucrative exercise to increase testing, standardize thinking, and undercut diversity in American schools. On September 11, 2013, a group drunk with money

by Jim Horn / 3min 

1-1-14 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Schools Matter 2013 AwardsMost Unconvincing Ideologue In the Role as ScholarChester FinnMost Flagrant Political Organization Posing as a Legitimate Research AssociationAERALifetime Achievement AwardDeborah MeierSelf-Aggrandizement Award 2013 (tie)David ColemanMichelle RheeEducation Book of the YearThe Signal and the Noise by Nate SilverBiggest Corporate Losers of the YearWalmartFed

by mike simpson / 14h 

1-2-14 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG Fitting the Environment in Education: A Bipartisan Approach? — Whole Child Education

Fitting the Environment in Education: A Bipartisan Approach? — Whole Child Education:

Fitting the Environment in Education: A Bipartisan Approach?

Once rare, it has now become commonplace to hear news reports and conversations about global climate change, loss of habitat and endangered species, dwindling regional supplies of clean fresh water, and local sewage or hazardous waste spills. This growing concern and awareness about the state of our environment has led to a multitude of complex government regulations and tax policies like those th

by Gerald A. Lieberm... / 7min hide  //  save

2013 Best of the Blog: 15–11

In the past year, experts and practitioners in the field, whole child partners, and ASCD staff have shared their stories, ideas, and resources to help you ensure that each child, in each school, in each community is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged and prepared for success in higher education, employment, and civic life. Uncommon Commonsense Ways to Empower Struggling Stud

by ASCD Whole Child ... / 7min 

12-31-13 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG From Educator Evaluation to Empowerment — Whole Child Education

From Educator Evaluation to Empowerment — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGFrom Educator Evaluation to EmpowermentDecember 31, 2013 by Melanie OlmsteadDo you worry that the rush to implement new educator evaluation systems puts excessive strain on educators and compromises the systems' effectiveness? You aren't alone. In his latest column, ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter writes that

by mike simpson / 33min 

Teach For Canada can only make things worse | voicEd.ca

Teach For Canada can only make things worse | voicEd.ca:

Teach For Canada can only make things worse

by Ben Sichel on JANUARY 2, 2014 in DEBATING ABOUT, FEATURED, GENERAL DISCUSSION, THE NEXT TWO YEARS

Aboriginal-led educational partnerships such as Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey (MK) in Nova Scotia have had success in raising graduation rates. (photo: kinu.ca)

Have you heard of Teach For Canada? It’s a new project spearheaded by Nova ScotianKyle Hill, a Rhodes scholar and business consultant; and Vancouver-born Adam Goldenberg, former speechwriter for Michael Ignatieff and fellow at Yale law school.

Hill and Goldenberg want to address “educational inequality” in Canada, i.e. “[f]unding gaps, infrastructure deficiencies, and rapid teacher turnover” in rural and Aboriginal communities. Their solution? A program that would send university graduates (from any degree program) to work as schoolteachers for two years in these communities. Hill and Goldenberg hope to attract “some of Canada’s top graduates – our country’s future leaders” to their program, who would take their places in classrooms following a summer-long training period.

Teach for Canada takes its name from Teach for America (TFA), the U.S. program which for the past 23 years has sent bright-eyed young college grads into some of America’s toughest inner-city schools; schools where students tend to score lower than average on standardized tests and thus ostensibly need a dose of extra energy to succeed.

TFA, though, has become a lightning rod for controversy in the climate of the “education reform” wars in the U.S. Just maybe, critics note, sending people with no experience in 

The Road In Front Of The Schoolbus – redqueeninla

The Road In Front Of The Schoolbus – redqueeninla:

The Road In Front Of The Schoolbus

Written by redqueeninla in LAUSD

 What’s ahead through the windshield of the 2014 LAUSD school bus?

Certainly one must wonder front and center about the tenure of superintendent John Deasy.  He’s threatened to quit at least twice now, first if/when now-board president Vladovic were to be chosen for that role from among his colleagues, and following on the heels of this hollow threat came a flurry of feints, further threats and countermoves immediately prior to his ultimate job contract extension.  Deasy’s relationship with his political board of bosses seems balky at best.  The citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee has given him as close to a vote of no-confidence as one could get shy of a roll-call in their most recent meeting.  Deasy’s ipad rollout has unfurled as an administrative disaster from questionable contracts to dubious legalities surrounding funding to dicey logistics and horrifying cost overruns.  As the administrative leader of this procedural morass, one does have to wonder when the buck will stop in front of him and level its antlers at the problem.  Incompetence requires accountability.  That is, after all, the rallying cry of the public education privatization movement so disingenuously branded “Education Reform”.  John Deasy is one of the few generals left standing in this assaultlaunched by corporate foundations on the public commons.

But as there seems little doubt that Deasy is desirous to use this 

1-2-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Jerry Godfeder: Two Powerful Weapons in De Blasio’s Arsenal to Take On Albany

A revised constitution could upend the city’s subordinate relationship to Albany, ensuring greater self-governance.  ... Jerry GoldfederFrom an old pal, Jerry Goldfeder, one of the leading experts on election law. Jerry lined up with the Quinn campaign - shhhh!He was once a teacher in the late 60s and part of our early activists group in the early 70s. He and his wife Alice are still part of the e

by ed notes online / 1h 

Katie Lapham's Speech at John King's Common Core Brooklyn Forum

Katie was first on line ahead of the Student First/E4E astroturf crew that dominated the meeting after her, praising the CCSS to the sky. You know I find it funny. From the day I began to teach in 1967 the NY State standards seemed fine. In fact, the problem we had in high poverty area schools was getting anywhere near these standards. NY State had some of the highest standards in the world pre-CC

by ed notes online / 6min 

First PUBLIC SCHEDULE FOR CHANCELLOR CARMEN FARIÑA

A new day dawns - for better or for worse. MEDIA ADVISORYFor Planning Purposes OnlyJanuary 1, 2013PUBLIC SCHEDULE FOR CHANCELLOR CARMEN FARIÑAThursday, January 2, 20148:00 A.M. Arrives at Department of Education Headquarters  Tweed Courthouse 52 Chambers StreetMANHATTAN*Photo opportunity only*1:30 P.M.Visits M.S. 223 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology M.S. 223 The Laboratory School o

by ed notes online / 6min hide  //  save

MORE Zooms in on CCSS - and the Union Connection Plus Mercedes Schneider 10 Myths

I find it remarkable the degree to which AFT and Randi Weingarten will go in order to protect and promote CCSS. One of the more telling pieces is a post Weingarten wrote for Huffington Post entitled, Will States Fail the Common Core?– As though CCSS is a personality, complete with feelings that will be hurt by states’ betrayal. ... Mercedes Schneiderit has been the teacher unions -- from the Shank

by ed notes online / 6min 

Gene Prisco Memorial, Sunday, January 5, 2014, 2-4PM

I still can't come to grips with Gene being gone. We spent New Years Eve at Loretta's house in Staten Island with some of the crew who have been together socially and politically since the early 70s, the crew that founded the Coalitions of NYC School Workers in the 70s and ICE a decade ago. Paul Baizerman, another core member, died 2 years ago.Sunday will be quite an event -- if you knew Gene or k

by ed notes online / 6min 

1-1-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Video - Union leadership connections: To the Words of "Backstabbers"Let's get the New Year off to a rousing start. his has been floating around since May - but I don't think I shared it yet.The video was produced by a parent activist opposed to high stakes testing named Sara Wottawa who had a piece published on Diane Ravitch's blog.Published on May 19, 2013 This Video ha

by mike simpson / 14min 

1-2-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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

From The Archives “Helping Students Motivate Themselves”

I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. Today, I’m highlighting an excerpt from my book, Helping Students Motivate Themselves, that appeared in Education Week nearly three years ago. That piece, too, was titled Helping Students Motivate Themselves. H

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Special Edition Of “Research Studies Of The Week”

I often write about research studies from various fields and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies are published that it’s hard to keep up. So I’ve started writing a “round-up” of some of them each week or every other week as a regular feature. This week, though,

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

This Week’s New Yorker Cover Says So Much About How We See The World…

And it’s perfect for when we study perception in Theory of Knowledge class: This New Yorker cover says so much about how we see the world pic.twitter.com/VtkyhcBdYR — Larry Ferlazzo (@Larryferlazzo) January 3, 2014

by Larry Ferlazzo / 9min 

Infographic: “Five Simple Questions”

Here’s a great infographic I’m adding to The Best Posts & Articles About Asking Good Questions: 5 Simple Questions Lead to #StudentEngagement | info from @edutopia & Rebecca Adler art & graphics from @LanceFuhrer pic.twitter.com/GtbRZ3Mc9S — Mark Kolkman (@mkolkman) November 24, 2013

by Larry Ferlazzo / 17min 

Januarys Best Tweets — Part One

Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in this post. If you don’t use Twitter, yo

by Larry Ferlazzo / 38min 

Yay! PBS Unveils Third In Series Of Best Online U.S. History Games Out There

Each year for the past two years I’ve posted about a new online “choose your own adventure” U.S. History game created by Mission US, which is funded by the Corporation For Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment For The Humanities. First, there was one on the American Revolution, then on slavery. They’ve just unveiled a third one in the series, this one focusing on Native Americans, and i

by Larry Ferlazzo / 19min 

From The Archives: “Let’s Do Less ‘Fire, Ready, Aim’”

I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. Today, I’m sharing an article I wrote for The Huffington Post over three years ago where I take issue with advice from Seth Grodin where he basically says that if you have an idea you want to try, and it meets

by Larry Ferlazzo / 19min 

‘Flipped Learning Makes Teachers More Valuable’

‘Flipped Learning Makes Teachers More Valuable’ is the second part of my Education Week Teacher series on the flipped classroom. It includes responses from educators Jonathan Bergmann and Troy Cockrum, along with comments from readers. Here’s an excerpt:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 16min 

  

1-1-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Some Final “Words Of The Year” FeaturesHere are a few final additions to The Best “Words Of The Year” Features For 2013: Words that should be banned in 2014 (selfie, twerk, etc.) is from The Washington Post. Be gone, selfie! And take twerk with you! is from CNN. 20 of 2013′s most overused words is from The BBC.by Larry Ferl

by mike simpson / 7min 

1-2-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education:

New Common Core Talking Point: Obama Derangement Syndrome is Driving Conservative Opposition

Scathing Purple Musings was critical of Charlie Crist’s unwavering support for common core standards (CCSS). Part of Crist’s justification included this little jab at conservative opponents: Tea party and other outliers have called for a rejection of these standards because they were promulgated under the umbrella of a “national” effort. Truth be told, their opposition probably has less to do with

by Bob Sikes / 16min 

1-1-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida

Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: What Charter Schools USA Is REALLY Up to In Their MacDill AFB GambitSen. Jeff Clemen’s (D-Lake Worth) is introducing a bill which effectively give final say on charter school applications back to local school boards. The top lobbyists for Charter Schools USA weighed in w

by mike simpson / 4min 

Deadlines Matter: Debunking the Myth That Competency-Based Grading Means No Deadlines | Connected Principals

Deadlines Matter: Debunking the Myth That Competency-Based Grading Means No Deadlines | Connected Principals:

Deadlines Matter: Debunking the Myth That Competency-Based Grading Means No Deadlines

by Brian Stack • January 2, 2014 • 0 Comments

I have a very compassionate boss. I spent several weeks working on my school’s budget for the upcoming year and I had been sending her updates on my progress throughout. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me, though, that on the week that the budget was due my high school had a series of unexpected student issues that consumed most of my time and resources. As important as that budget due date was, I knew I just wasn’t going to make the deadline. As much as I hated to admit defeat, I made the call to her on Friday afternoon to ask for an extension (or at the very least, forgiveness). She was quick to respond to me with this: “Brian, I know it has been a tough week for you. I know through our check-in meetings over the past few weeks that you have been actively working on it. It is ok if you need a little bit more time. Could you have it to me by the middle of next week?” As she uttered those words I could feel the weight of the world lifting off of my shoulders. “Of course I could, thank you for your flexibility!”

What happened between my boss and I that day happens in all aspects of our lives as adults. It is normal behavior to expect that every once in a while, people are going to miss a deadline. In the classroom we as teachers know that students will miss deadlines from time to time. When they do, we do what any normal teacher would do – we become compassionate and flexible. Just like in real life with adults, we only start to worry about the behavior of missing deadlines when it goes from once in a while to chronic.

In the real world, the chronic misbehavior of missing deadlines is rarely tolerated. People can lose jobs over too many missed