LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-3-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

U.S. Department of Education Rejects Charleston Request to Delay VAM

VAMboozled reports here that the U.S. Department of Education rejected a request by the school district of Charleston to delay implementation of value-added measurement of teachers. District officials asked for an extra year to phase in the evaluation of teachers by the test scores of their students, but the DOE said no. District officials thought it was better to wait until 2016-17, when they mig

by dianeravitch / 4min 

New York Parent to Mrs. Obama: Save Our Children!

Jill Berardi is the parent of a child in kindergarten in New York. She is also the assistant principal of a middle school in Red Hook, New York, in the Hudson Valley. Here she appeals directly to Michelle Obama to take action to help children like her own. Please feel free to share this letter on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Maybe The First Lady will read it. Mrs. Obama: Save

by dianeravitch / 0min hide  //  save

Jersey Jazzman: Why Would Arne Duncan Try to Block Joshua Starr’s Appointment in NYC?

According to a report by Valerie Strauss in the “Washington Post,” Secretary Duncan urged Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio not to appoint Joshua Starr, superintendent in Montgomery County, as chancellor of the NYC public schools. This allegedly was Duncan’s revenge for Starr’s public call for a three-year moratorium on standardized testing. Testing, of course, is the linchpin of Duncan’s Race to the To

14 by dianeravitch / 2h 

The Myth of the Hero Superintendent: Don’t Wait for Superman

This is a fascinating article from the Texas Observer that explores the myth of the hero superintendent, the popular delusion that one transformational leader can “save” a school district. The idea was shaped by the Rhee story, the TIME cover I plying that she held the secret to “fixing America’s schools,” a myth that persists despite the absence of any objective evidence. The focus of the articl

21 by dianeravitch / 3h 

John Hechinger Exposes the Terrors of Fraternity Hazing

John Hechinger is one of the most brilliant investigative journalists now writing. His specialty is higher education. This harrowing in-depth article describes fraternity hazing. A young man who suffered weeks of cruelty, degradation, and humiliation dropped out of the initiation process, told his story to university officials, and spoke to Hechinger. The story reads like something out of a horro

2 by dianeravitch / 3h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-2-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Timothy Pratt: The Walmarts of Higher Education?Over the past decade or more, we have seen and heard a lot of duplicitous rhetoric about rhetoric: we have heard politicians speak about the importance of education as they cut the budget and increase class size and slash the jobs of teachers, librarians, social workers, and others. W

by mike simpson / 8h

The Observation Gap? | Ward 8 DC Teacher

The Observation Gap? | Ward 8 DC Teacher:

The Observation Gap?

by ANGEL CINTRON JR • JANUARY 3, 2014

Illustrations by Cathy Gendron

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has become the black hole of education discussions or “debates.” In fact, I’d submit that we spend far too much time and energy arguing for, or against, the CCSS that we’re neglecting other critical aspects of our profession. Case in point: the role classroom observations serve in providing teachers with meaningful feedback and support, or lack thereof. As a profession, we cannot afford to neglect the potential support classroom observations can offer.

In my professional opinion, classroom observations are necessary to keep teachers “honest.” Classroom observations help prevent teachers from forming bad teaching habits, i.e. passing out pointless drill-and-kill worksheets, or becoming complacent in their classroom management techniques. If performed correctly, observations can offer teachers instructional best practices. With that said, a classroom observer must provide teachers with specific resources, and, when appropriate, examples on how to leverage such resources or instructional practices, i.e. modeling. For this to occur, however, teachers must remain open to meaningful feedback: the 

1-3-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

Student privacy concerns grow over ‘data in a cloud’

Privacy concerns have been growing over a $100 million student database – largely funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and operated by a  nonprofit organization, inBloom Inc. —  that contains detailed information about millions of students. Most of the states that had signed up to participate in a pilot program have pulled back, and […]    

24 by Valerie Strauss / 6h 

1-1-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: The problem with thinking ‘content is king’ in educationContent is important, but it isn’t everything, as Stanford University’s Larry Cuban makes clear in the following post. Cuban was high school social studies teacher for 14 years, a district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, VA), and professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught for more t

by mike simpson / 7h 

1-3-14 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:

How Florida’s For-Profit Charter School Industry Is Moving Money in to Influence the Legislative Session

Matt Dixon’s report that a former top lobbyist for the for-profit charter school industry is now the top fundraiser for a PAC belonging to the chairman of the senate education appropriations committee provided a glimpse into how well the industry has politically positioned itself. A lobbyist meeting with lawmakers is not out of the ordinary, but it makes clear (Nancy Ann) Texeira lobbied the commi

by Bob Sikes / 5min 

Top Florida Charter School Lobbyist Moves to Fundraiser for Senate Education Budget Writer

From Matt Dixon in the St. Augustine Record: TALLAHASSEE — A lobbyist who until recently represented a host of charter-school organizations has been hired to do political work for the Senate’s top education budget-writer, state Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton. Nancy Ann Texeira, who worked for a firm that represents four pro-charter school clients, has been paid $24,455 since October to do consulti

by Bob Sikes / 21min  

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 OppositionScathing 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

by mike simpson / 7h 

1-3-14 Major Education Bill Actions - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3663: Reducing Federal Mandates on School Lunch Act

To prohibit regulations establishing certain limits for the school lunch program, and for other purposes.

7h hide  //  save

Bill Introduced: H.R. 3660: ALLERGY Act

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require local educational agencies to implement a policy on allergy bullying in schools.

7h 

12-28-13 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions Education This Week - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:Bill Introduced: S. 1822: Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act of 2013A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish fair and consistent eligibility requirements for graduate medical schools operating outside the United States and Canada.6h YESTERDAYBill Signed by President: H.J.Res. 59: Budget agreement billMaking continuing ap

by mike simpson / 19min 

How Teachers and Parents Work Together for Student Success | NEA Today

How Teachers and Parents Work Together for Student Success | NEA Today:

How Teachers and Parents Work Together for Student Success

January 3, 2014 by twalker  
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories

Leave a Comment

By Edward Graham

Susan TerLouw takes a proactive approach to fostering collaboration with her students’ parents.

“I have found texting to be an amazing way to get connected with parents,” says the high school special education teacher. “After not having calls returned, I tried texting and got immediate responses.”

Texting parents allows TerLouw to update them on their child’s progress before waiting for an issue to arise. It’s quick and easy, and TerLouw says the constant flow of contact with parents has done wonders for her own parent-teacher relationships.

“I have been able to move past it to actual conversations, face-to-face meetings, and a trusting relationship.”

It’s that communication and trust that are key to fostering student success, yet connecting with parents still remains a challenge for many educators. Fortunately, savvy teachers are always discovering ways of creating meaningful parent-teacher relationships, from opening a clear channel of communication with their household to drawing parents into the school community through events and programs.

Focus on the Positive

Middle school teacher Maxine Taylor says that a great way to build a successful parent-teacher relationship 

Showdown Brews as Congress Turns Focus to K-12 Spending

School districts that have been chafing under across-the-board federal cuts known as sequestration for nearly a year got a two-year reprieve under the agreement approved last month that scales back the sequestration cuts to education. But the deal, which sets discretionary spending levels at roughly $1.02 trillion for the overall budget this year and will keep them relatively flat for the next two

by twalker / 8min 

1-3-14 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: “The Importance Of Being Unprincipled”

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 a piece I wrote for The Washington Post titled The Importance Of Being Unprincipled (as I say in the post, the title is borrowed from an essay read by community organizers). Here’s an ex

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6min 

This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good Posts & Articles On Education Policy

Here are some recent useful posts and articles on education policy issues: Torlakson calls for giving school districts more money for Common Core is from Ed Source, and talks about what might happen here in California. Exemplary Teacher Evaluation, Part 1 is by Grant Wiggins. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Effective Student & Teacher Assessments. Working for Superman:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 48min 

“Gibbon” Is An Easy Tool For Creating Internet Scavenger Hunts

Gibbon lets you easily create what they call “flows,” which are basically lists of web resources with instructions written by the flow’s creator. I think Gibbon has ambitious plans but, for teachers, it’s an easy tool for teachers to create Internet scavenger hunts for students and for students to create them for their classmates. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Create (And Find) Internet Sca

by Larry Ferlazzo / 28min 

Twitter Discussion: “Data, Tests & ‘Teacher Accountability’”

An interesting discussion on data, tests and “teacher accountability” has taken place on Twitter over the past day or so. Here are some selected tweets from it I thought readers might find useful/interesting… I didn’t put them in chronological order; instead, I tried to list them in a way that the conversation made the most sense — tweets were going back-and-fourth over the course of twenty-four h

by Larry Ferlazzo / 9min hide  //  save

Two Final Interactives On New Year’s

I’m adding the first interactive to The Best Sites For Learning About New Year Celebrations and the second to The Best Ways To Help Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Succeed: by kristw. Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually. by michelleink88. Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community –

by Larry Ferlazzo / 9min 

“Simon’s Cat” Videos Are Perfect For English Language Learners

As regular readers know, I’m a big fan of using short video clips with English Language Learners as a language-development activity (you can read more at The Best Popular Movies/TV Shows For ESL/EFL (& How To Use Them) ). One of my favorite instructional strategies is called “Back To The Screen,” which I adapted from Zero Prep: Ready To Go Activities For The Language Classroom by Laurel Polla

by Larry Ferlazzo / 50min hide  //  save

“How Can We Best Engage Families?”

How Can We Best Engage Families? is the new “question of the week” at my Education Week Teacher blog. You can leave your responses in the comments section here or there….

by Larry Ferlazzo / 50min  

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: ‘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 / 16mi

by mike simpson / 7h 

1-3-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

The Hero Superintendent Debunked

Supt Miles, the dancing queenMiles’ first year in Dallas was a nasty one. One-quarter of the district’s principals were gone after that year, including some favorites in South Dallas and Oak Cliff, where schools earned high marks from the state. Their departures sparked a fight with black community leaders like Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who circulated a letter to pastors accusin

by ed notes online / 37min 

 

1-2-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Katie Lapham's Speech at John King's Common Core Brooklyn ForumKatie 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

by mike simpson / 7h