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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Morning Wink 4-27-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-27-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Does Anyone Still Believe in VAM? The “Center for American Progress” Does.Despite the fact that major scholarly organizations have debunked value-added measurement as a way of identifying and quantifying teacher quality, there are still a few lonely defenders of VAM. There is the U.S. Department of Education, which bet nearly $5 bi
by mike simpson / 0min 
4-27-13 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION: Brookings Research Reveals Teachers Are the ProblemBrookings will release a new book this week with the charming title Teachers versus the Public: What Americans Think about Schools and How To Fix Them.And yes-- that title tells us where we're going right off the bat-- teachers really are the problem. In fact, teachers aren't just the opposition-- teachers aren't even American. Per
by mike simpson / 4min 
All Week 4-27-14 @ THE CHALK FACE
@ THE CHALK FACE: Video: Bill Gates “Explains” Common CoreIn the following six-minute video at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in March 2014, Bill Gates demonstrates his privileged view of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Gates has contributed over $4.3 million to AEI, with over $1 million in 2012 for “exploring the challenges of Common Core,” among other issues, so it is only fitti
by mike simpson / 6min 
4-27-14 Wait What? All Week
Wait What?: Today it is Face the State and Fox61 Capital ReportTwo of Connecticut’s leading Sunday news shows will include segments on the 2014 race for governor in Connecticut. Fox61 Capital Report TV at 10:30am WFSB 3 Face the State at 11:00am From WFSB Dennis House’ Bloghttp://dennishouse.tv/: Democrat may challenge Malloy, saying he can’t win re-election It’s no secret Governor Malloy faces a
by mike simpson / 8min 
4-27-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Florida Senate Voucher Sponsor Earmarked $2.3 Million for Voucher Eligible Sports AcademyFrom Matt Dixon in the Tampa Tribune: TALLAHASSEE _ Powerful state Sen. Bill Galvano says he had nothing to do with a client of his private law firm securing millions during the 2013
by mike simpson / 9min 
NYC Educator: Taco Bell Is the Common Core of Fast Food
NYC Educator: Taco Bell Is the Common Core of Fast Food: Taco Bell Is the Common Core of Fast FoodI keep seeing commercials for Taco Bell breakfast, and while I watch them, from time to time, my mind says I should go try one of those things. Here's the problem. I'm actually quite fond of Mexican food, and every few years something tells me to go in and try one of those things. Actually, the last t
by mike simpson / 11min 
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Gordon Lafer On EPI Milwaukee Private Charter Schools Report
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Gordon Lafer On EPI Milwaukee Private Charter Schools Report: Gordon Lafer On EPI Milwaukee Private Charter Schools ReportDon't miss this excellent Wisconsin Public TV interview with EPI economist and ed researcher Gordon Lafer criticizing "blended learning" at Rocketship charters.Backers of these reforms are particularly enamored of a new type of char
by mike simpson / 13min 
empathyeducates – Is There an Alternative to Accountability-Based, Corporate Education Reform?
empathyeducates – Is There an Alternative to Accountability-Based, Corporate Education Reform?: Is There an Alternative to Accountability-Based, Corporate Education Reform?There is. Here’s what it might look like.By Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published atThe Becoming Radical. August 20, 2013 and AlterNet. April 22, 2014During three decades of accountability based on standards and high-stak
by mike simpson / 18min 
Russ on Reading: Trouble in River City: The Manufactured Crisis in Education
Russ on Reading: Trouble in River City: The Manufactured Crisis in Education: Trouble in River City: The Manufactured Crisis in EducationPerhaps you remember Professor Harold Hill, the charming con man from The Music Man, the Tony Award winning musical and popular film. In this story, set the early 1900s, Phony Professor Hill hatches a scheme to convince the community to buy band instruments and u
by mike simpson / 21min 
Marie Corfield: #NJEdTruthSquad: Just Gimme Some Truth, Jersey! #NJEdTruth
Marie Corfield: #NJEdTruthSquad: Just Gimme Some Truth, Jersey!: #NJEdTruthSquad: Just Gimme Some Truth, Jersey!#NJEdTruthSquad  #NJEdTruthRemember these hash tags.Education 'reform' may be stifling creativity and collaboration in the classroom, but it's had an unintended consequence: it's made many of us stronger advocates for public education outside the classroom. All across the country educati
by mike simpson / 24min 
Video: Bill Gates “Explains” Common Core | deutsch29
Video: Bill Gates “Explains” Common Core | deutsch29: Video: Bill Gates “Explains” Common CoreApril 27, 2014In the following six-minute video at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in March 2014, Bill Gates demonstrates his privileged view of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).Gates has contributed over $4.3 million to AEI, with over $1 million in 2012 for “exploring the challenges of Comm
by mike simpson / 26min 
Another View: Withdrawing from federal waiver best for students - California Forum - The Sacramento Bee
Another View: Withdrawing from federal waiver best for students - California Forum - The Sacramento Bee: Another View: Withdrawing from federal waiver best for studentsBy Patrick KennedySpecial to The BeePublished: Sunday, Apr. 27, 2014 - 12:00 amIt’s disappointing that former Superintendent Jonathan Raymond, who resigned in December, has chosen to characterize the Sacramento City Unified School D
by mike simpson / 42min 

YESTERDAY

The Weekly Update: No money for Common Core in Seattle, Broad left Seattle in the cover of darkness and has reappeared in Oregon, ACT for Kindergartners, Creationism in schools and the US as an Oligarchy. How much more fun can one have? | Seattle Education
The Weekly Update: No money for Common Core in Seattle, Broad left Seattle in the cover of darkness and has reappeared in Oregon, ACT for Kindergartners, Creationism in schools and the US as an Oligarchy. How much more fun can one have? | Seattle Education: The Weekly Update: No money for Common Core in Seattle, Broad left Seattle in the cover of darkness and has reappeared in Oregon, ACT for Kind
by mike simpson / 9h 
4-26-13 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Protecting Classrooms From Corporate Takeover: What Families Can Learn from Teachers’ Unions”Protecting Classrooms From Corporate Takeover: What Families Can Learn from Teachers’ Unions is a good article in YES Magazine that was written by Amy Dean. It’s gives a number of very good examples of teachers unions working with
by mike simpson / 9h 
A Most Repugnant Story of Teacher Abuse and Termination southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: A Most Repugnant Story of Teacher Abuse and TerminationWhat I am about to share here I suggest that you read on an empty stomach. It is one of the most  revolting, repugnant, teacher abuse stories I have heard of in the 5 1/2 years I have been blogging. This story comes to SBSB courtesy ofFrancesco Portelos' new website; Don't Tread on Educators.So many of us belie
by mike simpson / 9h 
A Student-Data Collector Drops Out - NYTimes.com
A Student-Data Collector Drops Out - NYTimes.com: A Student-Data Collector Drops OutLily PadulaTo hear executives at inBloom tell it, their $100 million education technology start-up is shutting down after only 15 months of operation because it was too far ahead of its time.The seed money for this nonprofit corporation came from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with the Carnegie Corpor
by mike simpson / 9h 
Great Schools for America | Teachers United Against Teach for America
Great Schools for America | Teachers United Against Teach for America: Teachers United Against Teach for AmericaPosted on April 26, 2014 by dmayerTeach for America, Inc. is the flagship of the education reform movement. The organization replaces professional teachers with unqualified college grads in the classrooms of some of our nation’s most disadvantaged children. This practice harms students a
by mike simpson / 12h 
Billionaires influence judges to approve wage theft from teachers | Reclaim Reform
Billionaires influence judges to approve wage theft from teachers | Reclaim Reform: Billionaires influence judges to approve wage theft from teachersPosted on April 26, 2014by Ken PrevitiJudges are being openly influenced by major corporations and their billionaire owners to decide against constitutional protections. Openly influencing. Not secret plots and conspiracies. These are in-your-face inf
by mike simpson / 13h 
Nite Cap 4-26-14 #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 CAPMonday, 4.28.14: Is STEM the Answer? Student Voice Live!: Connected ClassroomsStudent Voice Live!: Connected Classrooms: Student Voice Live!: Connected ClassroomsMonday, 4.28.14: Is STEM the Answer?Government programs, news reports, and televisio
by mike simpson / 15h 
Monday, 4.28.14: Is STEM the Answer? Student Voice Live!: Connected Classrooms
Student Voice Live!: Connected Classrooms: Student Voice Live!: Connected ClassroomsMonday, 4.28.14: Is STEM the Answer?Government programs, news reports, and television commercials stress the need for more students to study STEM fields. But, how about the other disciplines that need their share of talented graduates? Does the pressure for some students to study STEM subjects come at the expense o
by mike simpson / 16h 
Testimony to the Senate Education Committee 4-25-14 Parents United for Responsible Education
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Testimony to the Senate Education Committee 4-25-14: Testimony to the Senate Education Committee 4-25-14Presented at the Illinois Senate Education Committee Subject Matter Hearing on Student Testing April 25, 2014SB 2156 and SB 3460 (Cunningham)Good afternoon. My name is Julie Woestehoff and I am the Executive Director of Parents United for
by mike simpson / 17h 
SAVING COMMUNITY SCHOOLS reposted from May 2013
SAVING COMMUNITY SCHOOLS reposted from May 2013: SAVING COMMUNITY SCHOOLS reposted from May 2013by EDWARDBERGER on APRIL 26, 2014Organizing Communities To Save Good Schoolsby EdwardBerger on May 16, 2013Destroy the good to reform the weak? What can communities that have good schools do to stop the destruction of their schools and the weakening of their societies? Is the movement to reform educatio
by mike simpson / 18h 
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Wal Mart special on charter schools
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Wal Mart special on charter schools: Wal Mart special on charter schoolsNew York Times education writer, Mokoto Rich reveals the extent to which the billionaire Walton Family underwrites the entire national charter school enterprise. For example, in Washington D.C....In effect, Walton has subsidized an entire charter school system in the nation’s capital, helpin
by mike simpson / 19h 
Welcome to Relay Medical College & North Star Community Hospital | School Finance 101
Welcome to Relay Medical College & North Star Community Hospital | School Finance 101: Welcome to Relay Medical College & North Star Community HospitalPosted on April 26, 20140Arne Duncan has one whopper of an interview available here: http://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/better-preparing-our-nations-educators-237066307522Related to his new push to evaluate teacher preparatio
by mike simpson / 19h 
John Thompson: Are Turnarounds and Tea Party Turmoil Driving Teachers Out? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
John Thompson: Are Turnarounds and Tea Party Turmoil Driving Teachers Out? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Are Turnarounds and Tea Party Turmoil Driving Teachers Out?By Anthony Cody on April 26, 2014 1:10 PMGuest post by John Thompson.Which sets of school reforms are inflicting the most damage on teachers and students? Has the right wing Tea Party's most extreme assau
by mike simpson / 20h 
Refusing to Kiss the Chimp—Professionals, Crazy Stunts, and High-Stakes Testing
Refusing to Kiss the Chimp—Professionals, Crazy Stunts, and High-Stakes Testing: WHAT????Refusing to Kiss the Chimp—Professionals, Crazy Stunts, and High-Stakes TestingAPRIL 25, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTYears ago, back before test motivation had anything to do with calculated stunts, a friend of mine, who did some nice things for our school, brought in an adorable chimpanzee. It was a r
by mike simpson / 22h 
Forget test scores: fight poverty and keep education public | The Chronicle Herald
Forget test scores: fight poverty and keep education public | The Chronicle Herald: Forget test scores: fight poverty and keep education publicTwo opinion pieces in last Saturday’s Chronicle-Herald, one an editorial and the other by Paul Bennett, spoke of the difficult learning conditions in some of Nova Scotia’s most impoverished neighbourhoods. Both are to be commended for highlighting the clear
by mike simpson / 22h 
2nd Banana 4-26-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #RealEdTalk #p2
BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANARECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTLabor Day 2013 Quotes, Sayings, Pictures, Images | Labour DayLabor Day 2013 Quotes, Sayings, Pictures, Images | Labour Day: Labor Day Poems, Poetry For Kids, ChildrenLatest Collection of Labor Day Poems, Poetry For Kids, Children, Labor Day 2013 Short, Long Poems Quotes, Songs Lyrics In Hindi, English, Labor Day Poems For School Kids, Child
by mike simpson / 22h 
Morning Wink 4-26-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS4-26-14 Daily Kos: Charles M. Blow responds to Cliven BundyCharles M. Blow responds to Cliven Bundy: Charles M. Blow responds to Cliven Bundyand gives America a lesson on slavery. His New York Times column is titled A Rancher's Romantic Revisionism except there is nothing romantic either about the real history of slavery or of the distortions some have use
by mike simpson / 23h 






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LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-27-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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









Breaking News: For-Profit Charter Corporation Out in Muskegon Heights, Michigan
It seems like only yesterday that Governor RickSnyder appointed an emergency manager for the public schools of Muskegon Heights, which were running a deficit. The emergency manager turned the district over to Mosaica, a for-profit charter chain. But Mosaica didn’t make a profit, instead they ran a deficit, and their contract has been canceled“. “Muskegon Heights Public Schools Emergency Manager
3 by dianeravitch / 12min 
Michael Fiorillo: Reformers’ Game Plan
Reader Michael Fiorillo deciphers the corporate reformers’ game plan: The Final Solution to the Teacher Question: - Proclaim austerity for the public schools, while continuing to expand charters. - Create incentives for non-educators to be in positions of power, from Assistant Principal on up. - Maintain a climate of scapegoating and witch hunting for “bad teachers,” who are posited as the cause o
9 by dianeravitch / 29min 

NY Times: Walton Family Foundation Funds Charter Movement
Readers if this blog have long known that the Billionaires Boys Club has pledged its allegiance to the privatization of American public education. Among the Billionaires Boys Club, we include the Gates Foundation, the Broad Foubdation, the Walton Family Foundatioon, and hedge fund managers. They are allied with ALEC and other rightwing “think” tanks, all of which are in live with charters and vouc
by dianeravitch / 3min 

Another Charter School Failure in Philadelphia
Philadelphia has experienced a long string of charter school failures. Here is another one, in trouble both financially and academically. Yet The business and civic leadership, egged on by the Boston Consulting Group, wants to close more public schools and open more charter schools. Haven’t they figured out that deregulation and lack of supervision are not strategies for education reform, but o
by dianeravitch / 6min 


Does Anyone Still Believe in VAM? The “Center for American Progress” Does.
Despite the fact that major scholarly organizations have debunked value-added measurement as a way of identifying and quantifying teacher quality, there are still a few lonely defenders of VAM. There is the U.S. Department of Education, which bet nearly $5 billion on VAM. There is the Gates Foundation, which has bet hundreds of millions on VAM. There are stragglers here and there. And then there i
by dianeravitch / 5min hide  //  save
Robert Shepherd on Apathy about the Death of Competition for Education Materials
It is curious that duo many supporters of the Common Core standards want choice among schools but celebrate the standardization and lack of choice among suppliers of education materials. They want to multiply choices of schools while standardizing learning and standing back while only two, perhaps three at most, mega-publishers create nearly identical products for the nation’s students and schools
2 by dianeravitch / 1h 
Product Placement on Pearson Exams: Coincidental?
Lace to the Top, an activist group of educators and parents in New York opposed to high-stakes testing, became curious about the appearance of certain commercial products on the state’s mandated exams. Edith Balthazar, a New York City public school parent and freelance editor, thought the product placements were too blatant to be an accident. The exams were created by Pearson, the giant British
58 by dianeravitch / 2h 
Bill Phillis: Past Time to Investigate the Ohio Virtual Academy
The NCAA recently announced that it would not recognize credits from 24 virtual charters, all run by K12. One of them is the Ohio Virtual Academy. Bill Phillis of the Ohio Equity and Adequacy Coslition writes: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): Will not accept credits from Ohio Virtual Academy after 2013-2014 school year The credits from Ohio Virtual Academy, (OVA) operated by Michae
31 by dianeravitch / 3h 


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 4-26-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGSchneider Corrects Ezra Klein about PARCCEzra Klein has set up a new website, vox.com, wherein he praises the federally-funded test Common Core test called PARCC—which is now being field-tested–and declares that it is “working.” Mercedes Schneider begs to differ. She says the main way it is working is to make millions for
by mike simpson / 8h 




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4-27-13 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:






Steve Kornacki & The New Narrative
The old narrative attributed Common Core opposition to the Tin Hat Wing of the Tea Party Wing of the GOP. Arne Duncan was fond of claiming that opponents were just a fringe group of (probably racist) looney tunes who could be easily dismissed. Good dependable conservatives, like, say, Jeb Bush, were those who distanced themselves from the crazypants wing of their party. Hey-- if those crazy tin ha
by Peter Greene / 19min 


Brookings Research Reveals Teachers Are the ProblemBrookings will release a new book this week with the charming title Teachers versus the Public: What Americans Think about Schools and How To Fix Them.And yes-- that title tells us where we're going right off the bat-- teachers really are the problem. In fact, teachers aren't just the opposition-- teachers aren't even American. Perhaps we are all bused in from Outer Slobovia?The blurb promises tha
by Peter Greene / 1h 


4-26-13 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION:What Test Prep Is NotI've noticed a meme in writing promoting CCSS tests lately in which fans promote the New Improved Test's ability to dig deep into the furthest thinky places of the human brain. "It's the end of the old bubble test," these enthusiastic testinators declaim. "No more of that test prep." Here. Here. And here.And then, as sort of a rhetorical bank
by mike simpson / 7h 




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4-27-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:






My Book Is Published!
To all who have been asking and waiting: I am pleased to report that my book, A Chronicle of Echoes: Who’s Who in the Implosion of American Public Education, is now available on Amazon.com! At the moment, Amazon.com has the paperback version, listed at $23.35. I hear that the e-book takes about 30 days until it is ready […]
2 by deutsch29 / 24min

Acknowledgement of the optout movement from @John_Merrow
This from John Merrow at Learning Matters. The opt-out movement may become a force to be reckoned with, if and when it organizes effectively. What has to happen, it seems to me, is that the movement must also be FOR something. I suggest a straight trade: two weeks of project-based learning for every day of testing […]
1 by Shaun Johnson / 16min hide  //  save
On the value of teacher preparation, from a former teacher educator
Allow me to make some very direct assertions at the outset. The President plans to roll out this summer new criteria for evaluating teacher preparation programs, all with which I thoroughly disagree. No other major course of study at the university must put up with such scrutiny. The National Council of Teacher Quality, as indicated in […]
5 by Shaun Johnson / 31min 

Video: Bill Gates “Explains” Common Core
In the following six-minute video at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in March 2014, Bill Gates demonstrates his privileged view of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Gates has contributed over $4.3 million to AEI, with over $1 million in 2012 for “exploring the challenges of Common Core,” among other issues, so it is only fitting that AEI should […]
2 by deutsch29 / 8h 

All Week 4-26-14 @ THE CHALK FACE
@ THE CHALK FACE : All Week @ THE CHALK FACE Guest Post from Paul Horton. Standards?National Standards not Common Core Standards Rather than permitting the issue of the Common Core Standards (CCS) to be a political hot potato in the upcoming election season, I call for our education secretary to establish a national commission on creating national standards. Currently, a few foundations, Microsoft
by mike simpson / 8h 




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4-27-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:









Today it is Face the State and Fox61 Capital Report

Two of Connecticut’s leading Sunday news shows will include segments on the 2014 race for governor in Connecticut. Fox61 Capital Report TV at 10:30am WFSB 3 Face the State at 11:00am From WFSB Dennis House’ Bloghttp://dennishouse.tv/: Democrat may challenge Malloy, saying he can’t win re-election It’s no secret Governor Malloy faces a tough re-election battle. […] The post Today it is Face the Sta
3 by jonpelto / 1h 


4-26-14 Wait What? All Week
Wait What?:  Wait What? All WeekPelto 2014? Pundits weigh impactThe race for governor is about electing someone who will support Connecticut’s students, parents, teachers, school administrators and public schools.  To have a governor who will reverse the historic cuts to our public colleges and universities that are burdening Connecticut students and families with unacceptable student loan debt, t
by mike simpson / 8h 




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4-27-14 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:






Step Up for Students Commissions Second Opinion Piece from Minority Member of Its Board to Defend Vouchers
Step Up Students, the administrative agent dependent on cash from Florida’s voucher system to survive, went into panic mode when Dr. Rosa Castro-Feinberg’s column was published three days ago. The influential education leader penned a blistering point-by-point critique of the voucher system’s flawed attention to and record with ELL students. It should be no surprise that Step Up for Students (SUFS
by Bob Sikes / 7min 


Florida Senate Voucher Sponsor Earmarked $2.3 Million for Voucher Eligible Sports Academy
From Matt Dixon in the Tampa Tribune: TALLAHASSEE _ Powerful state Sen. Bill Galvano says he had nothing to do with a client of his private law firm securing millions during the 2013 legislative session, but a state budget document that Galvano disputes shows he requested the money. IMG Academies, a Bradenton-based private sports and academic training academy, received $2.3 million in the current
by Bob Sikes / 1h 


4-26-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida ALL Week
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 ALL WeekFlorida Republican Lawmakers Moving Toward “Unequal Treatment” of State SchoolsFlorida republican lawmakers were scolded this week by the Tampa Bay Times for voting “twice to lessen accountability for private-run
by mike simpson / 7h 




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NYC Educator: Taco Bell Is the Common Core of Fast Food

NYC Educator: Taco Bell Is the Common Core of Fast Food:



Taco Bell Is the Common Core of Fast Food


I keep seeing commercials for Taco Bell breakfast, and while I watch them, from time to time, my mind says I should go try one of those things. Here's the problem. I'm actually quite fond of Mexican food, and every few years something tells me to go in and try one of those things. Actually, the last time it was my daughter, who developed a fondness for it since she and her friends discovered they could walk there from her school.

And yet, every time I try this joint I ask myself, "Why did I do that?" Nothing they serve is ever as pictured, and even if it were it would not be worth eating. While I don't eat at McDonald's, I always figure their food must at least taste good, or why would it be so popular, with a restaurant in pretty much every town in America?

So I have to figure the way Taco Bell does breakfast is the way they do everything else, which is very badly.

That's why it's awful hard to believe people who say the issue with Common Core is the implementation. In one respect, they're right. For example, in NY State, if we hadn't implemented it, we'd surely have fewer problems with it. If our kids weren't taking Common Core tests in addition to Regents exams they'd be spending less time testing. If the new tests, for which our kids were totally unprepared, hadn't failed 70% of our children, they might not seem so awful and counter-productive.

And yet folks like John King, Bill Gates, Andrew Cuomo, and Barack Obama say we should move forward with this program. The problem with this NYC Educator: Taco Bell Is the Common Core of Fast Food:
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Schooling in the Ownership Society: Gordon Lafer On EPI Milwaukee Private Charter Schools Report

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Gordon Lafer On EPI Milwaukee Private Charter Schools Report:



Gordon Lafer On EPI Milwaukee Private Charter Schools Report


Don't miss this excellent Wisconsin Public TV interview with EPI economist and ed researcher Gordon Lafer criticizing "blended learning" at Rocketship charters.
Backers of these reforms are particularly enamored of a new type of charter school represented by the Rocketship chain of schools—a low-budget operation that relies on young and inexperienced teachers rather than more veteran and expensive faculty, that reduces the curriculum to a near-exclusive focus on reading and math, and that replaces teachers with online learning and digital applications for a significant portion of the day. Rocketship proposes that its model—dubbed “blended learning” for its combination of in-person and computerized instruction—can cut costs while raising 
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