Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Nite Cap 5-7-14 #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 CAP



Is it time for the Money Fairy already? Capitol Alert: California races surpass $5.5 million in independent spending
Capitol Alert: California races surpass $5.5 million in independent spending: California races surpass $5.5 million in independent spendingThe San Francisco Bay Area's 16th Assembly District remained the leader in independentcampaign expenditures reported through Tuesday, but a trio of Democrats in Sacramento-area legislative races are drawing independent support from business groups.Unions, chart
5-7-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Possible Tragedy Averted at EcksteinToday at Eckstein (from a reader):Principal messsage: "At approximately 9:30, Eckstein went into Shelter-in-Place. All students and staff were safe. Police reported that there was an Eckstein student in the neighborhood who might be armed. Police apprehended the student at approximately 9:50 and we returned to business as us
5-7-14 The Whole Child Blog — Supporting Readers in Science — Whole Child Education
Supporting Readers in Science — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGSupporting Readers in ScienceMay 7, 2014 by ASCD Whole Child BloggersPost written by Sarah Carlson, Deni Basaraba, Gina Biancarosa, and Lina ShanleyWhen most people think about reading in science, they think of heavy and densely written texts—the kind you find in science textbooks. Although textbooks remain a staple of scie
#WeAuthorize...solutions to the charter fraud crisis! - Integrity in Education
#WeAuthorize...solutions to the charter fraud crisis! - Integrity in Education: #WeAuthorize…solutions to the charter fraud crisis!Starting today, Integrity in Education is joining the Institute for Democratic Education in America (IDEA) to host #WeAuthorize Wednesdays, a weekly opportunity to highlight ideas worth spreading in education policy and practice. Learn more about WeAuthorize Wednesdays
Is Relevance Over Rated? | My Island View
Is Relevance Over Rated? | My Island View: Is Relevance Over Rated?May 7, 2014 by tomwhitbyI recently put out a tweet that was meant to be provocative. I often do this to stir things up in order to benefit ye olde creative juices. I tweeted that I recently had a heart procedure done, (which I did) and I did not ask the doctor to use any 20th Century methods or technology to complete the task. I th
Uncovering Lies and Damn Lies in Arne Duncan’s Graduation Rates | Cloaking Inequity
Uncovering Lies and Damn Lies in Arne Duncan’s Graduation Rates | Cloaking Inequity: Uncovering Lies and Damn Lies in Arne Duncan’s Graduation RatesHas your state experienced a meteoric rise in its graduation rate since Arne Duncan’s new graduation standards went into effect? Do you think it too good to be true? Nobody likes to be lied to. The latest Arne Duncan sleight of hand is the reporting an
5-7-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): JFK High librarian removed after allegations of fraud, forgeryJFK High School LA Unified officials are investigating a teacher who has now been removed from John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, over allegations that she mishandled and manipulated record-keeping and stole money from ARC, an after-
5/7/2014 – Charter Schools Fail - Education Opportunity Network
5/7/2014 – Charter Schools Fail: 5/7/2014 – Charter Schools FailMay 7, 2014 Subscribe THIS WEEK: US Teachers Lack Diversity … Scary Common Core Cut Scores… Common Core vs. Real Issues … Funding For Higher Ed Not Recovering … Young Workers Face Tough Climb TOP STORY Charter Schools Fail: New Reports Call Their ‘Magic’ Into Question By Jeff Bryant “In today’s climate of trumped up political truisms
The LAUSD Dinosaur: The Truth Behind The Economics Of Scale (And Waste). - Perdaily.com
The LAUSD Dinosaur: The Truth Behind The Economics Of Scale (And Waste). - Perdaily.com: The LAUSD Dinosaur: Dismantling The Economics Of Scale(Mensaje se repite en Espaรฑol)The only justification that I have ever heard for the continued existence of LAUSD is the economics of scale. Simply stated, this is the notion that larger organizations can buy goods and services for significantly less money t
High school wasteland: Demographic changes do not explain test-score stagnation among U.S. high school seniors | Education By The Numbers
High school wasteland: Demographic changes do not explain test-score stagnation among U.S. high school seniors | Education By The Numbers: High school wasteland: Demographic changes do not explain test-score stagnation among U.S. high school seniorsSource: NCESThe National Assessment of Education Progress, run by the U.S. Department of Education, is the only test that is administered in schools ac
5-7-14 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: Charter$ & Ca$hing InSince the President has declared this week National Charter School Appreciation & General Praise Week, you are probably thinking, "How can I be part of the charter school excitement?"In the past, many charters were launched that focused solidly on providing unique and exciting educational experiences for their communities. These schools were i
Moody’s Blames Philly Charters for Bad Rating
Moody's issues warning on School District's bond rating: Moody’s Blames Philly Charters for Bad RatingMARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITERLAST UPDATED: Wednesday, May 7, 2014, 1:08 AMPOSTED: Tuesday, May 6, 2014, 4:55 PMPHILADELPHIA At a time when the Philadelphia School District's financial condition is already dire, Moody's Investors Service is warning that rising charter costs and uncertain fu
5-7-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": This Is The Best Critique Of The “Broken Compass” Parent Involvement Book That I’ve Seen…Parental involvement overrated? Don’t buy it is a very, very impressive response to the “Broken Compass” authors dismissal of most types of parent involvement. It’s written by three college professors — By Todd Rogers, Lucas Coffman and
5-7-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: KIPP's Gritsters Get Hammered for Amoral Character GoalsCapitalism is neither moral nor immoral; it is amoral.  There is no room at the bottom line for pious judgments of right or wrong that might affect the balance sheet.  Capitalism is about the accumulation of capital to make more capital and nothing else.  There was a time in our not-so-distant past when capitalists chose to ma
Article: CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter Schools | OpEdNews
Article: CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter Schools | OpEdNews: CONFLICTED: MSNBC's Mixed Reporting on Common Core and Charter SchoolsBy Gustav Wynn (about the author)  opednews.comby gwLast fall, I asked whether MSNBC hosts like Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes (my two favorite) are pressured not to cover issues like hydrofracking or GMO foods by their bosses (see Is Rach
Statement: Improving voting procedures for 2014 Renaissance process | Parents United for Public Education
Statement: Improving voting procedures for 2014 Renaissance process | Parents United for Public Education: Statement: Improving voting procedures for 2014 Renaissance processPosted on May 7, 2014 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a commentParents United for Public EducationSuggestions to improve Renaissance Process voting proceduresMay 5, 2014Parents United for Public Education has raised serious concern
Morning Wink 5-7-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-7-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Patrick Walsh on the Death of Philosophy in a World of PhilistinesMany bloggers have commented on the pretentiousness and vacuousness of the gaggle of politicians, entrepreneurs, and hedge funder
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-7-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Patrick Walsh on the Death of Philosophy in a World of PhilistinesMany bloggers have commented on the pretentiousness and vacuousness of the gaggle of politicians, entrepreneurs, and hedge funders who have gathered in the Adirondacks of New York and audaciously dubbed themselves the “thought leaders” of our time. They called their
American Students Perform Worse As They Reach Higher Grades
American Students Perform Worse As They Reach Higher Grades: American Students Perform Worse As They Reach Higher GradesHigh school test scores released by the federal government Wednesday provide fresh evidence of a troubling theme in American education: Students seem to perform worse on tests as they advance through the public school system to higher grades.America's high school seniors have mos
My Book on VAMs Released Today |
My Book on VAMs Released Today |: My Book on VAMs Released TodayMy new book, titled “Rethinking Value-Added Models in Education: Critical Perspectives on Tests and Assessment-Based Accountability,” was officially released by my publisher – Routledge – today.For those interested, you can order this book on Amazon, here, Barnes & Noble, here, or the Routledge site, here. The book’s foreword is w
President of national teachers union joins parents, teachers for another protest of Newark school plan | NJ.com
President of national teachers union joins parents, teachers for another protest of Newark school plan | NJ.com: President of national teachers union joins parents, teachers for another protest of Newark school planNEWARK — American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten will meet with teachers and staff of Hawthorne Avenue Elementary School this morning to show her support for the scho
5-7-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: U.S. judge: It’s ridiculous to judge teachers by test scores of students they don’t have, but it’s legal in Florida“Justice? You get justice in the next world, in this world you have the law.” ― William Gaddis, A Frolic of His Own   A federal judge in Florida said that it is wildly unfair that the state evaluates many teachers on the standardized test scores of students they don’
5-7-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: I Learn Another Great Game For English Langage Learners From Jimmy FallonLast year, I wrote about a fun game for English Language Learners that I learned from late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon (see Jimmy Fallon Comes Up With A Great Game For English Language Learners). Today, I learned another one… He calls it Word Sne
5-7-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Tuesday night with Karen Lewis and Chicago’s political nerds.Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke are members of that very small circle of people that can justifiably claim the titles of Chicago journalists. They both write for the Chicago Reader. Full disclosure. Joravsky is an old friend. Old enough that I t
5-7-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Roseanne McCosh: Why I Am Voting No to the UFT ContractRoseanne has been in touch for a number of years - she follows issues very closely and shares them with her staff at PS 8 in the Bronx. She was chapter leader for a number of years before passing it on to the next gen. She shared this with teachers in her school. She has never been to a MORE meeting. So Roseanne represents ran
5-7-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: The Destruction of Public Education in Bridgeport courtesy of Malloy and Mayor Bill FinchWhen it comes to the corporate education reform industry’s strategies and tactics, Bridgeport has become one of their “ground zero” targets. Thanks to Governor Malloy, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, and education reformer extraordinaire Paul Vallas, t
5-7-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: PISA Brainwashing: Measure, Rank, RepeatPISA Brainwashing: Measure, Rank, Repeat. via PISA Brainwashing: Measure, Rank, Repeat.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical1 by plthomasedd / 1h hide  //  saveDuncan Flunks the “State led” Test with His Indiana NCLB Waiver WarningCorporate reformers love tests. It seems that now, the test is on them. Is the federal government usurping
5-7-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): PISA Brainwashing: Measure, Rank, RepeatWhen Mary Catherine Bradshaw, a teacher since 1984 in Nashville, TN, announced her retirement from public schools, Bradshaw pointed her finger at one major reason, standardized testing: [S]he says standardized testing is the reason
5-7-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Is The Tentative UFT Contract Changing How The System Deals With Teachers Rated "Ineffective" On Testing Components?The tentative contract language is finally available to peruse - you can find it here.I noticed this:Measures of Student Learning Options1. For the 2014 - 15 school year and thereafter the DOE shall create new measures (referred to as “Linked Measures
Despite generally good salaries, an 85% faculty majority is said to favor unionizing | The Lens
Despite generally good salaries, an 85% faculty majority is said to favor unionizing | The Lens: Despite generally good salaries, an 85% faculty majority is said to favor unionizingWhether to join a teacher union is being pondered at Ben Franklin, the city's most academically acclaimed public high school.With a public hearing scheduled Thursday on the faculty drive to unionize Benjamin Franklin Hi
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Standing room only for Karen Lewis at the Hideout
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Standing room only for Karen Lewis at the Hideout: Standing room only for Karen Lewis at the HideoutThe HideoutLast night was political junkies' standing-room-only night at the Hideout. CTU President Karen Jennings Lewis was on stage, being interviewed by Reader writers Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke. What a step up from last month's show when former Ald. Dick (aptly-na
An educator responds to John Barge's teacher tribute:... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
An educator responds to John Barge's teacher tribute:... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: An educator responds to John Barge's teacher tribute: Appreciate the effort but disagree on the message COMMENT(11) 0 46 1 48Previous PostsWhy did so many elementary schools underperform in DeKalb and Atlanta? Is there a plan? May 6, 2014Teacher Appreciation Day: Google Atlanta chooses to fund wish lists of 356
Is Cami leaving? Or just hiding? | Bob Braun's Ledger
Is Cami leaving? Or just hiding? | Bob Braun's Ledger: Is Cami leaving? Or just hiding?Is Cami hiding at an Ihop?                Cami Anderson,  the controversial state-appointed superintendent of Newark schools, has disappeared from the city  for the last few weeks, fueling rumors she is planning on leaving. Her absence comes just as the mayoral race—in which she is issue number one—tightens up  
60 Years after Brown v. Board: School “Reform” Ignores Injustices of Urban America | janresseger
60 Years after Brown v. Board: School “Reform” Ignores Injustices of Urban America | janresseger: 60 Years after Brown v. Board: School “Reform” Ignores Injustices of Urban AmericaPosted on May 7, 2014 by janressegerOn May 17, we’ll mark the 60th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.  Richard Rothstein, research associate at the Economic Policy Ins
“Sorry I cannot write more” – A Smarter Balanced Tale | InterACT
“Sorry I cannot write more” – A Smarter Balanced Tale | InterACT: “Sorry I cannot write more” – A Smarter Balanced TaleMAY 7, 2014tags: ccss, Smarter Balanced, vamby David B. CohenThe Common Core transition reached me on a more personal level this week when my 11-year old son came home and asked, “Dad, do you know anyone who made the Smarter Balanced test?” When I replied that I do not, he said, “
The new face of teacher unionism in New York City and beyond | Hechinger Report
The new face of teacher unionism in New York City and beyond | Hechinger Report: The new face of teacher unionism in New York City and beyondIn era of accountability, UFT contract builds on fiscal stability, flexibility, not social mobilityBy David C. BloomfieldI knew Al Shanker, Mr. Mulgrew, and you’re no Al Shanker.Would Al Shanker have agreed to let at least 200 schools, thousands of teachers,
Shanker Blog » An Education Hearing I'd Like To See
Shanker Blog » An Education Hearing I'd Like To See: An Education Hearing I’d Like To SeePosted by Matthew Di Carlo on May 7, 2014At the end of February, the District of Columbia Council’s Education Committee held its annual hearing on the performance of the District’s Public Schools (DCPS). The hearing (full video is available here) lasted over four hours, and included discussion on a variety of
Mother Crusader: DFER Trying To Steal Election From Ras Baraka
Mother Crusader: DFER Trying To Steal Election From Ras Baraka: DFER Trying To Steal Election From Ras BarakaThe Newark mayoral race is heating up with less than a week to go, and there has been plenty of discussion about an influx of cash to the Jeffries campaign and questions as to where the money is coming from.Newark First, an independent group of Jeffries' supporters, launched an advertising

YESTERDAY

Draft accountability plans raise concerns about usefulness to parents | EdSource Today
Draft accountability plans raise concerns about usefulness to parents | EdSource Today: Draft accountability plans raise concerns about usefulness to parentsMay 6th, 2014 | Add a Comment | By Louis FreedbergParent committee members and school officials review a draft of West Contra Costa Unified’s LCAP on Wednesday, April 16 in Richmond. Photo by Alex GronkeCalifornia school districts are in the p
Duncan Flunks the “State led” Test with His Indiana NCLB Waiver Warning | deutsch29
Duncan Flunks the “State led” Test with His Indiana NCLB Waiver Warning | deutsch29: Duncan Flunks the “State led” Test with His Indiana NCLB Waiver WarningMay 6, 2014Corporate reformers love tests.It seems that now, the test is on them.Is the federal government usurping state authority over public education?Consider the protestations that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are not a federal m
Hey ATR's! The New Contract is a Trap! southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Hey ATR's! The New Contract is a Trap!The Crack Team got a phone call from an intrepid Mainstream Media reporter today inquiring if we knew of any ATR's that would like to comment on the mass email El Presidentรฉ Mike Mulgrew blasted out to them Monday evening. We told our intrepid reporter that we do not, yet shared with him that our curiosity is now piqued and if
Connected Principals | Sharing. Learning. Leading.
Connected Principals | Sharing. Learning. Leading.: The Advantage of Separating Behaviors and Academics Through a Competency-Based Grading System.As I watched one of our teacher’s training sessions this past Wednesday, I considered how far we had come in grading practices in a fairly short period of time. Our school made the transition to competency-based grading four years ago, and despite some o
5-6-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “How to be an advocate for your (special needs) child”How to be an advocate for your (special needs) child by Jovan Miles could be a very useful post to share with parents. It’s a great additions to The Best Resources To Help Engage Parents Of Children With Special Needs.4 by Larry Ferlazzo / 58min hide  //  save“19 Proven
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Asking the wrong questions of technology…
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Asking the wrong questions of technology…: Asking the wrong questions of technology…There has been a huge roll-out of technology with the advent of SBAC testing in California (and elsewhere in the country with CCSS testing in all forms). But is this really making education better? Is it making our kids better? Or is it like using Robbie shown above, good fo
Nite Cap 5-6-14 #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 CAPModel SARBs for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)Model SARBs for 2014 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces 2014 Model Attendance Improvement ProgramsSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instru





Is it time for the Money Fairy already? Capitol Alert: California races surpass $5.5 million in independent spending

Capitol Alert: California races surpass $5.5 million in independent spending:








ha_schnur7656.JPGThe San Francisco Bay Area's 16th Assembly District remained the leader in independentcampaign expenditures reported through Tuesday, but a trio of Democrats in Sacramento-area legislative races are drawing independent support from business groups.
Unions, charter schools, and others have poured more than $5.5 million into legislative and statewide contests, according to state filings through Tuesday evening. Almost a fifth of that has come from businessman and 2012 congressional candidate William E. Bloomfield, Jr., who has spent almost $1.1 million, including six-figure expenditures in recent days to help elect state schools superintendent candidate Marshall Tuck ($376,200), secretary of state candidate Dan Schnur ($243,931), who has no party preference, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari ($141,867.)
See a searchable list of all independent expenditures below.
An independent expenditure committee linked to business-friendly Democrats in the Legislature — Californians For Jobs And A Strong Economy — so far has spent $119,000 supporting a trio of Democrats in contested Sacramento-area races: Steve Cohn in the 7th Assembly District ($44,732), Jim Cooperin the 9th Assembly District ($68,932), and Richard Pan in the 6th Senate District ($5,910.)
In the 16th, unions have spent $865,000 to support Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti, a teacher, or oppose his main rival, fellow Democrat Steve Glazer, the Orinda vice mayor who advised Gov. Jerry Brown's 2010 campaign.. Real-estate interests and other groups have spent about $1 million spent to support Glazer or oppose Sbranti, according to state filings.
The charts show the contests with the most independent expenditure activity as of Tuesday evening and the main sources of the money (hover over the charts for more information). At the bottom, there's a searchable list of all independent expenditures in legislative and statewide races.

PHOTO: Secretary of State candidate Dan Schnur in September 2010, when he was chairman of the Fair Political Practices Commission. The Sacramento Bee/Hector Amezcua

5-7-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:









Possible Tragedy Averted at Eckstein

Today at Eckstein (from a reader):Principal messsage: "At approximately 9:30, Eckstein went into Shelter-in-Place. All students and staff were safe. Police reported that there was an Eckstein student in the neighborhood who might be armed. Police apprehended the student at approximately 9:50 and we returned to business as usual. The student is in custody at this time. I would like to thank yo


5-6-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadFun at Teacher Appreciation Day at Arbor Heights Elementary.   I happened to be checking what schools require uniforms (I believe there are only 3-4 elementaries).  K-5 STEM is one of them.  From their webpage, the school certainly has quite a different feel to it.  For example, they have four sections to their Uniforms page and the FAQ is really




5-7-14 The Whole Child Blog — Supporting Readers in Science — Whole Child Education

Supporting Readers in Science — Whole Child Education:









ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

Supporting Readers in Science

Post written by Sarah Carlson, Deni Basaraba, Gina Biancarosa, and Lina Shanley
When most people think about reading in science, they think of heavy and densely written texts—the kind you find in science textbooks. Although textbooks remain a staple of science education, they—along with laboratory notes and scholarly reports—are notably lacking from the exemplar science texts referenced in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Rather, the Common Core exemplars include excerpts from articles in popular science magazines, manuals, procedural texts, and (at the high school level) primary-source documents (for example, an excerpt from a translation of Euclid's Elements).
With this shift in the types of texts students will encounter in the science classroom, instruction must adapt to help students develop reading skills for comprehending both traditional and nontraditional sources of science literature. For example, the CCSS draw informational texts from the websites of National Geographic, theSmithsonian, Kids Discover, PBS, and Popular Science.
Research suggests that understanding scientific discourse "requires an excellent domain of highly specialized language, discourse, and world knowledge" (Graesser, Leรณn, & Otero, 2002, p. 4). In particular, scientific readers need to hone their skills for
  • inferential thinking
  • activating prior knowledge
  • recognizing technical terms, academic language, and scientific vocabulary (e.g., Sutherland, 2008)
  • scientific exploration and reasoning
This last point may sound a bit vague, but to read science texts, students must be able to participate in scientific exploration and reasoning. That means creating and interpreting arrays of data and utilizing reasoning that reflects scientific norms and values (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009). In other words, as students read, they are constructing problem models of science texts.
For an example of a problem model, Graesser et al. (2002) discuss developing a situation model about a text describing a person sliding down a hemispheric dome. In this example, in order for students to develop appropriate problem models of this text, they must be able to understand the variables and relations described in the text in terms of position and velocity (e.g., scientific and mathematical knowledge), any forces and Supporting Readers in Science — Whole Child Education:


5-6-14 The Whole Child Blog — ED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Purpose of Education? — Whole Child Education
ED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Purpose of Education? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Purpose of Education?May 6, 2014 by Whole Child SymposiumPost written by Kit Harris, ASCD ResearchASCD continually seeks to provide solutions to the challenges that face educators of all levels. A recentASCD SmartBrief ED Pulse poll reached out to readers of the

#WeAuthorize...solutions to the charter fraud crisis! - Integrity in Education

#WeAuthorize...solutions to the charter fraud crisis! - Integrity in Education:





#WeAuthorize…solutions to the charter fraud crisis!






Starting today, Integrity in Education is joining the Institute for Democratic Education in America (IDEA) to host #WeAuthorize Wednesdays, a weekly opportunity to highlight ideas worth spreading in education policy and practice. Learn more about WeAuthorize Wednesdays here.
Paul Rosenberg, writing at Salon about the report on charter fraud we co-authored with the Center for Popular Democracy, had this to say about our recommended solutions to the problem:
If most of these sound like simple common sense, that’s pretty much just the point. There are plenty of issues around education that are controversial. Protecting ourselves, our children and their future against a massive white-collar crime wave should not be one of them.
With that in mind, here are those recommendations, offered in stand-alone format for easy reading and sharing. We urge you to keep them in mind as you take action regarding the charter bill currently in Congress!



Is Relevance Over Rated? | My Island View

Is Relevance Over Rated? | My Island View:



Is Relevance Over Rated?



I recently put out a tweet that was meant to be provocative. I often do this to stir things up in order to benefit ye olde creative juices. I tweeted that I recently had a heart procedure done, (which I did) and I did not ask the doctor to use any 20th Century methods or technology to complete the task. I thought it might stir up a discussion of relevance in education as an offshoot of that tweet. That did not happen. Someone asked, based on that tweet, why I thought educators could not be good teachers if they were not connected. My intent was to point out relevance. The idea I attempted to convey was that any profession, especially medicine, can no longer employ technology and methodology of the 20th Century, since we are well over a decade into the 21st. It was the tweeter who attributed a value on a teacher who was not connected. It was the being connected part which that tweeter took as being relevant, but there is more to relevance than just being connected.
Relevance is something that is important to the matter at hand. Of course in education, the matter at hand changes with every topic in the curriculum. Since educators need to be masters of content in their subject area that covers a great deal of ground in which educators need to be relevant. To complicate the teaching profession even further, educators need to be masters of the methodology and pedagogy of education as well. Educators need to maintain relevance in both areas. An understanding of this begins to offer insight into how difficult the position of educator can be.
Education however is based on relationships. There are student/teacher relationships, and collegial relationships. All of these relationships take place in an environment of learning. The idea of what is relevant is not something Is Relevance Over Rated? | My Island View:

Uncovering Lies and Damn Lies in Arne Duncan’s Graduation Rates | Cloaking Inequity

Uncovering Lies and Damn Lies in Arne Duncan’s Graduation Rates | Cloaking Inequity:



Uncovering Lies and Damn Lies in Arne Duncan’s Graduation Rates

Screen Shot 2014-05-07 at 10.26.08 PM
Has your state experienced a meteoric rise in its graduation rate since Arne Duncan’s new graduation standards went into effect? Do you think it too good to be true? Nobody likes to be lied to. The latest Arne Duncan sleight of hand is the reporting and trumpeting of graduation rates. The Washington Post related:
Calling it “a profound milestone,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday that the country has reached its highest graduation rate in history, with 80 percent of students receiving a diploma in 2012, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
Fusion.net (ABC News-Univision joint venture) in the piece reported:
Texas is one of the exceptional performers; the state boasts a graduation rate in the upper 80s.
The fact that Texas is in that list is remarkable, given some of the unique challenges it faces in educating young people. More than half of the state’s students receive free or reduced-cost lunches, and there is a sizeable population of non-native English speakers.
What does TEA say about the amazing success of the Lone Star State?
“You can’t address the problem until you define it,” she said. “You’ve got to know that John Smith is the kid at risk of dropping out, not just look at percentages.”
or REDEFINE your “data”… what do I mean by that? The Fusion.net piece concluded the article with the following:
Skewed numbers
But Rodriguez and several other people with knowledge of the state’s education system said that some of the uptick in graduation rates may actually come from the way Texas reports numbers to the government. In other words, the improvement might not really be as great as the state says it is.
Julian Vasquez Heilig, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, has been vocally critical of the state’s graduation measurements.
“What they’re doing that’s amazing when it comes to graduation rate is lying to the government,” he said.
There are a couple of ways for the state to calculate graduation rate. One, called the Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR), lets states make adjustments for students who leave, through transferring out of state, homeschooling, passing away and some other scenarios.
The measurement is intended to let states get a more accurate count of where their students end up, but it also gives the state control over which “leaver” code they use and, depending on the code, they can let themselves off the hook for any follow up. If the state enters the homeschool code, for instance, the kid might actually not continue their education and really be a dropout, but they aren’t flagged as a dropout by the state.
“It allows Texas to tell the feds what the denominator is,” Vasquez Heilig said. “People are really good at hiding dropouts.”
The other measurement to determine the graduation rate is something called the Adjusted Freshman 
Uncovering Lies and Damn Lies in Arne Duncan’s Graduation Rates | Cloaking Inequity: