6-22-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)

the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University):

Debating the Gates Moratorium, Or Life among the Roadbuilders

As a lifelong fan of science fiction (SF), I want to start by invoking a SF convention that never gets old: time travel (but I’ll spare you the whirlwind prestidigitation mastered by Kurt Vonnegut, who married time travel and non-linear narrative in Slaughterhouse-Five). Once upon a time (well, I must confess, I enjoy a bit of genre-splicing also), Bill Gates, billionaire and burgeoning education

by plthomasedd / 1min 

 

6-21-14 the becoming radical EMPATHYEDUCATES! | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by P. L. Thomas, EdD

THE BECOMING RADICALEMPATHYEDUCATES!the becoming radical  A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness by U.S. and Education Reform Need a Critical Free PressBy Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. June 19, 2014 Few things are worse than mainstream media coverage of education. Except for that sentence above, which stretches hyperbole beyond credibility. But that is exactly w

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-22-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:

This Must Be The Fault Of Teachers And Public Schools

From the Murdoch Post:Life’s traditional milestones of marriage, home and children do not hold any currency for today’s millennials due to lack of cash.Many young adults, facing a difficult job market, suffer from a failure to launch their lives and leave the safety of the family home. Many must continue to rely in some part on parents for financial support, according to the findings of a new surv

by reality-based edu... / 1h 

Regents Grading

Bleary-eyed teachers in different places around the city are grading Regents exams this weekend - including this bleary-eyed teacher at Perdido Street School.That so much is riding for students, teachers and schools on a grading process that has exhausted teachers working through the day, then grading at night and on weekends, really ought to trouble any fair observer of education policy.That's al

by reality-based edu... / 5h 

6-21-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: Perdido Street School WeekHow Would The Education Reformers Solve This Mess?From the NY Post, in full:A Bronx principal hid in shame on Friday rather than explain why she ignored pleas from a bullied teen’s dad to have the kid removed from the school before the torment drove him to kill.Delise Jones darted out of IS 117 at dismissal and shielded her face with her car’s sun v

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-22-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online:

The Wave - Memo From the RTC: Gypsy Update - They Call me Mr. Goldstone

Published in The Wave, Friday, June 20, 2014(www.rockawave.com). Memo From the RTC: Gypsy Update - They Call me Mr. GoldstoneBy Norm ScottI’m a process person – fascinated by the nuts and bolts that go into just about anything. I have a “how is it made” mentality. So getting beyond the surface of the dynamic productions at the RTC is quite a treat. At that rehearsal they were blocking a long sce

by ed notes online / 1min 

All Kids Deserve Right to Play Sports - Rally Monday for Small Schools Athletic League

Ed Notes did a story on May 14 on Dave Rosen and the Small Schools Athletic League he founded: NYC Teacher David Garcia-Rosen Battles ...Here is an update with a rally on Monday at 11AM at City Hall.Please join Council Member Andy King and student-athletes from all over the city to urge the Mayor to make sure every high school student in New York City has the right to play high school sports!BE T

by ed notes online / 54min

Johannah Chase, Farina Choice for Special Ed: Kipper and TFA

People are saying "same old, same old" -- keeping the old BloomKlein crowd around - people who defended some of the most horrific policies we've seen. Do they mean to say there is not one NYC current or former special ed teacher or supervisor qualified for this job? It really is a slap in the face of every special ed teacher and supervisor to appoint Chase to this job, even if she is won

by ed notes online / 54min hide  //  save

Sunday, Sunday Picnic - Join MORE/Change the Stakes Today at Brooklyn Bridge Park

... and check out MORE's 3rd Annual Summer Series... View this email in your browser OUTDOOR GATHERING SUNDAY! According to Sunday's weather predictions, we're looking at a pretty perfect day on the water's edge of Brooklyn!    The Movement of Rank and File Educators andChange the Stakesinvite you to celebratethe beginning of summer byeating with us in t

by ed notes online / 1h 

6-21-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineSusan's Saturday SpecialOk, so Ohanian sent this out on Thursday. Why quibble? Lotsalinks for weekend perusal. And isn't today the longest day of the year? And I'm registered for a hot yoga class in Times Square with a few thousand people. I just me skip that one and stay home and read Susan's stuff.A startling thing happened in the grocery store yesterday. I had th

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-22-14 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.:

Sunday reads.

From left, Andrew Goodman, parents Carolyn and Robert, and brother David in Adirondacks, N.Y., in 1956. (Photo: The Andrew Goodman Foundation) Glenn Greenwald calls it what it is. Florida charters go unsupervised. Chicago got hosed. Bob Moses on why Algebra is a civil rights issue. Andrew Goodman‘s brother on Freedom Summer ’64. Presbyterian Church votes to divest holdings to sanction Israel. Fo

by Fred Klonsky / 1min 

Ken Previti. The sanctity of contracts in a capitalist society – but not for teachers. The recently signed 75 year contract for a parking meter “concession agreement” is sacred.

- Ken Previti is a retired teacher, activist and blogger living in Florida. Reclaim Reform can be found here. $6.50 per hour to park on the street – and rising. That’s what the contractor has raised it to within the last few years. “The judges stressed that when the City Council approved the deal in 2008, the ordinance declared that it was ‘in the best interests of the residents of the City.’ Ill

by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

6-21-14 Fred All Week 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.: Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherJonathan Pelto. Beware of the “don’t let us become Wisconsin” phony pro-labor candidates.- Jonathan Pelto is running for Governor of Connecticut. To the unions, public employees, and the voters of Connecticut – Let’s take a moment

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-22-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE:

Common Core Memorandum of Understanding Not Just for “Development”

On June 18, 2014, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced that he had contacted the National Governors Association (NGA) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to tell them that he was terminating Louisiana’s Common Core State Standards (CCSS) memorandum of understanding (MOU), the document that he and former state superintendent Paul Pastorek signed tying […]

3 by deutsch29 / 1h 

Discussions of race at the chalkface. It’s TL for you, then fine, DR.

Last night, perhaps during the day yesterday, I was engaged in a debate on race via Twitter. There seemed to be some misunderstandings, which is very easy to do on Twitter. That’s why I personally have a love/hate relationship with the medium. I really hate it. But then again, well, I don’t love-it-love-it. It’s more […]

1 by Shaun Johnson / 46min 

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

Originally posted on Bill Ayers:My brother Rick was one of the heroes of the American war against Viet Nam—he helped to organize and articulate war resistance in his unit, refused to kill people or to be killed in pursuit of the rulers’ imperial dreams, and deserted the US Army, spending the next decade on…

by Michael Paul Gold... / 16min  

All Week 6-21-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE : All Week @ THE CHALK FACE “Both Sides Of The Gun”“Both Sides Of The Gun”.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face2 by David Greene / 21h JUN 19John White’s PARCC Contract ProblemsIn January 2005, I bought a house in Muncie, Indiana, to remodel. It was quite the adventure for a number of reasons, one of which was the creative ways that the previous owner manag

by mike simpson / 9h 

6-22-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:

Wait What? All Week

Finally, an opportunity to speak to union members

After being shut out from speaking to the members of the American Federation of Teachers’ endorsing committee and the AFL-CIO delegates charged with selecting a candidate for endorsement, the Connecticut Working Families Party was kind enough to adhere to the fundamental principle of democracy and fairness and allow me to address their meeting yesterday, June […] The post Finally, an opportunity t

by jonpelto / 13min 

6-21-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:  Wait What? All WeekThe downfall of another Charter School Management CompanyMichael Sharpe is the CEO of Jumoke Academy and the FUSE charter school management company. Over the past twenty months, thanks to Stefan Pryor, Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education and Malloy’s political appointees to the State Board of Education, Sharpe and his charter management company has gone from

by mike simpson / 8h 

6-22-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

From Friday's Mad Dash News over Banda's Pending Departure

Updates:I spoke with several people connected with this issue on Friday.Gabe Ross is the communications person for Sacramento Schools.  He verified that some Sacramento School Board members will visit SPS this week.  He said that their Board has to wait until their next official board meeting to take a vote (that's July 1th) because, under California law, they cannot vote in a new superintendent a

by Melissa Westbrook / 7min 

Seattle Schools This Week

It would have been a quiet week for SPS except for the new issue of Superintendent Banda wanting to leave.  As well, there are a couple of events that will impact our district.Monday, June 23rdSeattle City Council will vote on their Preschool for All bill at 2 pm in City Council chambers.  They do take public comment but I note it comes after presentations (which means you get to sit through a lot

by Melissa Westbrook / 29min

Two Worthy Pieces of Reading

First up, the most hilarious thing I have read in a long time is this innocent recipe for a rainbow cake with a number baked inside (see pictures). Why is it great?  The comments.  Goes from an innocent question (with a somewhat snarky answer) to a troll to an all-out fight.  I laughed out loud and it reminded of how commenting can go off the rails.Next, a sobering piece on reform from the Huffing

by Melissa Westbrook / 20min 

Mythbusters: Seattle can't keep a superintendent

Once again Seattle is looking to hire a schools' superintendent, just two years after hiring the current one. So you're going to read and hear a lot of people saying stuff like "What the heck is wrong with Seattle that it can't keep a superintendent? There must be something wrong with that school district/school board/city/community/whatever."Let's bust this myth.First, two years is the

4 by Charlie Mas / 7h 

6-21-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumNew Game: If I Were Superintendent of Seattle Public SchoolsOkay, boys and girls! We're going to play a new game. The new game is called "If I Were Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools", and here are the rules. Here in the Comments of this thread tell us what actions you would take if you were the next Superintendent of S

by mike simpson / 8h 

Louisiana Educator: The Real Experts on the Common Core

Louisiana Educator: The Real Experts on the Common Core:

The Real Experts on the Common Core

The following is a letter by three Louisiana teachers giving their opinion about the Common Core Standards. I believe this letter accurately reflects the view of many teachers across the state. In February of this year I conducted an opinion poll on Common Core using this blog which you mayview by clicking here. The great majority of persons responding to my poll were teachers but there were also some parents and administrators who answered the poll. Even I was surprised by the percentage of persons who believed that we should never have adopted these so called "standards". I happen to trust the professionals out in the classrooms and also the parents who get to see the CCSS by observing the homework their children bring home. I believe these people understand the true effects of the CCSS much better than the big business lobbyists and the mainstream media who have been pushing these standards without even studying them.

Common Chaos

By now we have all heard the claims that Common Core “State” Standards (CCSS) purport to achieve for our children. Advocates of CCSS have been quick to insult the opposition, accusing them of being conspiracy theorists, tea party affiliates, extremists, religious zealots, ineffective and irresponsible teachers, or political game players. But what if no evidence supports any of these accusations?

Teachers and parents have valid concerns with CCSS. 

We understand the connection of standards with standardized tests and 

curriculum. As teachers have been implementing these standards over the past two years, numerous concerns have Louisiana Educator: The Real Experts on the Common Core:

Lesser of Two Evils for Education: FL Lunacy | Reclaim Reform

Lesser of Two Evils for Education: FL Lunacy | Reclaim Reform:

Lesser of Two Evils for Education: FL Lunacy

Posted on June 21, 2014by Ken Previti

Choose the lesser of two evils for education?

In Florida, both candidates for governor are definitely evils who are known for being part of the corporate dismantling public education. As a matter of fact, the Republican incumbent, Rick Scott, was not part of the Republican Party’s politically aligned candidates before his election in 2010. The Democratic Party’s candidate is the ex-Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Scott is relying on blatant lies. Crist is relying on public amnesia.

Why are these two men the choices Floridians are being given? They are connected to the same corporate interests but are two different brands that owe payback to different specific individuals who are all investors in the Education Industrial Complex. Different brands of high stakes testing, charters, vouchers, textbooks, teacher evaluation rating methods, corporate curricular control and more are what each supports.

What Scott and Crist say and what each chooses as a photo-op mean nothing.
What each has done is all that counts.

What are the records for what Scott and Crist have actually done to weaken and dismantle public education while harming teachers?

CRIST:

“Crist has accused Scott of shortchanging teachers, passing a historically large, $77 billion budget this year that included less money for Bright Futures scholarships and per-pupil spending compared with the heyday levels of Crist’s first year as Lesser of Two Evils for Education: FL Lunacy | Reclaim Reform:

The Sanctity of Contracts in a Capitalist Society: but not for teachers

The recently signed 75 year contract for a parking meter “concession agreement” that drains revenues in Chicago is SACRED. $6.50 per hour to park on the street – and rising. That’s what the contractor has raised it to within the last few years. “The judges stressed that when the City Council approved the deal in 2008, the ordinance declared that it was ‘in the best interests of the residents of th

by Ken Previti / 16min