Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Morning Wink 7-1-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-1-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Paul Bruno: What if There is No Crisis in U.S. Education?Paul Bruno, a science teacher in California, assembled a few charts to show that there is no “crisis” in American education. What we have today was aptly named “a manufactured crisis” by David Berliner and Bruce Biddle, in their book “The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, an
7-1-14 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.: The men on the bench. We need more than a tepid response and a “glad it wasn’t worse.”Things start slowly here in Denver. Following our three-day pre-conference yesterday was a day off for retirees – except for those who joined student members  in the annual Outreach to Teach program. They headed over
7-1-14 Schools Matter All Week
Schools Matter: A bad way to rate teachersSent to the Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2014Contrary to Eric Hanushek's statement ("How Teachers Unions Use 'Common Core' to Undermine Reform," June 30), there is no movement by anybody to "eliminate school accountability and teacher evaluations." There is a movement to eliminate the use of standardized test score gains to evaluate tea
7-1-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Short Bibliography on Charter School Corruption
With A Brooklyn Accent: Short Bibliography on Charter School CorruptionLeonie Haimson: Six Charter School Myths http://dianeravitch.net/2014/05/15/leonie-haimson-six-charter-school-myths/ Will Anyone Stop Charter School Corruption from Truthout http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/24659-will-anyone-stop-charter-school-corruption Who Is Profiting From Charters? From Alernet http://www.alternet.org
7-1-14 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: Brown Presents NY Lawsuit Talking PointsIn the June 24 NY Daily News, Campbell Brown presented the basic talking points for the newly-manufactured NY road show version of the Vergara trial. Here we go.A Stirring AnecdoteHer story centers on the Williams familyOne of their children... felt so strongly about the lack of instruction she was getting at her Rochester school that she wro
7-1-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: RIP: Frank CashenFrom the Daily News:Frank Cashen, a one-time Baltimore sportswriter-turned-baseball man who presided over championship Oriole teams in the ’60s and ’70s and then, as general manager of the Mets, was the architect of their 1986 world championship team with a series of inspired trades for Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Ron Darling and Bobby Ojeda, among others,
Have the people of Newark become invisible? | Bob Braun's Ledger
Have the people of Newark become invisible? | Bob Braun's Ledger: Have the people of Newark become invisible?Chris Christie and Cami AndersonThe renewal of Cami Anderson’s contract as state-imposed schools superintendent in Newark reveals some unpleasant truths many in the city and state may not want to face. The progressive wing of the state Democratic Party is all but dead. Support for public ed
SBE to clarify LCFF sanctions :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
SBE to clarify LCFF sanctions :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: JULY 01, 2014SBE to clarify LCFF sanctionsby Kimberly Beltran(Calif.) Even as districts met the June deadline for meeting new accountability measures under the Local Control Funding Formula, changes to the system are already in the wind.Next week, the California State Board of Ed
Pennsylvania Budget Fails to Provide for Desperate Education Needs of Philadelphia’s Children | janresseger
Pennsylvania Budget Fails to Provide for Desperate Education Needs of Philadelphia’s Children | janresseger: Pennsylvania Budget Fails to Provide for Desperate Education Needs of Philadelphia’s ChildrenPosted on July 1, 2014 by janressegerWriting for the NY Times, Josh Barro points out: “Kansas has a problem.  In April and May, the state planned to collect $651 million from personal income tax.  B
The REAL international story of American education | Dangerously Irrelevant
The REAL international story of American education | Dangerously Irrelevant: The REAL international story of American educationLinda Darling-Hammond said:Federal policy under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Department of Education’s ‘flexibility’ waivers has sought to address [the problem of international competitiveness] by beefing up testing policies — requiring more tests and upping the con
Competency Education: The Next Great Disruptor in Education | Connected Principals
Competency Education: The Next Great Disruptor in Education | Connected Principals: Competency Education: The Next Great Disruptor in Educationby Brian Stack • July 1, 2014 • 0 CommentsAt a summit hosted by the Bainbridge Consulting firm in San Diego last week, research fellow Thomas Arnett of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation talked about the power of disruptors in shapi
Is test-prep teaching? It takes up 18 percent of school time | Education Lab Blog | Seattle Times
Is test-prep teaching? It takes up 18 percent of school time | Education Lab Blog | Seattle Times: Is test-prep teaching? It takes up 18 percent of school timePosted by Claudia RoweDonna Grethen / Op ArtAs lawmakers in Olympia prepare to grapple with court-ordered increases in school funding, it might help to have a better idea of the various tasks a teacher is expected to complete in a day.So wen
Shanker Blog » Teachers And Education Reform, On A Need To Know Basis
Shanker Blog » Teachers And Education Reform, On A Need To Know Basis: Teachers And Education Reform, On A Need To Know BasisPosted by Matthew Di Carlo on July 1, 2014A couple of weeks ago, the website Vox.com published an article entitled, “11 facts about U.S. teachers and schools that put the education reform debate in context.” The article, in the wake of the Vergara decision, is supposed to pr
NYC Educator: Troglodytes
NYC Educator: Troglodytes: TroglodytesThe United States Supreme Court made two important decisions yesterday. First, they decided that employers need not fund health care decisions that conflict with their religious views.So if you want your health care to entail birth control but your employer doesn't believe in it, too bad for you. Some religions have other reservations about medicine. Let's say
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: SCOTUS decision deserves a stronger response than Schuette got
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: SCOTUS decision deserves a stronger response than Schuette got: SCOTUS decision deserves a stronger response than Schuette gotFind out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them. -- Frederick DouglassThe right wing has obviously figured out that that they can do just fine by neut

YESTERDAY

6-30-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Media Has No Idea What Special Education Is (Guest Post)Guest Post by Jessica S. Martinez, in response to a recent editorial in the Albuquerque Journal. Once again, the Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board has placed its ignorance on display for all to see. Here is yet another example of those who know nothing about education sticking their noses where they do not belong. Allow me
Friction in alliance between Democrats, unions over teacher tenure | MSNBC
Friction in alliance between Democrats, unions over teacher tenure | MSNBC: Friction in alliance between Democrats, unions over teacher tenureNational Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel and Nation Institute fellow Wayne Barrett look at the robust debate in the left over whether teacher tenure is in the best interests of students.
Common Core-Aligned Tests and the New Pearson GED: Failure By Design? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Common Core-Aligned Tests and the New Pearson GED: Failure By Design? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Common Core-Aligned Tests and the New Pearson GED: Failure By Design?By Anthony Cody on June 30, 2014 7:06 PMReturning from protesting the Gates Foundation's funding of corporate education reform, I have been wrestling with some questions about the goals for their project.The Gates
Nite Cap 6-30-14 #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 CAP6-30-14 Seattle Schools Community ForumSeattle Schools Community Forum: Great Reading on Ed Reform by a Local LeaderThat leader is Trish Millines Dziko who started Technology Access Foundation and is truly a great thinker on how to push the needl
6-30-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Great Reading on Ed Reform by a Local LeaderThat leader is Trish Millines Dziko who started Technology Access Foundation and is truly a great thinker on how to push the needle forward for students of color using STEM-based curriculum with project-based learning.Trish has written a series on her thoughts about ed reform (she's frustrated) and we think - intentionall
Parents United urges SRC not to take action on “devastating” budget options | Parents United for Public Education
Parents United urges SRC not to take action on “devastating” budget options | Parents United for Public Education: Parents United urges SRC not to take action on “devastating” budget optionsPosted on June 30, 2014 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a commentAs of this writing, Harrisburg legislators have not yet passed a formal budget for the Commonwealth. Currently the Senate and House are reportedly clo
Three CA Districts Limit Police in Schools | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity
Three CA Districts Limit Police in Schools | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: Three CA Districts Limit Police in SchoolsPosted on: Monday June 30th, 2014Click here to check out more modeldistricts for school discipline reformCalifornia school districts are on a role this year working to end the school-to-prison pipeline. Alongside recent victori
Blog Launch Redux | Kaplan for Kids
Blog Launch Redux | Kaplan for Kids: Blog Launch ReduxPosted on June 26, 2014 by Jeannie KaplanDPS board member Jeannie Kaplan, right, and board President Mary Seawell at a board meeting. EdNews file photoBlog Launch for Kaplan for KidsFifty seven charter schools (57), seventy five percent (75%) housed in taxpayer owned or leased facilities. Fifty two percent (52%) of taxpayer appro
6-30-14 The Whole Child Blog — Got Questions on Differentiated Instruction? Join the #ASCDL2L Chat! — Whole Child Education
Got Questions on Differentiated Instruction? Join the #ASCDL2L Chat! — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGGot Questions on Differentiated Instruction? Join the #ASCDL2L Chat!June 30, 2014 by Leader to LeaderOn Tuesday night, July 1, from 8–9 p.m. eastern time, join ASCD leaders and educators on Twitter for an#ASCDL2L chat discussing Differentiated Instruction in the 21st century. Carol Ann
The 'bizarro" state of American education today. More Joker... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
The 'bizarro" state of American education today. More Joker... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: The 'bizarro" state of American education today. More Joker than Superman?  COMMENT(14) 0 14 11 33View Larger Hulton Archive / Getty ImagesCover illustration for 'World's Finest Comics,' with Superman, Batman and Robin selling US War Bonds to sink the 'Japanazis' in World War II, 1940s. (Photo b
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 6-30-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A LETTER FROM A LOS ANGELES ENGLISH TEACHER TO HIS STUDENTS: “You have been failed.”from Dr. Mark Naison’s blog “With a Brooklyn Accent" | http://bit.ly/1nZhNS3 March 11, 2014 A letter to my students of Los Angeles Unified: You have been failed. You have been failed not by the school or your teachers (or their boogeyman union), but by people far re
empathyeducates – Study: How Much Education Does It Take to Get a Job? Depends on Your Race
empathyeducates – Study: How Much Education Does It Take to Get a Job? Depends on Your Race: Study: How Much Education Does It Take to Get a Job? Depends on Your RacePhotograph; Members of the University of California, Merced, Class of 2009 listen as first lady Michelle Obama delivers the commencement speech on May 16, 2009. | David Paul Morris/Getty ImagesBy Erin C.J. Robertson | Originally Publi
Neuman Celano library study: Educational technology worsens achievement gaps.
Neuman Celano library study: Educational technology worsens achievement gaps.: Educational Technology Isn’t Leveling the Playing Field97159427In fact, it’s making achievement gaps even bigger.By Annie Murphy PaulAffluent kids receive more guidance in libraries—new computers or not—than poor kids do.Courtesy of Shutterstock.The local name for the Philadelphia neighborhood of Kensington is “the Badl
NYC Public School Parents: Send the DOE and the Mayor a message today -- or else class sizes will likely grow even larger next year
NYC Public School Parents: Send the DOE and the Mayor a message today -- or else class sizes will likely grow even larger next year: Send the DOE and the Mayor a message today -- or else class sizes will likely grow even larger next yearOn Saturday, the NY Post reported on the rapid expansion of class sizes in the NYC public schools.  Not only have class size averages increased to their highest le
The Same Principal in Brooklyn Targets Another - southbronxschool
http://www.southbronxschool.com: The Same Principal in Brooklyn Targets AnotherWhen I was in elementary school our principal Mr Murray explained to us that since principal ends in"PAL," that means the principal is always your "pal."Try telling that to Jeff Storobinksy and his colleague Sandra Amede.Sandra is at the same middle school in Brooklyn from which Jeff retired from. Sa
Teachers, Birth Control, Unions, and SCOTUS | Reclaim Reform
Teachers, Birth Control, Unions, and SCOTUS | Reclaim Reform: Teachers, Birth Control, Unions, and SCOTUSPosted on June 30, 2014by Ken PrevitiToday’s Supreme Court judges, five are judges and four are justices, decided to expose their extremist postures.Today’s decisions are about women in particular. Women, who are the majority in America, are referred to as lesser beings with minority issues – w
6-29-14 This Week in 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): Common Core math stumps parents and students alikeVia New York Times | By Motoko Rich Rebekah and Kevin Nelams moved to their modest brick home in this suburb of Baton Rouge seven years ago because it has one of the top-performing public school districts in the state. But starting this fall, Ms. Nelams pl
6-30-14 Jersey Jazzman Jammin'
Jersey Jazzman: Are Miami-Dade's Charter Schools Really "Impressive"?Picking up where I last left off, let's take a look at some test score results from Miami-Dade, FL and see if the charter schools there -- which are, according to the local press, running wild while making their operators boatloads of money -- are really living up to their hype.For this post, we'll keep it simple (for n
STEM Task Force Report - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
STEM Task Force Report - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Releases Blueprint to Improve Teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in CaliforniaSACRAMENTO—For California to maintain its leadership in high-tech innovation, the state must emphasize helping students become literate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), State
Marie Corfield: The Year of Living Danielson
Marie Corfield: The Year of Living Danielson: The Year of Living DanielsonEducation professionals across New Jersey just finished their first year under the new evaluation system that was part of the landmark bipartisan TeachNJ law signed by Gov. Christie in 2012. My school district uses the Danielson rubric developed by Charlotte Danielson. It evaluates everything from the way educators greet the
“Why Teachers Teach” wins L.A. Press Club Award! | Gatsby In L.A.
“Why Teachers Teach” wins L.A. Press Club Award! | Gatsby In L.A.: “Why Teachers Teach” wins L.A. Press Club Award! I’m excited to report that my post “Why Teachers Teach” from L.A. School Report won the L.A. Press Club award for best individual blog post!  In case you missed it, here it is:Why Teachers TeachWe talk about their success stories, the kids who text them from college, invite them to t
What makes for happier teachers, according to international survey | Education By The Numbers
What makes for happier teachers, according to international survey | Education By The Numbers: What makes for happier teachers, according to international surveyTeachers who say they get included in school decision-making and collaborate often with other teachers are more likely to say that teaching is a valued profession in their society.  In turn, these same teachers report higher levels of job
California Teachers Pensions Take Another Hit From Politicians
California Teachers Pensions: California Teachers Take Another Hit From PoliticiansBy Ann Robertson and Bill LeumerShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on pinterest_shareMore Sharing Services1With Democratic Governor Jerry Brown in office since 2011 and the Democratic Party winning a supermajority in the state legislature in 2012, one might think that organized labor was secure and
Teachers protest in downtown Seattle, say Bill Gates is ruining education - GeekWire
Teachers protest in downtown Seattle, say Bill Gates is ruining education - GeekWire: Teachers protest in downtown Seattle, say Bill Gates is ruining educationby Taylor Soper on 6/27/2014 at 9:33 am | 56 CommentsShare this:EmailinShare16Bill Gates has poured millions of dollars into public education reform in the U.S., and some teachers aren’t too thrilled about that.About 150 instructors from the
License to Loot | EduShyster
License to Loot | EduShyster: License to Loot How Michigan charter schools became prime feasting ground for edu-vultures.By Tim FournierI started teaching in the Detroit Public Schools in 1993, the very year that Michigan approved its first charter schools. Last week The Detroit Free Press published the results of a year-long investigation into the state’s now 20-year old experiment with charters.
With ‘Harris’ Ruling, Supreme Court Silences Voices of Working Families | NEA Today
With ‘Harris’ Ruling, Supreme Court Silences Voices of Working Families | NEA Today: With ‘Harris’ Ruling, Supreme Court Silences Voices of Working FamiliesJune 30, 2014 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Mary Ellen Flannery and Tim WalkerToday, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a narrow 5-4 decision, voted to eliminate fair share, or agency fee, arrangements for Illinois
Morning Wink 6-30-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-30-14Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Lucy Calkins Vs. David ColemanNew York City and Nรฉw York State have enthusiastically embraced the Common Core standards. In the background, however, is a simmering–one might say boiling battle be





LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-1-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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






Louisiana Educators Explains Why He Opposes Common Core Standards
This statement was delivered to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. http://louisianaeducator.blogspot.com/2014/06/statement-to-bese-on-ccss-and-parcc.html Monday, June 30, 2014 Statement to BESE on CCSS and PARCC The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has scheduled a special meeting On July 1, at 11:30 A.M., to respond to the executive orders by Governor Jindal that wou


Bill Gates Blames Students for Failure of His Education Plans
At a meeting in Los Alamos, Bill Gates said it was easier to find cures for malaria and other diseases than to “fix” American education. Being the richest man in America, people hang on his every word. Gates again knocks U.S. education. He said that technology should help, but it only benefits motivated students, and the U.S. has lots of unmotivated students. Usually, he blames teachers. Now he b

Do Teachers’ Unions Have Any Friends in the Obama Administration?
We are living in an era when the very idea of public education is under attack, as are teachers’ unions and the teaching profession. Let’s be clear: these attacks and the power amassed behind them are unprecedented in American history. Sure, there have always been critics of public schools, of teachers, and of unions. But never before has there been a serious and sustained effort to defund public

Schneider: Will the Courts in New Mexico Decide Louisiana’s Tests?
Mercedes Schneider tells a strange tale about PARCC testing, John White, Bobby Jindal, AIR, and Pearson. Will AIR’s lawsuit against Pearson in the Arizona courts affect Louisiana’s choice of tests?


Florida Charter Schools: Follow the Money to Scams and Profiteering
The following article is by Patricia W. Hall, chair of the League of Women Voters Education team in Hillsborough County, Florida. It was originally published by La Gaceta in Tampa, Florida. The state League of Women Voters recently published a one-year study of charters across Florida. Charter School Explosion: Follow the Money Patricia W. Hall Although charter schools must, by Florida law, be ov


Paul Bruno: What if There is No Crisis in U.S. Education?
Paul Bruno, a science teacher in California, assembled a few charts to show that there is no “crisis” in American education. What we have today was aptly named “a manufactured crisis” by David Berliner and Bruce Biddle, in their book “The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, and the Attack on America’s Public Schools” in the mid-1990s. Last year, my book “Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatizat
Jeb Bush’s Ardent Advocacy for Common Core
Conservatives are backing away from Common Core in response to angry parents who see it as a federal takeover of their local schools. Several states have dropped the Common Core assessments or the Common Core standards. But one conservative is not backing down: Jeb Bush. He has become the flag-bearer for the Common Core. He and Arne Duncan are the most ardent proponents for the embattled national
EduShyster: Who Wins When the Fight Against Tenure Hits the Road?
EduShyster explains the back story on the new team that has been assembled to eliminate teacher tenure wherever it still survives. The lead player in this docudrama is Campbell Brown, a one-time CNN anchor who now works full-time to oust sexual predators from our classrooms. EduShyster says she will be rewarded with more airtime and media FaceTime. Then there is the ex-Obama communications team,
Australia: Adopting the U.S. Model, With Sorrow
Phil Cullen writes The Treehorn Express in Australia. He regularly reports on that nation’s slavish copying of the worst American ideas, especially testing and accountability. The Australian national testing program is called NAPLAN. FELLOW EDUCATORS : Please send this along to people in schools as extensively as you can. Those who already do…..thanks from Treehorn and the other kids. The Treehorn


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-30-14Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Lucy Calkins Vs. David ColemanNew York City and Nรฉw York State have enthusiastically embraced the Common Core standards. In the background, however, is a simmering–one might say boiling battle between literacy guru Lucy Calkins of Teachers College and Common Core architect David Coleman about teaching reading. Calkins supports bala




7-1-14 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.:



FIVE DICKS




Hangin’ at the Hangout. Fred “the Hammer” Klonsky and the hardest thing Christian Mitchell ever had to do. Except for the next one.
Reader columnists Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke host a live show at Chicago’s Hideout on the second Tuesday of the month. Tonight as I write this they are hosting two alderman. But I’m in Denver. But last month I was in the house waiting to call out State Representative Christian Mitchell for his vote for SB1 and pension theft. Joravsky writes about the confrontation here. One of that show’s highlig
NEA RA. My dinner with Barbara Madeloni.
I messaged the president-elect of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, “Can we meet for dinner?” Barbara Madeloni is a Facebook friend who I have never met. “Love to meet you,” she messaged back. When Madeloni takes office on July 1st she will represent most of the teachers in Massachusetts except for the ones in Boston. Her election represents – much like the election of the CORE caucus and K


NEA staff employees are picketing the RA this morning.
For those of us who believe in collective bargaining it is disturbing the find NEA employees this morning on a informational picket line in front of the Denver convention center with signs asking for NEA management to bargain fairly. Disturbing. But part part of the process. Although the NEA is a union, it hires people. And those people have collective bargaining representation through the Associ


The men on the bench. We need more than a tepid response and a “glad it wasn’t worse.”
Things start slowly here in Denver. Following our three-day pre-conference yesterday was a day off for retirees – except for those who joined student members  in the annual Outreach to Teach program. They headed over to a local school with paint, brushes and tools on a hot day to do an extreme makeover. There’s an Illinois Caucus meeting this afternoon. Then the RA gets rolling tomorrow through t


6-30-14 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.: DVR says goodbye to the retirees.These are the final days for Dennis Van Roekel as President of the NEA. VP Lily Eskelsen Garcia will be elected to replace him later this week. His appearance an speech Sunday in front of the 350 or so retired delegates at our pre-RA conference was warmly received. DVR