Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Morning Wink 8-17-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



8-17-14 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: The Non-fiction vs. Fiction IssueSince Common Core first shambled onto the education stage, teachers (particularly language teachers) have sounded the alarm about the infamous 70/30 split between fiction and non-fiction. "We'll have to drop studying Shakespeare to make room for reading instructions for IKEA shelving assembly," goes the complaint.As a high school English t
by mike simpson / 0min 
8-17-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: How Much Longer Can Michael Mulgrew Stay In Power?The UFT has signed on as a co-sponsor for the Rev. Al "Rent-A-Collar" Sharpton's anti-police brutality march and it's not sitting well with the police unions who are now openly savaging UFT President Michael Mulgrew in the media:In an open letter to The Post, the spitting-mad boss of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Assoc
by mike simpson / 44min 
8-17-14 Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet: Overheard at the Lincoln Memorial on a Saturday nightEven if you aren’t trying to eavesdrop, it is impossible not to overhear other people talking at the Lincoln Memorial when it is late on a Saturday night and the site is packed with people — mostly tourists — who are visiting the magnificent marble monument for the first time and are visibly astounded by its […]by Valerie Strauss /
by mike simpson / 45min 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-17-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Ohio: As Charters Flourish, Accountability DisappearsA reader sent me to this article at The Daily Kos, which asked the simple question: when are students more important than free markets? The author’s argument is that the governor and the legislature are so head over heels in love with free markets that they have exempted charter
by mike simpson / 1h 
8-17-14 Ed Notes Online Week
Ed Notes Online: Danny Drumm, NYC City Council and Former Teacher, Takes a Stand Against Charter Expansion"We are being oversaturated with charter schools," said Tesa Wilson, president Community Education Council in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. "It's tax dollars being poured into a black hole with no accountibility."City Council Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), who heads the city Education
by mike simpson / 1h 
8-17-14 Schools Matter All Week
Schools Matter: Teaching is Not a Business!!!Teaching Is Not a BusinessBy DAVID L. KIRPAUG. 16, 2014PhotoCreditEleanor DavisContinue reading the main storyShare This PageTODAY’S education reformers believe that schools are broken and that business can supply the remedy. Some place their faith in the idea of competition. Others embrace disruptive innovation, mainly through online learning. Both cam
by mike simpson / 1h 
8-17-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: Why Are Things As They Are? RICH GIBSON'S little red schoolhouse offers Ohanian, Rhee,Atlanta Cheats and Morehttp://www.richgibson.com/blog/Susan Ohanian on Combat-Ready Kiddies The Mission: Readiness Military Leaders for Kids website features the National Council on Teacher Quality ranking of top teacher education institutions–with the admonition No service member can enter
by mike simpson / 1h 
Teaching Is Not a Business - NYTimes.com
Teaching Is Not a Business - NYTimes.com: Teaching Is Not a BusinessTODAY’S education reformers believe that schools are broken and that business can supply the remedy. Some place their faith in the idea of competition. Others embrace disruptive innovation, mainly through online learning. Both camps share the belief that the solution resides in the impersonal, whether it’s the invisible hand of th
by mike simpson / 1h 
John Deasy’s MiSiS cRiSiS shocks LAUSD’s conscious
John Deasy’s MiSiS cRiSiS shocks LAUSD’s conscious: John Deasy’s MiSiS cRiSiS shocks LAUSD’s consciousAUGUST 17, 2014 BY ROBERT D. SKEELS * RDSATHENE LEAVE A COMMENT“I was interested in the fact that the scandal over Deasy’s PhD hit the headlines at the same time he was hired by Gates. His financial connections with Robert Felner date back to his Santa Monica days” —Susan OhanianThe LAUSD MiSiS cR
by mike simpson / 1h 
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Corporate reform strategies not working say U.C. prof
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Corporate reform strategies not working say U.C. prof: Corporate reform strategies not working say U.C. profNY TimesU.C. Berkeley Prof. David Kirp, writes in the New York Times, Teaching is Not a Business, that corporate reform is not working.TODAY’S education reformers believe that schools are broken and that business can supply the remedy. Some place their fai
by mike simpson / 1h 
NYC Educator: The Brutality of UFT Leadership
NYC Educator: The Brutality of UFT Leadership: The Brutality of UFT LeadershipMike Mulgrew's UFT is promoting Al Sharpton's August 23rd march for "justice for victims of police brutality."  I don't know of too many, off hand, who support police brutality.  I'm guessing very few police officers support police brutality.  I hope the march will be one of solidarity, rather than violence--wh
by mike simpson / 1h 

YESTERDAY

The Washington Supreme Court to Hear Charter School Case | Seattle Education
The Washington Supreme Court to Hear Charter School Case | Seattle Education: The Washington Supreme Court to Hear Charter School Case On Friday August 15th, the Washington Supreme Court accepted review of the appeal in the charter school case.  The Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday, October 28, 2014.  Additional details to follow as I receive them.What we know so far:The Plaintiffs:League
by mike simpson / 11h 
8-16-14 teacherken at Daily Kos - Trust me - there is a must read piece in the New Yorker
teacherken at Daily Kos:Trust me - there is a must read piece in the New YorkerIt is by Tobias Wolff, and is titled Heart of Whiteness Wolff, who turned 69 in July, was born in Birmingham AL.  His older brother Geoffrey was a friend of James Baldwin. Like me, the two Wolffs were in Washington DC on August 28, 1963 for the March for Jobs and Freedom. It is a superbly written - and searingly honest
by mike simpson / 11h 
THE COMBINE: Coming to YOUR state… or is it already there? | Reclaim Reform
THE COMBINE: Coming to YOUR state… or is it already there? | Reclaim Reform: THE COMBINE: Coming to YOUR state… or is it already there?Posted on August 16, 2014by Ken PrevitiWho is responsible for the dismantling of public education, the closing of schools, the extremely expensive and useless high stakes tests and programs, and the dissolution of a truly competent workforce of career educators?THE
by mike simpson / 13h 
Nite Cap 8-16-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT
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 CAPFormer D.C. charter board CFO promoted private companies that allegedly paid him - The Washington PostFormer D.C. charter board CFO promoted private companies that allegedly paid him - The Washington Post: Former D.C. charter board CFO promoted p
by mike simpson / 15h 
Former D.C. charter board CFO promoted private companies that allegedly paid him - The Washington Post
Former D.C. charter board CFO promoted private companies that allegedly paid him - The Washington Post: Former D.C. charter board CFO promoted private companies that allegedly paid himBy Emma Brown August 16 at 6:05 PM  As the D.C. Public Charter School Board’s chief financial officer, Jeremy L. Williams was responsible for monitoring charter schools’ business practices and ensuring their complian
by mike simpson / 16h 
Rating Common Core Math Textbooks—Isn’t THIS a National Curriculum?
Rating Common Core Math Textbooks—Isn’t THIS a National Curriculum?: Rating Common Core Math Textbooks—Isn’t THIS a National Curriculum?AUGUST 16, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTA new report in Education Week discusses a “Consumer Reports-like” nonprofit group that will now evaluate math textbooks from different companies online. If you are teaching math and want to know which books are best—
by mike simpson / 17h 
Updates for La. Common Core/ PARCC Lawsuits– Including Fresh Spin from John White | deutsch29
Updates for La. Common Core/ PARCC Lawsuits– Including Fresh Spin from John White | deutsch29: Updates for La. Common Core/ PARCC Lawsuits– Including Fresh Spin from John WhiteAugust 16, 2014The State of Louisiana is currently involved in three lawsuits over the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and/or the CCSS testing consortium assessments belonging to the Partnership for Assessment of Readines
by mike simpson / 19h 
8-16-14 Saturday Matinée Double Feature "CA Sharknado and Queen Vilification Investiture" News Breakout
Saturday Matinée Special Double FeatureCA Sharknado Queen Vilification InvestitureNews BreakoutandThe RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been born | Crazy Crawfish's BlogThe RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been born | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: The RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been bornPosted on August 16, 20140The RSD, the
by mike simpson / 20h 
The RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been born | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
The RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been born | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: The RSD has failed, but from the ashes an Education Mecca has been bornPosted on August 16, 20140The RSD, the New Orleans Recovery School District that was formed just prior to Katrina and used as an excuse an opportunity to wrest control of local schools and school districts from Orleans Parish and sc
by mike simpson / 20h 
Public Dollars, Private Rules: The Charter School Calculus | UConn Today
Public Dollars, Private Rules: The Charter School Calculus | UConn Today: Public Dollars, Private Rules: The Charter School CalculusAugust 14, 2014By: Tom Breen Category: Nation & WorldShare on emailShare on print|16The phenomenal growth of charter schools nationwide has been aided by a canny legal strategy in which the schools claim to be public for the purpose of taking in tax dollars but pr
by mike simpson / 21h 
State Supreme Court to decide if charter schools are constitutional | The Today File | Seattle Times
State Supreme Court to decide if charter schools are constitutional | The Today File | Seattle Times: State Supreme Court to decide if charter schools are constitutionalPosted by The Associated PressThe Washington Supreme Court announced Friday it would consider whether a voter-approved charter school law violates the state constitution.Oral arguments concerning the lawsuit brought by charter-scho
by mike simpson / 21h 
2nd Banana 8-16-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform
BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANARECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTFailed D.C. schools chief Michelle (Rhee) Johnson named to Scotts Miracle-Gro board - Columbus - Columbus Business FirstFormer D.C. schools chief Michelle (Rhee) Johnson named to Scotts Miracle-Gro board - Columbus - Columbus Business First: Former D.C. schools chief joins Scotts boardEnlarge PhotoAndrew Harrer/BloombergMichelle Johnson, fo
by mike simpson / 23h 
Morning Wink 8-15-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS8-16-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “Oklahoma PTA Unanimously Calls for End to High-Stakes Testing”Oklahoma PTA Unanimously Calls for End to High-Stakes Testing is from Diane Ravitch’s blog. Here’s an excerpt: Over 340 delegates at the Ok
by mike simpson / 23h 




Posted by at

8-17-14 Curmudgucation

CURMUDGUCATION:






The Opposite of Excellence
It's not really news, and it has certainly been commented on a million times, but I don't think we can be reminded too many times. We've heard it, but it's a slippery well-greased pig of a fact, a detail so unbelievably stupid that it literally numbs the mind and slips away like a half-remembered dream. Unconsciously, our brain's filter says, "Well, that can't be right," and we go back t
5 by Peter Greene / 33min 

Local vs. Global
One of the advantages that the reformsters have in the ongoing debate is that their POV is one-size-fits-all large scale national by its very nature, while those of us in the resistance are fighting largely local battles. And each one of those is different. It's a single ocean on one side and a million Dutch boys and girls on the other, each with a finger in a different hole in a different part of
4 by Peter Greene / 45min 

The Non-fiction vs. Fiction Issue
Since Common Core first shambled onto the education stage, teachers (particularly language teachers) have sounded the alarm about the infamous 70/30 split between fiction and non-fiction. "We'll have to drop studying Shakespeare to make room for reading instructions for IKEA shelving assembly," goes the complaint.As a high school English teacher, I'm not very concerned about this require
by Peter Greene / 31min 

8-16-14 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION:Curmudgucation WeekTeachers in ThunderdomeOne of the dreams of reformsters is a school system in which teacher employment is shaped by neither tenure nor seniority. When the time comes for cutting staff, administrators will just grab their Big Spreadsheet of Teacher Effectiveness Data, look down at the bottom of list, point at the name next to the lowest rating number and declare, &
by mike simpson / 8h 




Posted by at

8-17-14 Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School:







NY Post Covers NYSED/Regents Scam On Test Scores
The NY Post called NYSED Commissioner King and Regents Chancellor Tisch on their test score scam.Because it is such an important story, here it is in full:State officials touted increases in scores on tough Common Core exams this year but failed to reveal that they had lowered the number of right answers needed to pass half the exams. The state Education Department dropped the number of raw points
by reality-based edu... / 28min 

How Much Longer Can Michael Mulgrew Stay In Power?
The UFT has signed on as a co-sponsor for the Rev. Al "Rent-A-Collar" Sharpton's anti-police brutality march and it's not sitting well with the police unions who are now openly savaging UFT President Michael Mulgrew in the media:In an open letter to The Post, the spitting-mad boss of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association ripped his teachers-union counterpart Saturday for the “disgracefu
by reality-based edu... / 18min 




8-16-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: Perdido Street School WeekWhy Did NYSUT Endorse The Pro-Charter, Pro-Voucher Jeff Klein? From State of Politics:Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein on Friday touted his endorsement from the New York State United Teachers union. “I’m honored to have the endorsement of NYSUT, whose membership works hard each and every day on everything from shaping young minds
by mike simpson / 9h 
Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)