8-23-14 Saturday Matinée Double Feature "Little Bo Peep and Her GMO Sheep and Real Democrats Don't" News Breakout

Saturday Matinée Special Double Feature
News Breakout

Little Bo Peep and Her GMO Sheep 

AND

Real Democrats Don't

Hey, Mr. Mayor–face down Christie’s gangbangers! | Bob Braun's Ledger

Hey, Mr. Mayor–face down Christie’s gangbangers! | Bob Braun's Ledger: Hey, Mr. Mayor–face down Christie’s gangbangers!Mr. Mayor–be the loud voice for kidsNewark Mayor Ras Baraka got a lot of media attention Friday when he called a press conference to talk about the school enrollment debacle. He probably faced more cameras than at any time since his election. He also faced growing outrage and skep

by mike simpson / 1h 

The Violence and Hatred of Common Core Fanatics | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

The Violence and Hatred of Common Core Fanatics | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsThe Violence and Hatred of Common Core FanaticsPosted on August 23, 20140It may come as no surprise to those of you/us who have been trying to point out the deficiencies of Common Core, that our input is often met with derision, hatred, venom and now even threats of viole

by mike simpson / 1h 

2nd Banana 8-23-14 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform

BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANARECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTNationwide Hands Up Walkout, Mon. Aug 25 |Nationwide Hands Up Walkout, Mon. Aug 25 |: California Student Union - CASUNationwide Hands Up Walkout, Mon. Aug 25Posted on August 22, 2014 by CASTUDENTUNIONLeave a commentNationwide #HandsUp Walkout happening this Monday, August 25 in solidarity with Mike Brownand the Our Lives Matter Campaign. Mo

by mike simpson / 4h 

Morning Wink 8-23-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSDo Public School Students Need Special Ed. Anymore?Do Public School Students Need Special Ed. Anymore?: Do Public School Students Need Special Ed. Anymore?AUGUST 23, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY 1 COMMENTDo we need special education anymore? Some parents might say no—that a regular class with high expectations, possibly some support, is all that is necessary.Arne

by mike simpson / 5h 

Do Public School Students Need Special Ed. Anymore?

Do Public School Students Need Special Ed. Anymore?: Do Public School Students Need Special Ed. Anymore?AUGUST 23, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY 1 COMMENTDo we need special education anymore? Some parents might say no—that a regular class with high expectations, possibly some support, is all that is necessary.Arne Duncan has stated that students with disabilities should rise to the same level as other stud

by mike simpson / 5h 

Looking For Homeschool Curriculum Not Aligned to Common Core? | Missouri Education Watchdog

Looking For Homeschool Curriculum Not Aligned to Common Core? | Missouri Education Watchdog: Looking For Homeschool Curriculum Not Aligned to Common Core?inShareThe threat to home schooling from common core is that the new national-think being promoted through the standards will infect all textbooks, curriculum and assessments. The further we get down the road of implementation the more real that

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":Nice Post About A Teaching Making A Home VisitGeniene Delahunty writes a nice post describing a visit she made to a student family’s home. It’s worth checking out….by Larry Ferlazzo / 3d AUG 19The Best Advice On Engaging Parents At The Beginning Of The School YearI have a fairly popular post titled The Best Sources Of Parent

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Living in Dialogue

Home | Living in Dialogue:Starve the Testing Beast: Chicago Teachers Show Us How to Organize a Test BoycottBy Michelle Gunderson. We have a saying in the testing resistance movement – don’t feed the beast, starve the data monster. When parents opt their children out of testing they are taking a strong stance against having their children’s data used as a mechanism to sort students, punish teachers

by mike simpson / 5h 

Stephen Krashen Blog 8-23-14

SKrashen:Groundhog Day: Americans Again Rate Local Schools Higher than Schools of the NationGroundhog Day: Americans Again Rate Local Schools Higher than Schools of the NationStephen KrashenAs is the case every year, the PDK/Gallup poll (September 2014) found that people rate their local schools much more positively than they do schools in the US in general.  The differences, as usual, were striki

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Hemlock on the Rocks

Hemlock on the Rocks: “Reframing” California Common Core for a Better Public SaleWordPress.com deutsch29 posted: "The Frameworks Institute is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the images of other nonprofits with the goal of hooking the publicby Rene Diedrich / 3h L.A. Now Live: Charters pulling students from private schools | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles TimesL.A. Now Live: Charters pulling studen

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Wag The Dog Week

WagTheDog | Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. ~ Rumi: Wag The Dog WeekCommon Cure: Growing Pains or Growing Awareness?Media reports have focused on a recent survey indicating a sharp decline in support for the Common Core among teachers. These reports have also included a variety of explanations and theories as to why this de

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Love Letters to the BATS

With A Brooklyn Accent:Creating Safety Without Guns-An Inner City Love StoryOne of the reasons I am haunted by the death of Michael Brown is that I have worked with young people in highly charged settings and have seen what they can accomplish when people who command their respect guide them, challenge them, inspire them and love them. This is a story that will help you understand where I am comin

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Jersey Jazzman NJ Ed News Round-up Jammin' All Week

Jersey Jazzman:Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All WeekThe Myth of The Burned-Out Senior Teacher: Part IIIn my last post, I questioned the idea of the senior, burned-out teacher being a major policy concern, simply on the basis of the fact that there really aren't that many senior teachers to begin with.But what does the literature say about relative teacher effectiveness late in a career? What do we know

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Curmudgucation Week

CURMUDGUCATION:Curmudgucation WeekSuperintendents Speak UpOn the first day of school, my wife's superintendent got choked up.He was delivering the usual kick-off speech, and she said he started to talk about testing and numbers and the students. He reminded his staff that students were not just test scores, not just a number, and that the work they did as teachers was so much more than could be me

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education

The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education:THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog The Whole Child Is Growing UpBeginning this week, the Whole Child Blog will appear on the official ASCD blog Inservice, reaching a broader and larger audience of educators. It will be a standard part of Inservice, focusing attention on a core mission of ASCD. In short, the whole child is growing up. The whole child

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 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):LAUSD, Teachers union talking AM/FM on new contractLAUSD, Teachers union talking AM/FM on new contract As a further indication of how far off a labor agreement is between LA Unified and the teachers union, UTLA, the two sides met yesterday and each focused on an entirely different matter — the district, sa

by mike simpson / 5h 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 8-23-14

The Answer Sheet:All Week @ The Answer SheetBack-to-school stress: How to recognize it and help kids manage it  Yes, kids get super-stressed, too, but it isn’t always easy to tell what is bothering them because they hide symptoms or explain them in vague ways. As the 2014-15 school year gears up, it’s a good time to learn how to identify stress in children and teens and help them manage it. Here a

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership Society All Week

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:Schooling in the Ownership SocietyMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership SocietyPublic support for Obama's school policies is plungingThat's the good news.If you combine Bush and Obama, which is easy to do when it comes to education policy, we're coming up on 15 years of No Child Left Behind/Race To The Top (with waivers).That will make 15 straight years

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy

Wait What?:  Wait What? All Week Pelto/Murphy 2014 Teacher “wins” appointment to State Board of EducationCongratulations to Erin Bernham, a Meriden teacher on her appointment to the State Board of Education! It is great news that a teacher will be added to counter-balance the cadre of corporate education reform industry advocates who have spent the last four years undermining public education. In

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumCritical Incident Response PlanI'm sorry to report that the Critical Incident Response Plan referenced in Dr. Nyland's letter to the community is total bunk. It is, at best, a PR plan. It is designed to respond to potential sources of bad press.It basically calls for district officials to gather information, comply with policies, proce

by mike simpson / 5h 

8-23-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineInspecting Eva MoskowitzWith admirable restraint, the head of the New York City Charter Center, James Merriman, pronounced the results “remarkable” and attributed the results to Success’ intensive instruction....A lot of schools, including many charter high-fliers, offer high-octane teaching. None come close to matching Success Academy’s results the last two years..

by mike simpson / 6h 

8-23-14 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 teacherWalter Esler. Thousands of Illinois public workers see rollback of health costs because of Kanerva.- Walter Esler is a member of AFSCME Retired and an activist. Thousands of retired Illinois teachers, civil servants, and universit

by mike simpson / 6h 

8-23-14 Perdido Street School Week

Perdido Street School: Perdido Street School WeekArne Duncan Says New York Is One Of Two States NOT Eligible For Testing "Flexibility"Yesterday I posted that it seemed ironic Arne Duncan was now giving states flexibility around testing and teacher evaluations since his DOE had just threatened New York State in June that de-linking teacher evaluations from student test scores would result

by mike simpson / 6h 

8-23-14 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 Complicit: On Facing the Mirror Before Casting Stones“Let me begin,” admits George J. Sefa Dei in “‘We Cannot Be Color-Blind': Race, Antiracism, and the Subversion of Dominant Thinking,” “by making clear that I see myself as fully complicit in the discussion that I undertake in this chapter” (p. 25). As

by mike simpson / 6h 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 8-23-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT  Poll Finds Growing Opposition To Obama Education Agenda, Common CoreBrustein & Manasevit - Federal Update email | Author: JCM Friday, August 22, 2014 12:22 PM :: A new PDK/Gallup poll tracking the American public’s attitudes toward public education released this week showed growing opposition to the Common

by mike simpson / 6h 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 8-23-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE WEEKMore Important Resources On Race & Racism© 2012 Michael Fleshman, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio Here are new additions to A Collection Of Useful Posts, Articles & Videos On Race & Racism: The black-white gap in life expectancy is narrowing — but it’s still too wide is from Vox

by mike simpson / 6h 

This Week's Education Research Report 8-23-14 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Education Research ReportTHIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORTTeacher attendance rertThis report breaks down teacher attendance for 40 districts in the nation's largest cities in the 2012-2013 school year. The report identifies districts with the greatest percentage of teachers with excellent attendance as well as those with the biggest percentages of chronically absent teachers. In addition to id

by mike simpson / 6h 

8-23-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:  Schools Matter All WeekMarshall Tuck's staunchest supporters are unabashed Ayn Rand votaries"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable t

by mike simpson / 6h 

All Week 8-23-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE : All Week @ THE CHALK FACE About the radio showJoin Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archiv

by mike simpson / 6h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 8-23-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGAs Testing Frenzy Grows, So Does Opt-Out MovementHere is the latest summary of testing news from FAIRTEST: Across the U.S., students are returning to classrooms where even more time will be devoted to standardized exam preparation and administration. Over the summer, some districts developed hundreds of new tests to compl

by mike simpson / 6h 

YESTERDAY

“Reframing” California Common Core for a Better Public Sale | deutsch29

“Reframing” California Common Core for a Better Public Sale | deutsch29: “Reframing” California Common Core for a Better Public SaleAugust 22, 2014The Frameworks Institute is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the images of other nonprofits with the goal of hooking the public regarding the target nonprofit’s agenda:Changing the conversation on social issuesFrameWorks designs, conducts and publishe

by mike simpson / 15h 

Poverty Is Still a Huge Issue for Students – Michelle Rhee Is Still Wrong | Life at the Intersections

Poverty Is Still a Huge Issue for Students – Michelle Rhee Is Still Wrong | Life at the Intersections: POVERTY IS STILL A HUGE ISSUE FOR STUDENTS – MICHELLE RHEE IS STILL WRONGAUGUST 22, 2014 BRETT DICKERSONMichelle Rhee – Credit: Education WeekNever really getting true reform, Michelle Rhee has stepped down from her role as the leading spokesperson for “education reform” in the corporation school

by mike simpson / 15h hide  //  save

Common Core: Growing Pains or Growing Awareness? | WagTheDog

Common Core: Growing Pains or Growing Awareness? | WagTheDog: Common Core: Growing Pains or Growing Awareness?Media reports have focused on a recent survey indicating a sharp decline in support for the Common Core among teachers. These reports have also included a variety of explanations and theories as to why this decline has occurred.Unfortunately many of the quotes and much of the speculation c

by mike simpson / 18h 

Marshall Tuck run schools SAT scores remained flat, some even declined

Marshall Tuck run schools SAT scores remained flat, some even declined: Marshall Tuck run schools SAT scores remained flat, some even declinedAUGUST 22, 2014 BY ROBERT D. SKEELS * RDSATHENE LEAVE A COMMENT“The lowest-performing, based on test scores, is the large Green Dot chain.” — Los Angeles TimesMarshall Tuck’s campaign literature claims “Marshall has run two of California’s most innovative sc

by mike simpson / 20h 

SBE Agenda for September 2014 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)

SBE Agenda for September 2014 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education): SBE Agenda for September 2014Agenda for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting on September 3-4, 2014.State Board MembersMichael W. Kirst, PresidentIlene W. Straus, Vice PresidentSue BurrCarl CohnBruce HoladayAida MolinaPatricia A. RuckerNiki SandovalTrish WilliamsKenton Shimozaki, Student MemberVacancy

by mike simpson / 20h 

Nite Cap 8-22-14 #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 CAP8-22-14 With A Brooklyn Accent: Creating Safety Without Guns-An Inner City Love StoryWith A Brooklyn Accent: Creating Safety Without Guns-An Inner City Love StoryOne of the reasons I am haunted by the death of Michael Brown is that I have worked

by mike simpson / 21h 

Hey, Mr. Mayor–face down Christie’s gangbangers! | Bob Braun's Ledger

Hey, Mr. Mayor–face down Christie’s gangbangers! | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Hey, Mr. Mayor–face down Christie’s gangbangers!

Mr. Mayor–be the loud voice for kids

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka got a lot of media attention Friday when he called a press conference to talk about the school enrollment debacle. He probably faced more cameras than at any time since his election. He also faced growing outrage and skepticism from  parents  growing weary of having the state use their children as guinea pigs in a social science experiment conducted by superintendent Cami Anderson and her stable of over-paid and inexperienced  amateurs. Baraka also faced a very short list of options for action beyond repeating his criticism of Anderson’s racism-tinged ineptitude.

“I have tried to play nice,” he said. “But this is not a very nice situation.”

He could have invested his popularity and charisma in the growing but still quiet and leaderless movement to boycott the opening of schools. Instead, he answered a question about the boycott by offering general, ACLU-type, support for protests, including a boycott.

“Everybody has the right to protest,” he said. “If folks believe they should boycott, they have the right to do that. But, as mayor, my job is to make sure the children have free, unfettered access to schools.”

So he used the press conference, not to announce any new action, not to nurture a growing protest movement, but to say he would meet with both state Education  Commissioner David Hespe and Anderson. Both of these political creatures of Gov. and presidential candidate Chris Christie have treated Baraka as if he were elected president of a high school student council instead of mayor of New Jersey’s largest city.

Hespe already has misled him–lying to Baraka and others by intimating that Anderson would be fired. Christie has treated Baraka as an irrelevancy, saying “I am the decider” and acting as if the new chief magistrate of Newark were some sort of powerless and ceremonial colonial appointee and Christie were Queen Victoria instead of an elected governmental officer as well as the symbol of the hopes and aspirations of  not just Newark but other cities across the state and the Hey, Mr. Mayor–face down Christie’s gangbangers! | Bob Braun's Ledger:

The Violence and Hatred of Common Core Fanatics | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

The Violence and Hatred of Common Core Fanatics | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Zesty Louisiana Education Politics

The Violence and Hatred of Common Core Fanatics

Posted on August 23, 2014

0

It may come as no surprise to those of you/us who have been trying to point out the deficiencies of Common Core, that our input is often met with derision, hatred, venom and now even threats of violence. When I first wrote an article about my experience in with Common Core about a year ago I admit I did not fully understand what was going on, and that I was perplexed and confused by the homework at times. Many of us were. I understand Engage NY Curriculum is not the same as the Common Core standards, but it is derived from them and entirely related and relevant to discussions of Common Core. Moreover, in Louisiana the only State approved Tier 1 resource that LDOE endorses is Eureka, which is the “paid” version of Engage NY. From what I’ve seen this year the only difference between the two is that districts have to pay for Eureka products, and the branding at the bottom of the resource worksheets.

I wrote an entry on my blog to explain how many parents were feeling and because no one in power was listening to the complaints and concerns of parents. Many of us felt marginalized and maligned rather than engaged or listened too. Many folks who embrace the standards, like this teacher that recently posted on my blog talked to us this way when we expressed our concerns:

Sarah Berry, teacher (and provider of Common Core Teaching materials?)

Are all you people Fin crazy? Not a one of you know what the hell you are talking about. If parents can’t add their doubles then we have a bigger problem than we realize. As for the author of the original article; spend more time doing research than criticizing curriculum that you have no idea about. You have no degree in curriculum development (that is obvious) nor do you have a degree in education, your expertise is that you have a child. Just like you have a background in mathematics; that’s right, you had math in school and you learned just fine. Again, obviously not if you don’t know the benefits of doubles. What addition facts give most first graders difficulty? Oh that’s right, you don’t know your doubles so how in the hell would you know 6+7 or 8+9 or 5+7 Doubles helps student make sense of new problems by using their prior knowledge, something you have obviously lost! 6+7 can be seen as 6+6+1 more and is called a doubles plus one. Or you 6+7 could be seen as 7+7-1 and is called doubles minus one. But since your head is so far up your ass and you can only see how “you” were taught, not the benefits of teaching kids the “mathematics” vs. the short cut. When you get your teaching degree, earn your masters in curriculum design, spend time actually in the classroom teaching students, work as an administrator along side professional teachers, then you can write a blog regarding Engage NY math curriculum. And please do all the teachers in your area a favor, don’t have another child just because you can!

I had reports of many parents across various school districts being addressed this way by their teacher and other Common Core proponents. Perhaps Sarah does have all the credentials she implies she has, but what she does not have is people skills or the ability to work well with others. She may not want me to have any more children, but I don’t want her to be “teaching” any more children or engaging with any more parents. Based on this comment I would judge her as a disgrace to her profession. Fortunately not all teachers feel the same way Sarah does or I would be waging a war on teachers the way Reformers do. I actually try to support teachers and engage them constructively and I don’t think they should be evaluated just on a test score tied to a student tied to Common Core, like most, if not all, Common Core supporters do.

As victories are being made across the country against Common Core, it is clear that the strategy of marginalized and mocking parents and making children cry as a measure of rigor is not working. Amazingly this type of antagonistic attack below does more to enflame passions and solidify positions, but I’m sure it made the poster of this comment feel superior for a little while.

Chris Jenson (parent?)

And there are alleged teachers who completely agree with you in the comments. Amazing. I feel forced to point out that, as an adult who went through the old 

The Violence and Hatred of Common Core Fanatics | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: