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Thursday, March 26, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/26/15


Special Nite Cap - Catch Up on Today's Post 3/26/15


Special Nite Cap 

CORPORATE ED REFORM




FACT CHECK: Myths in the political roar over Common Core - Yahoo News
FACT CHECK: Myths in the political roar over Common Core - Yahoo News: FACT CHECK: Myths in the political roar over Common Core ATLANTA (AP) — In the political uproar over Common Core, various myths are peddled as fact.Related StoriesTed Cruz can’t repeal Common CoreVox.comArizona governor calls for review of Common Core standards Reuters2016 prospect Jeb Bush defends Common Core school standardsA
Need a job? How you can write test questions for Pearson. - The Washington Post
Need a job? How you can write test questions for Pearson. - The Washington Post: Need a job? How you can write test questions for Pearson. If you are looking for a job in the area of test development, there’s some good news. Pearson, the world’s largest education company, is advertising for test item writers and you apparently don’t have to have a bachelor’s degree. It is just “preferred.” Here’s
The one about Opting Out, Positive Responses and Tipping Points - Badass Teachers Association
Badass Teachers Association: The one about Opting Out, Positive Responses and Tipping PointsBy Dr. Mitchell RobinsonOriginally posted on his blog here http://www.mitchellrobinson.net/2015/03/25/the-one-about-opting-out-positive-responses-and-tipping-points/ We recently received an email from our school district about M-STEP (Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress) Testing dates--for those n
School Masters: How Gates and Broad Came to Shape the Education Policy Debate - Inside Philanthropy: Fundraising Intelligence - Inside Philanthropy
School Masters: How Gates and Broad Came to Shape the Education Policy Debate - Inside Philanthropy: Fundraising Intelligence - Inside Philanthropy: School Masters: How Gates and Broad Came to Shape the Education Policy DebateL.S. HallWhen it comes to presence and impact in K-12 philanthropy, it's hard to beat the Bill and Melinda Gates and the Eli and Edythe Broad foundations. Since 2000, the two
How do schools respond to competition? Not as you might expect. - The Washington Post
How do schools respond to competition? Not as you might expect. - The Washington Post: How do schools respond to competition? Not as you might expect. The school-choice movement is built on the philosophy that competition forces schools to improve.But new research on New Orleans – arguably the nation’s most competitive school market — suggests that school leaders are less likely to work on improvi
Emanuel Rauner: twins joined at the wallet | Reclaim Reform
Emanuel Rauner: twins joined at the wallet | Reclaim Reform: Emanuel Rauner: twins joined at the wallet Google Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s (D) plans for Chicago, and then google Gov. Bruce Rauner’s (R) plans for Illinois.Then look at any photos of the two of them together.What differences are there?Height.The Emanuel Rauner Boys.(They don’t make Democrats and Republicans the way they used to.)Chuy Garcia
Common Sense | WagTheDog
Common Sense | WagTheDog: Common Sense Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.~ Thoma
PARCC: In unanimous vote, N.J. Assembly says schools should accommodate opt outs | NJ.com
PARCC: In unanimous vote, N.J. Assembly says schools should accommodate opt outs | NJ.com: PARCC: In unanimous vote, N.J. Assembly says schools should accommodate opt outsTRENTON — Students who don't want to take the PARCC exams should be able to attend regular classes or work on other school activities during testing, according to New Jersey's Assembly.A bill (A4165) requiring schools to accommod
Teachers Matter - Wait What?
Teachers Matter - Wait What?: Teachers Matter True, teachers don’t matter to the Corporate Education Reform Industry and the people who are pushing the Common Core and the unfair, inappropriate and discriminatory Common Core Testing Scheme.And teachers don’t seem to matter to people like Connecticut Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy who is not only an adherent to the Common Core and the Common Cor
Editorial: Why school suspensions aren't the answer | Chicago
Editorial: Why school suspensions aren't the answer | Chicago: Editorial: Why school suspensions aren't the answerWhat is better in the long run for a troubled kid and his school? Suspending the kid or making him own up to what he did wrong and make amends?EDITORIALFor Chad Adams, principal since 2013 at Sullivan High School in Rogers Park, it’s an easy call. By helping kids take responsibility fo
A principal at top-performing school quitting over Common Core testing - Business Insider
A principal at top-performing school quitting over Common Core testing - Business Insider: The principal of one of Chicago's best elementary schools is quitting over standardized testsElizabeth Heurtefeu, principal of LaSalle Language Academy.OLD TOWN — The principal of one of the city's top public elementary schools has announced her plans to leave at the end of the school year, a decision that w
DoE Mandates Now Prevent Teaching the Curricula for an Average of 35 Minutes of Every Class Period | D. A. Russell
DoE Mandates Now Prevent Teaching the Curricula for an Average of 35 Minutes of Every Class Period | D. A. Russell: DoE Mandates Now Prevent Teaching the Curricula for an Average of 35 Minutes of Every Class Period In 1990, a classroom teacher typically had all but six minutes per class available to teach the lesson plan for the day. We were able to dive into the lesson content, and use best pract
Jeb Bush's Foundation Offers Online Courses on Common Core - First Draft. Political News, Now. - NYTimes.com
Jeb Bush's Foundation Offers Online Courses on Common Core - First Draft. Political News, Now. - NYTimes.com: Jeb Bush’s Foundation Offers Online Courses on Common CoreJeb Bush has made it clear that he has no intention of shying away from his support for the Common Core education standards, which are widely derided by many Republicans. But the education foundation he started is going further. It
Education Leaders Who Have Never Taught - HUFFPOST
Largest Teachers Union Already Involved In 2016 Presidential Race:Education Leaders Who Have Never TaughtArne DuncanWhile our nation's foremost leader in education policy has extensive experience in education administration, he was never actually a teacher. In the early '90s, Duncan headed the Ariel Education Initiative, a program that helped fund college for inner-city kids in Chicago. He became
The high price of for profit education & Jeb Bush - Cashing in on Kids
The high price of for profit education & Jeb Bush - Cashing in on Kids: THE HIGH PRICE OF FOR PROFIT EDUCATION & JEB BUSHProfits ahead of education: Bloomberg news has an extensive article on K12 Inc. and the myriad problems that their charter schools are facing across the country. The article even features a former marketing director of K12 Inc. who goes on the record with criticism about
And Now from the Twilight Zone: Opting out, race, and reform | The Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Opting out, race, and reform | The Thomas B. Fordham Institute: Opting out, race, and reformThere used to be a wry and mildly provocative blog called “Stuff White People Like.” Briefly popular in its heyday, it was described by the New Republic as a “piquant satire of white liberal cultural mores and hypocrisies.” The site’s creator stopped updating it a few years back after landing a book deal. B
Common Core and Common Values - Bloomberg View
Common Core and Common Values - Bloomberg View: Common Core and Common Values Learning how to distinguish between fact and opinion would seem to be a pretty fundamental piece of any education. In the bizarre world of U.S. public schools, though, it's proving to be controversial.For several years, schools across the U.S. -- with significant help from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation -- have be
Five Years In, It's Unclear if Common Core Is Helping Students - US News
Five Years In, It's Unclear if Common Core Is Helping Students - US News: Reports Show Small Gains After Common CoreSome student test scores have inched up, but it's not clear whether Common Core is the reason.Years after most states adopted the Common Core State Standards, it's unclear if the academic benchmarks are having a positive impact on student learning. And it might be a while before we k
Largest Teachers Union Already Involved In 2016 Presidential Race
Largest Teachers Union Already Involved In 2016 Presidential Race: Largest Teachers Union Already Involved In 2016 Presidential RaceThe National Education Association, the largest U.S. teachers union, has already jumped into the 2016 presidential race, even though only one major candidate has announced a campaign.NEA president Lily Eskelsen García told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that
The States with the Best K-12 Schools | SmartAsset.com
The States with the Best Schools | SmartAsset.com: The States with the Best SchoolsAs of 2011, total spending for all public elementary and secondary education in the United States surpassed $630 billion per year, more than $12,300 per student. The vast majority of that funding, roughly 88%, came from state and local governments.  State governments have an especially important role: they maintain
Southern California legislators call for charter school reform
Southern California legislators call for charter school reform: Southern California legislators call for charter school reform California legislators took to the steps of the State Capitol on Wednesday to call for reform of the state’s charter school law, including requiring them to be run as non-profits.“The public is paying for them,” Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina, said afterward. “
A Brief History of the "Testocracy," Standardized Testing and Test-Defying
A Brief History of the "Testocracy," Standardized Testing and Test-Defying: A Brief History of the "Testocracy," Standardized Testing and Test-DefyingDemonstrators rally against school closings and testing in Chicago, April 24, 2013. (Photo: Sarah Jane Rhee)"We are experiencing the largest ongoing revolt against high-stakes standardized testing in US history," accordi

YESTERDAY

Louisiana’s PARCC Contract– But Not Really | deutsch29
Louisiana’s PARCC Contract– But Not Really | deutsch29: Louisiana’s PARCC Contract– But Not Really The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) does not have a 2015 contract with official Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test vendor, Pearson.In fact, PARCC testing is not even mentioned in the contract LDOE does have with another testing company, Data Recognit
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/25/15
Special Nite Cap - Catch Up on Today's Post 3/25/15Special Nite Cap CORPORATE ED REFORMEleven Reasons to Refuse Standardized Testing for Your Children By: Jacky Boyd - Badass Teachers AssociationBadass Teachers Association: Eleven Reasons to Refuse Standardized Testing for Your ChildrenBy:   Jacky BoydOriginally posted on  http://crunchymoms.com/eleven-reasons-refuse-standardized-testing-children/




2015 National Conference – Chicago

The Countdown to Chicago Has Begun!

The Network For Public Education | 2015 National Conference – Chicago 


FACT CHECK: Myths in the political roar over Common Core - Yahoo News

FACT CHECK: Myths in the political roar over Common Core - Yahoo News:

FACT CHECK: Myths in the political roar over Common Core








 ATLANTA (AP) — In the political uproar over Common Core, various myths are peddled as fact.

Do the learning standards really mean the federal government is serving as a "national school board," as Sen. Marco Rubio says? That's hard to square with the reality that the standards were developed by governors and state education leaders.
Should leaders "repeal every word of Common Core," as Sen. Ted Cruz demands? Actually there's no federal law — or even federal program — to repeal. Sen. Rand Paul slams "rotten to the core" propaganda forced on children by an initiative that has no curriculum at all.
Even so, the 2016 GOP presidential prospects who are criticizing Common Core have a point — if an overstated one — when they dispute the notion that it is strictly a voluntary initiative that bubbled up from communities and states. In complicated but unmistakable ways, the federal government does pressure states to live up to the standards.
Concerns about Common Core extend beyond the Republican politicians to many parents, some of them Democrats, who blame it for additional math homework headaches and extra time taking tests.
Here's a quick primer on Common Core, followed by a look at the facts behind the rhetoric of some Republican hopefuls:
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HOW IT WORKS
The effort was developed by governors and state school chiefs from both parties who were concerned that too many graduates were leaving high school unprepared for college or their first jobs.
The standards spell out what reading, math and critical thinking skills students should grasp, while leaving how those skills are mastered up to local school districts and states.
The hope: Higher standards shared across state lines would allow comparable student performance measures and smoother school-to-school transition for children who move, such as military kids. And that could save money, because it's cheaper for states to collaborate in developing standards and associated tests than for each to do its own.
President Barack Obama's administration backed the standards and developed incentives. Primarily, states had to adopt Common Core or similar standards if they wanted to get out of some of the onerous federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind law — which many do. That's the root for the exaggerated, but not baseless, claims about Washington shaping education policy.
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CRUZ: Washington "has no business sticking its nose in education. We need to repeal every word of Common Core."
THE FACTS: Common Core is a national initiative, but one that began with states working together. There is no federal law that a new president could ask Congress to repeal.
It was a Republican president, George W. Bush, who pushed a much more direct example of federal involvement with his No Child Left Behind law.
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PAUL: Common Core is "anti-American" and "revisionist history that ignores the faith of our founders."
THE FACTS: Common Core is an approach to teaching, not a mandate on what to teach, and it does not come with a required reading list.
For example, the standards specify that "texts need to be selected around topics or themes that generate knowledge and allow students to study these topics or themes in depth." That's the must-do approach and a rather obvious thing to do in classrooms.
That statement is accompanied by a list of classics and historical texts meant to illustrate the quality and complexity of what should be studied but are not required.
The founders and other heroes of U.S. history are on the list: John Adams, Patrick Henry, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln among them.
Among foreigners: Winston Churchill and George Orwell. No Karl Marx here.
Still, the Kentucky senator in fundraising letters and videos speaks of "pure, secular statist propaganda" from Common Core.
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RUBIO: Common Core "is increasingly being used by the Obama administration to turn the Department of Education into what is effectively a national school board. This effort to coerce states into adhering to national curriculum standards is not the best way to help our children. "
BOBBY JINDAL: Common Core has become "another tool for the federal government to try to dictate curriculum to local schools here in Louisiana."
CHRIS CHRISTIE: "I have grave concerns about the way this has been done, especially the way the Obama administration has tried to implement it through tying FACT CHECK: Myths in the political roar over Common Core - Yahoo News: