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Sunday, April 19, 2020

An Open Letter to the New New Left from the Old New Left: Vote for Biden | Diane Ravitch's blog

An Open Letter to the New New Left from the Old New Left: Vote for Biden | Diane Ravitch's blog

An Open Letter to the New New Left from the Old New Left: Vote for Biden


Veterans of the political struggles of the 1960s explain in this open letter published in The Nation why they will vote for Joe Biden. In my view, anyone who opposes racism, fascism, and the dominance of the fanatical religious right should vote for Biden.
The letter begins:
On April 13, 2020, Senator Bernie Sanders urged his supporters to vote for the presumptive Democratic nominee, former vice president Joe Biden. Writing as founders and veterans of the leading New Left organization of the 1960s, Students for a Democratic Society, we welcome Bernie’s wise choice—but we are gravely concerned that some of his supporters, including the leadership of Democratic Socialists of America, refuse to support Biden, whom they see as a representative of Wall Street capital. Some of us are DSA members, but do not believe their position is consistent with a long-range vision of democracy, justice, and human survival.
Now it is time for all those who yearn for a more equal and just social order to face facts. All of us have charged for years that Trump is the leader of an authoritarian party that aims for absolute power; rejects climate science; embraces racism, sexism, homophobia, and violence; holds the democratic process in contempt; bids to take over the entire federal judiciary; represses voting rights; and violates plain human decency on many fronts. These CONTINUE READING: An Open Letter to the New New Left from the Old New Left: Vote for Biden | Diane Ravitch's blog
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How to reach students without internet access at home? Low tech solutions for students without internet access at home

Low tech solutions for students without internet access at home

How to reach students without internet access at home? Schools get creative
As the coronavirus crisis shines a harsh light on the digital divide, districts must rely on offline methods of communication and instruction to reach students without internet access at home



 On the Friday before spring break at Meigs Middle School, special education teacher Matt Coe was busy preparing new lessons for his students now that schools were set to close due to the coronavirus crisis. But while many districts around the country have moved to remote learning platforms like Google Classroom, Coe was using the school’s copy machine to put together printed packets for his students to take home. In this rural Tennessee county of just 12,000 residents, online learning simply isn’t an option for most families.
“A lot of our kids don’t have internet access,” said Coe, who knows students who routinely head to the library or the town’s McDonald’s to get online.
The Federal Communications Commission estimates that about 21 million Americans lack broadband access, with an independent research group indicating the actual number is twice as high. As the coronavirus crisis forces schools across the country to grapple with the challenges of providing remote learning, many schools and districts have had to get creative with low-tech forms of instruction and delivery that don’t require internet connections or digital devices.
In Arkansas, where 23 percent of households lack internet service, and schools will be shut for the remainder of the school year, the local PBS affiliate is now providing daily television programming tied to the state’s distance learning curriculum. They got the idea from a similar arrangement that the Los Angeles Unified School District made with its CONTINUE READING: Low tech solutions for students without internet access at home
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NYC Educator: The No Lives Matter Movement

NYC Educator: The No Lives Matter Movement

The No Lives Matter Movement


I can't imagine exactly how much money I'd need to have before I became a Republican. Honestly, no matter how much it was, it boggles my mind how anyone could identify with this particular group of individuals. I mean, sure, they've got a pretty significant propaganda network in Fox, and there's some other network that's even better at kissing up to Trump.

I guess if that's what you deem important, then you have to go for it. And they're not just calling social distancing communism, like the brilliant young woman in the photo. Some are calling it nazism, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if they didn't know the difference.


Still, I can't see the appeal of the current thrust to put America back to work no matter who dies or how long we prolong a pandemic. I mean sure, I understand your racism. I understand that you don't care about people like me. I understand that the people I've spent my life working for are of no importance to you and that you're fine placing children in cages. Things like that are enough to keep me away.

This notwithstanding, viruses aren't prejudiced. They don't discriminate. Viruses are equal opportunity killers. They don't care what color your skin is, what language you speak, what gender you are, what religion you follow. Your sexual orientation is of no importance to them. This may come as a shock to President Donald Trump, but they don't even care how much money you have or which exclusive club you belong to.

This notwithstanding, the White House is supportive of the movement to resist social distancing. Even one of the idiot doctors who serves Trump says she doesn't want to second guess the idiot governor of Florida keeping schools closed and beaches open. How is it too dangerous for students to attend school, but safe for people to hang out on the beach? CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: The No Lives Matter Movement
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Coronavirus Turns School Cafeterias into Soup Kitchens - The New York Times

Coronavirus Turns School Cafeterias into Soup Kitchens - The New York Times

Schools Transform Into ‘Relief’ Kitchens but Federal Aid Fails to Keep Up
Many school cafeterias are now operating more like community soup kitchens, even though the federal school meals program won’t reimburse districts for meals served to struggling adults.


BALTIMORE — On the first day of the coronavirus school closure at Sinclair Lane Elementary School, Janet Bailey, the cafeteria manager, showed up to the school’s kitchen like any other day, ready to do her job. She began fixing the favorites of the 250 or so children who relied on her to feed them daily — chicken patties, a fruit and vegetable, and flavored milk.
On the second day, Ms. Bailey realized that she had answered a calling. By the time the building in northeast Baltimore had opened at 10 a.m., there was a line. Among the first was a man who said he only had a half a loaf of bread in the refrigerator.
“I just packed him up, no questions asked,” said Ms. Bailey, one of dozens of food service workers who signed up to staff meal sites around the city. “I didn’t know his situation, if he had four kids at home or not, like he said. But I know he was hungry. We are supposed to be here to meet the needs of the community. How could I say no?”
After the coronavirus shut down America’s education system, districts fortified their school meals programs to ensure that their most needy students would stay fed. One month in, school leaders realize the federal programs set up to subsidize the meals of tens of CONTINUE READING: Coronavirus Turns School Cafeterias into Soup Kitchens - The New York Times
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CEO of Scandal-Ridden IDEA Charter Chain Resigns | Diane Ravitch's blog

CEO of Scandal-Ridden IDEA Charter Chain Resigns | Diane Ravitch's blog

CEO of Scandal-Ridden IDEA Charter Chain Resigns
Tom Torkelson, c-founder of the IDEA charter chain, has stepped down as CEO and will be replaced by the other co-founder JoAnn Gama.
Based in Texas, IDEA is a favorite of Betsy DeVos, who has sent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to the chain to help it expand. Less than two weeks ago, DeVos gave another $200 million to IDEA. The chain previously had received more than $200 million from DeVos. She sure likes IDEA. She has gifted them with nearly $500 million.
Torkelson and Gama arrived in the Rio Grande Valley aspartame’s ofTeach for America and started IDEA in 2000. It has become a charter behemoth in the past two decades.
The chain attracted bad publicity for its free-spending ways. One of its worst ideas was leasing a private jet for nearly $2 million a year for exclusive use of its executives and their families. After getting negative press, the board canceled the lease, and now the executives fly first class.
Jacob Carpenter wrote in The Houston Chronicle:
Torkelson’s resignation caps a remarkable run for the CONTINUE READING: CEO of Scandal-Ridden IDEA Charter Chain Resigns | Diane Ravitch's blog
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Who Wants to Return to Normal? | JD2718

Who Wants to Return to Normal? | JD2718

Who Wants to Return to Normal?
Well, everyone, right?  That was an easy question.
But maybe not.
In the last few days I have seen that view challenged in three ways. And all of them are worth thinking about.
First, let’s think about “return to normal” – that means before the pandemic?  But two months ago, it meant before Trump? How much of a difference is there?
  1. I saw this posted on Instagram:  
Image
The version I saw was attributed to Brené Brown, who tweeted: “I’ve seen this attributed to me, but it’s not my quote. After digging in, we found the original and it belongs to Sonya Renee Taylor. If you’re going to share these beautiful and powerful words – please use this image with her name. Attribution matters.”
Attribution fixed, it’s all good, as Brown indicates.
2. “… the pre-Trump period gave birth to — Trump! ”
Wow. Just wow. Dial things back to 2015, and we have a country about to propel Donald Trump to the CONTINUE READING: Who Wants to Return to Normal? | JD2718
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Federal Charter Schools Program a Fountain of Corruption and Disruption | tultican

Federal Charter Schools Program a Fountain of Corruption and Disruption | tultican

Federal Charter Schools Program a Fountain of Corruption and Disruption
By Thomas Ultican 4/19/2020
Last year, the Network for Public Education (NPE) published two investigations of the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP). The first one called “Asleep at the Wheel” came in March. In it they made several claims including that hundreds of millions of dollars had gone to schools that never opened or were shut down. The authors, Carol Burris and Jeff Bryant, stated, “Therefore, we recommend that Congress end funding for new charter grants coming from CSP.” Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education, harshly criticized the report to Congress saying, “It makes sweeping conclusions without supporting data or methodological rigor.”  In response, NPE redoubled efforts and in December published “Still Asleep at the Wheel” where they documented that their conservative claims in the first report under-reported the extent of negligence associated with the CSP.
DeVos Graphic
US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos

The Charter Schools Program

After Walter Mondale’s crushing defeat in 1984, a group of mostly southern Democrats including Bill Clinton founded the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). According to a 1997 article in the New Republic,
“… [T]he DLC’s mission was to wrest the Democratic Party away from its left-wing establishment—particularly minority interest groups and labor unions—in order to transform it into a party that championed middle-class values. The old Democrats called for minimum wage increases, antipoverty programs, protectionism, and school busing; the DLC’s self-described new Democrats sought balanced budgets, welfare reform, free trade agreements, and charter schools.”
In his book Kochland, Christopher Leonard wrote, “If the new era was defined by any term, it was still the soupy and ambiguous term of ‘neoliberalism,’ which combined the machinery of a welfare state with deregulatory efforts for the select few special interest groups that had the money and lobbying power to make their case heard in Washington, DC.”
The Charter Schools Program was established in Title 10 of the 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The purposes cited were to provide support for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of charter schools. The intent stated was to enhance parent and student choices among public schools.  The business men and CONTINUE READING: Federal Charter Schools Program a Fountain of Corruption and Disruption | tultican
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You Can’t Have My Students’ Lives to Restart Your Economy | gadflyonthewallblog

You Can’t Have My Students’ Lives to Restart Your Economy | gadflyonthewallblog

You Can’t Have My Students’ Lives to Restart Your Economy

It’s okay if a few children die to start up the economy.
That is literally the opinion being offered by media influencers and policymakers as Coronavirus social distancing efforts continue passed the 30-day mark.
In the midst of a global pandemic, we’ve closed down all nonessential businesses while people self quarantine at home waiting for the curve of infection to plateau and then drop off. Medical experts tell us this is the only way to ensure there are enough ventilators and hospital beds for those who get sick.
As it is, more than 700,000 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 and 38,000 have died – more than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the September 11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the Oklahoma City bombing – combined. In fact, the United States has the highest number of Coronavirus deaths in the world.
Screen Shot 2020-04-18 at 4.11.10 PM
Yet there is a concerted effort by the Trump Administration and plutocrats everywhere to get business back up and running. And to do that, they need the schools to reopen so parents can return to work.
They literally want to reopen schools as soon as possible – even if it isn’t 100% safe.
And if that means students, teachers and parents die, at least their sacrifices will CONTINUE READING: You Can’t Have My Students’ Lives to Restart Your Economy | gadflyonthewallblog

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NYC Public School Parents: Why is DOE planning to spend $321 million on contracts, including $200 million on busing we aren't using, when schools are closed and facing nearly a billion dollars in budget cuts?

NYC Public School Parents: Why is DOE planning to spend $321 million on contracts, including $200 million on busing we aren't using, when schools are closed and facing nearly a billion dollars in budget cuts?

Why is DOE planning to spend $321 million on contracts, including $200 million on busing we aren't using, when schools are closed and facing nearly a billion dollars in budget cuts?


 Sue Edelman of the NY Post just published a story on the proposed DOE contracts being voted on Wednesday, April 22 by the Panel on Educational Policy.

Many of these contracts are simply breathtaking in their expense, especially at a time of school closures and huge budget cuts planned to public schools for next year.

The spreadsheet I created from these proposed contracts shows they add up to $321 million, including extending busing contracts for $200 million for the month of March with an automatic extension for another $200 million in April -- buses we aren’t currently using and don’t need.


The proposed spending also includes $4.4 million to hire nurses for this school year, when we have an oversupply of nurses already on staff, given school closures; and $3.4 million for professional development this year which is also not being used, at a cost of $17 million over the life of the contracts, despite the fact that the Chancellor has said he plans to cut PD next year.

All this is especially incomprehensible given how the Mayor and Chancellor have proposed to slash public education by $827 million in next year’s budget, including $100 million to be taken directly out of school budgets

Among the other items in the list is $1.2 million for Accenture consultants for unspecified "advice" during the Covid crisis, with no hourly wage mentioned, even though in past administrations hourly wages were including in these documents, as well as $40.5 million for IBM to "stage" and send iPads to students.  The cost of the iPADs themselves aren't mentioned.

See  the letter from Comptroller Stringer, sent yesterday, asking the DOE hard questions about about why they are extending the busing contracts, and pointing out that these CONTINUE READING: NYC Public School Parents: Why is DOE planning to spend $321 million on contracts, including $200 million on busing we aren't using, when schools are closed and facing nearly a billion dollars in budget cuts?


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Mike Klonsky's Blog: The legacy of the '60s freedom movement

Mike Klonsky's Blog: The legacy of the '60s freedom movement

The legacy of the '60s freedom movement


I was fortunate to be invited to take part in a zoom discussion the other night on  "The Black Freedom Movement Then and Now: Organizing Traditions" with veterans of SNCC and lots of younger, mainly black activists. There was lots of talk about lessons learned from the '60s, including how the Freedom Movement benefited from the election of so many local black elected officials, especially mayors.

But I didn't hear one mention of Joe Biden.

That's not to say that these activists and organizers aren't concerned with the national elections or that Biden's support base doesn't include black voters. It does. In fact, if Biden is successful in defeating Trump in November, he will owe his success primarily to a large turnout of African-American voters, especially from the urban centers of battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, where Democrats lost the election in 2016.

I mention this only to show the disconnect between the SNCC tradition of organizing, which was community-based, and that of some current left and socialist activists who seem to be totally wrapped up in the debate about whether or not to endorse Biden and the Democrats.

In previous posts and continually on our Hitting Left radio show, I have been clear about my CONTINUE READING: Mike Klonsky's Blog: The legacy of the '60s freedom movement
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Saturday, April 18, 2020

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 4/18/20 #REDFORED #tbats

Big Education Ape



TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 4/18/20








TOP POSTS THIS MONTH 4/18/20







POSTS THIS WEEK 4/18/20





Grieving At Home, Kids Face Their Teachers' Deaths | HuffPost

by Mike Simpson / 23min
Grieving At Home, Kids Face Their Teachers’ Deaths With widespread school closures, children have been left to grieve in isolation, sometimes experiencing the tragedy of death for the first time. Eighth grader Kiara Dokes in Detroit never knew her father, and she usually has a hard time getting along with adult men, her mom said. But at the beginning of the school year, Kiara met Thomas Fields,
The Pandemic Is a Crisis for Students With Special Needs - The Atlantic

by Mike Simpson / 40min
Special Education Goes Remote in the COVID-19 Pandemic - The Atlantic The Pandemic Is a Crisis for Students With Special Needs Some students rely on schools for the personal, hands-on attention of specialists. What do 
The Betsy DeVos connection to the protests against Covid-19 precautions in Michigan | Eclectablog

by Mike Simpson / 1h
Another billionaire-approved ‘movement’ is pushing for massive human sacrifice in order to save Trump’s presidency On April 15, Michigan reported 1,058 new cases of COVID-19 and 153 new deaths. That put the total number of Michiganders who had tested positive for the novel Coronaivirus 28,059 and the number confirmed dead from the virus at 1,921. And this is how some right wingers in our state c
JEFF BRYANT: Homeschoolers want you to believe the pandemic has a silver lining — they’re wrong | Salon.com

by Mike Simpson / 1h
Homeschoolers want you to believe the pandemic has a silver lining — they’re wrong | Salon.com Homeschoolers want you to believe the pandemic has a silver lining — they’re wrong While the public experiences a health calamity, the homeschooling movement sees a big opportunity In the early days of the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S., when the number of known cases was barely cresting 1,000, a
CURMUDGUCATION: Why Teach Literature? The Whole Collection

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Why Teach Literature? The Whole Collection I created a series of posts about the teaching of literature, and they ended up being sprinkled here and there. I thought I would just pump them out one after another but after I got started--squirrel!! So for those of you how enjoyed them, I'm putting this up to collect links to all of them in one place so that you can get to them more easily, should y
When Will You Feel Comfortable Sending Your Children Back to School? | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 2h
When Will You Feel Comfortable Sending Your Children Back to School? It is increasingly looking like the powers that be are taking steps, albeit baby steps, to re-open the economy. The President, reversing himself, has pushed re-opening decisions to the states; the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) recommends a phased return to normalcy . State-by-State Reopening in Phase II. Individual states
COVID-19 CACFP Meal Delivery - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

by Mike Simpson / 2h
COVID-19 CACFP Meal Delivery Coronavirus (COVID-19) Main Web Page The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) wishes to clarify guidance on SP 14-2020, CACFP 08-2020, SFSP 07-2020 (SP 14-2020), regarding the home delivery of Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meals under the optional, nationwide Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) non-congregate feeding waiver
Polio Epidemic in 1937 Closed Chicago Schools: Kids Learned at Home from Radio (Michael Hines) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2h
Polio Epidemic in 1937 Closed Chicago Schools: Kids Learned at Home from Radio (Michael Hines) An assistant professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, Michael Hines researches and teaches the history of education in the United States. His articles have appeared in the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth and History of Education Quarterly ; he is writing a book on
Catch Up With Newblackman (In Exile)

by Mike Simpson / 3h
NewBlackMan (in Exile) Black Like Who? by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d 'It's one of the thorniest questions in any theoretical plan for reparations for Black people: Who should get them? On this episode, Code Switch digs into some ideas about which Black people should and shouldn't receive a payout — which Christina Greer , author of the book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, And The Pursuit Of The Am
THIS WEEK Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 3h
Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report Teachers just as likely to have racial bias as non-teachers by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d More support and training for teachers urged to mitigate implicit biases AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION SHARE PRINT E-MAIL WASHINGTON, D.C., April 15, 2020--Research released today challenges the notion that teachers might be uniquely equ
SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 3h
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 TODAY Join Me On April 30th For A Webinar On “Distance Learning & ELLs: What Have We Learned So Far?” by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h DarkWorkX / Pixabay I do lots of professional development
KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all

by Mike Simpson / 3h
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all Chalkbeat: Big Education Philanthropists Are Missing in Action on Coronavirus Response by dianeravitch / 22min Matt Barnum of Chalkbeat checked to see what the billionaire philanthropists are doing in response to the coronavirus. The answer: Not

YESTERDAY

Why covid-19 will ‘explode’ academic achievement gaps - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 23h
Why covid-19 will ‘explode’ existing academic achievement gaps The Washington Post published a story saying that millions of students are at risk for severe learning loss during the coronavirus epidemic and discussing some of the unprecedented steps to help them catch up. This post is a follow-up of sorts, looking at exactly why achievement gaps will “explode,” according to the scholar and autho
SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 23h
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Statistic Of The Day: Not That Any Of Us Haven’t Learned This Fact, But Planning For Online Lessons Takes Longer by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h This was an interesting research finding in Ed Week’s article, Exhausted and Grieving: Teaching During the Coronavirus Crisis . I was a little surprised, though, by t
BREAKING NEWS: Texas has first statewide African American studies course | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 23h
BREAKING NEWS: TEXAS HAS FIRST STATEWIDE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES COURSE After an extensive review, development and political process, Texas State Board of Education members Georgina Perez and Aicha Davis et al. have shepherded the first African American studies course to completion. Exclusive to Cloaking Inequity, I have obtained a draft of the new course that will receive a final vote today at
Right-wing groups with ties to Betsy DeVos are behind protests against coronavirus restrictions: report – Raw Story

by Mike Simpson / 23h
Right-wing groups with ties to Betsy DeVos are behind protests against coronavirus restrictions: report According to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released earlier this week, 81% of Americans believe that the United States “should continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus.” In other words, most Americans are smart enough to realize that while social
Teachers union calls for nationwide summer school

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Teachers union calls for nationwide summer school NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Governor Bill Lee has recommended schools to stay closed for the rest of the year. However, some educators are concerned about students falling behind. That’s why one of the country's largest teacher's unions is calling for students to attend summer school. The American Federation of Teachers is proposing a nationwide, f
Catch Up With Newblackman (In Exile)

by Mike Simpson / 1d
NewBlackMan (in Exile) Black Like Who? by Mark Anthony Neal / 12h 'It's one of the thorniest questions in any theoretical plan for reparations for Black people: Who should get them? On this episode, Code Switch digs into some ideas about which Black people should and shouldn't receive a payout — which Christina Greer , author of the book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, And The Pursuit Of The A
Two Cheers for an End to the SAT (**) - Alfie Kohn

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Two Cheers for an End to the SAT One imagines the folks at the College Board blushing deeply when, a few years back, they announced that the “A” in SAT no longer stood for “Aptitude.” Scarlet, after all, would be an appropriate color to turn while, in effect, conceding that the test wasn’t — and, let’s face it, never had been — a measure of intellectual aptitude. For a brief period, the examinat
U.S. Department of Education Awards First Round of 2020 Grants in Federal Charter Schools Program | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 1d
U.S. Department of Education Awards First Round of 2020 Grants in Federal Charter Schools Program Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Education announced $65 million in new grants as this year’s federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) competition gets underway. CSP awards are for one of several grant programs; grants awarded this week are for “Charter Management Organizations for the Replication a
CURMUDGUCATION: Why Teach Literature Stuff #7 Everything Is Reading

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Why Teach Literature Stuff #7 Everything Is Reading When I was teaching, and I had extra time on my hands, I would reflect on the work--the whys and hows and whats. So in solidarity with my former colleagues, I'm going to write a series about every English teacher's favorite thing-- teaching literature, and why we do it. There will be some number of posts (I don't have a plan here). Also, it wou
States Need to Plan Now to Forego Standardized Testing in 2020-21 | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 1d
States Need to Plan Now to Forego Standardized Testing in 2020-21 As states grapple with the reality of insufficient COVID-19 testing, including critical testing of the asymptomatic who might be carriers as well as those who have already had the virus and unknowingly developed COVID-19 antibodies; and as states face the truth that a vaccine is likely at best a year away, and as states wrestle wi
Remote Teaching ≠ Real School | JD2718

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Remote Teaching ≠ Real School It’s not. Not close. But I’ll save the details for another day. Big picture: we are working. We are working hard. Many of us are working as hard as we’ve ever worked. Many feel exhausted the way we haven’t since we were first-year teachers. While we are trying, the City and the Department of Education are making our lives hard (and some administrations – not mine –
Half Of U.S. Public School Students Are Home For The School Year | 89.3 KPCC

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Half Of U.S. Public School Students Are Home For The School Year As of Thursday afternoon, 26 states, representing about half of the nation's public school students, have recommended or ordered their schools to remain closed for the rest of the academic year, according to a tally by Education Week . The closures affect about 25 million of the nation's 50.8 million public school students. Louisia
Thurmond Announces Digital Divide Task Force - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

by Mike Simpson / 1d
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Task Force to Close Digital Divide SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today the creation of a new task force to close the digital divide for California students who lack access to resources such as internet connectivity and devices. The Closing the Digital Divide Task Force will be co-chaired by California St
Reimagine the “Grammar” of Schooling Part 2 of Tofu is not Cheese: Reimagine Education without Schools During Covid19

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Reimagine the “Grammar” of Schooling Part 2 of Tofu is not Cheese: Reimagine Education without Schools During Covid19 Introduction from part 1 : Tofu is not cheese so we should not expect it to smell or taste like cheese nor should we need to pretend it is or make it taste and smell like cheese. The message I was trying to convey is that we
Diane Ravitch in Conversation with Mercedes Schneider - Network For Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 1d
A Conversation Between Diane Ravitch and Mercedes Schneider Start: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 • 7:30 PM • Eastern Time (US & Canada) (GMT-05:00) End: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 • 9:00 PM • Eastern Time (US & Canada) (GMT-05:00) The Network for Public Education invites you to join us for a video conference with NPE President Diane Ravitch. Diane's guest this week will be teacher, blogger and author
To Succeed in Teaching, Think Like a ….. | The Merrow Report

by Mike Simpson / 1d
To Succeed in Teaching, Think Like a ….. Because the pandemic has exposed the fundamental inequities in our education system, there’s lots of ‘Big Picture’ thinking going on about American public education. For example, Paul Reville, the former Massachusetts Secretary of Education who now teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, hopes that this pandemic will be education’s “Sputnik m

APR 16

CURMUDGUCATION: Arne Duncan Smells Katrina 2.0

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Arne Duncan Smells Katrina 2.0 Arne Duncan said a lot of silly things while he was secretary of education, but perhaps most infamous was his notion that was that Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing" to happen to education in New Orleans. But now he's starting to make similar noises about the current pandemic pause. Here he is in an interview at the 74 : I don’t want us to go back to the old no
Education Events and Urgent Matters from ETH – Education Town Hall Forum

by Mike Simpson / 1d
EDUCATION EVENTS AND URGENT MATTERS FROM ETH The Education Town Hall is temporarily unable to broadcast due to stay-at-home and social distancing orders. Meanwhile, some urgent information and a few pertinent, free events. Free, Open Virtual Events — 4/16 and 4/23 — plus a Local One SNCC 60th Anniversary, April 16 Join us Thursday night for an intergenerational conversation with the Student Nonv
Shawgi Tell: Florida Supreme Court Ruling Anti-Public Education And Pro-Charter Schools | Dissident Voice

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Florida Supreme Court Ruling Anti-Public Education And Pro-Charter Schools | Dissident Voice Florida Supreme Court Ruling Anti-Public Education And Pro-Charter Schools Advocates of privately-operated non-profit and for-profit charter schools have never stopped working to funnel as much public money as possible from public schools into their own private pockets, even if this means undermining the
These community groups are making a difference during the pandemic. | Schott Foundation for Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 1d
These community groups are making a difference during the pandemic. ...but they need your help. The Schott Foundation’s partners are providing critically-needed aid in their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, just as they’ve done during previous crises. At the same time they are fighting to ensure those most impacted by school closures, job and housing insecurity, and hunger are included
Debating statewide African American studies course LIVE in Texas | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Debating statewide African American studies course LIVE in Texas Watch the Texas State Board of Education debate about statewide African American studies course LIVE right now: http://adminmonitor.com/tx/tea/committee_of_the_full_board/20200416 Also see prior post Will Texas be the first for African American studies? Please Facebook Like, Tweet, etc below and/or reblog to share this discussion w
Sacramento City Unified School Districts Awaiting Order Of 19,000 Laptops, But Unsure How Many It Will Hand Out - capradio.org

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Sacramento City Unified School Districts Awaiting Order Of 19,000 Laptops, But Unsure How Many It Will Hand Out Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the school district's need for laptops. Superintendent Jorge Aguilar was asked on Monday how many laptops the district needed. He responded that there were 12,000 available and the district was waiting for 19,000 more to a
SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 1d
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 This Week’s Resources To Support Teachers Coping With School Closures by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h Wokandapix / Pixabay I have a number of regular weekly features (see HERE IS A LIST (WITH LINKS) OF ALL MY REGULAR WEEKLY FEATURES ). It’s time for a new addition to that list, and this post introduces a weekl
Why we need reparations for Black Americans

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Why we need reparations for Black Americans Central to the idea of the American Dream lies an assumption that we all have an equal opportunity to generate the kind of wealth that brings meaning to the words “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” boldly penned in the Declaration of Independence. The American Dream portends that with hard work, a person can own a home, start a business, and
Online Learning Should Return to a Supporting Role - The New York Times

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Online Learning Should Return to a Supporting Role Winner-take-all economics and cost-cutting may make many in-person lectures obsolete, but the best education continues to be intensive, expensive and done in person. As the coronavirus pandemic forces schools and college campuses to go online, the delivery model of education — largely unchanged for centuries — has suddenly been disrupted. This m
Marie Corfield: When School Reopens

by Mike Simpson / 2d
When School Reopens This post is in response to education 'reformer', Michael Petrilli's April 6th op-ed in the Washington Post All across this country—and around the world—students, parents and educators are writing their own chapter in this unprecedented time in human history. With barely a moment’s notice, educators created digital platforms to deliver instruction through the rest of the scho
Russ on Reading: A Poem to Celebrate National Librarians Day

by Mike Simpson / 2d
A Poem to Celebrate National Librarians Day Unquestionably, one of the great tragedies in public education over the last two decades has been the decline in the number of librarians employed by schools. Since we know that access to books is critical to the development of literacy and that librarians play a vital role in connecting children to books, this loss seems particularly horrific in an ag
La. BESE Seeks Public Input Into Superintendent Search | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 2d
La. BESE Seeks Public Input Into Superintendent Search Posted April 15, 2020, on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) website: 2020 State Superintendent Search/Selection CURRENT STATUS: Initial Interviews Conducted, Referencing Underway, Public Input Sought The Superintendent Search Work Group of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) initiated a preli
CURMUDGUCATION: Demonstrating Why Business Ideas Don't Help Public Education (Example #3,244,781)

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Demonstrating Why Business Ideas Don't Help Public Education (Example #3,244,781) As always, let me say up front that I don't hate the free market and business, and that I believe there are things that they do pretty well. But the free market does not belong within six-to-ten feet of public education (or health care or basically anything that involves taking care of human beings, but let me try
“I’m Bored:” Parenting in the Age of Remote Learning | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 2d
“I’m Bored:” Parenting in the Age of Remote Learning My grand daughter gobbles down her PBN (peanut butter and Nutella) sandwich and runs to be on time for school, well, she slides over to the computer, puts on her earphones and joins her class. I interview her. She misses her classmates; she says it’s hard to concentrate. What does she like best: soccer practice in the evening, following a vide
Special Issue: Moving Teacher Evaluation Forward | VAMboozled!

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Special Issue: Moving Teacher Evaluation Forward At the beginning of this week, in the esteemed, online, open-access, and peer-reviewed journal of which I am the Lead Editor — Education Policy Analysis Archives — a special issue on for which I also served as the Guest Editor was published. The special issue is about Policies and Practices of Promise in Teacher Evaluation and, more specifically,

APR 15

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG CATCH UP NOW Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for al

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all The Intercept: How Trump’s Propaganda Video Backfired by dianeravitch / 28min A few days ago, Trump opened his daily press briefing with a White House-made video intended to prove that he acted decisively to counter the coronavirus threat. The vi
Make Me (Lessons from the Classroom in a Time of Corona) | Blue Cereal Education

by Mike Simpson / 2d
Make Me (Lessons from the Classroom in a Time of Corona) As I write this, the nation is getting restless with all of this Covid-19 “shelter in place” stuff. The daily body count is a constant feature on any 24/7 news channel, and there are some real concerns about how we survive economically even if most of us eventually get through it medically. I’m not going to argue the science, the economics
As they start virtual lessons, teachers say they were handed cease-and-desist letter by SCUSD | FOX40

by Mike Simpson / 3d
As they start virtual lessons, teachers say they were handed cease-and-desist letter by SCUSD Sacramento schools are back in session but shy roughly 19,000 Chromebooks for students http://www.abc10.com/article/news/education/sacramento-schools-distance-learning/103-cbb14ecd-23d9-4eb7-89cb-396b4b867c37 via @ABC10 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — The Sacramento City Unified School District kicked off t
If online learning isn’t working, try public television and radio - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d
If online learning isn’t working for your kids, try public television and radio stations (Updating: Adding more stations) There are many school districts across the country that have been struggling to set up distance learning programs for students. Online offerings are sometimes nonexistent or spotty at best, and getting paper work packets to students is a near impossibility with much of the co
The “Magic Bullet” in School Reform | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 3d
The “Magic Bullet” in School Reform In the recent past, when school reform cheerleaders touted a particular design or program, they would often drop the phrase “magic bullet” into the discussion. While in 2020 the phrase has become passe’ the thought behind it remains solidly planted in reformers’ imaginations. Today, the words would be used disparagingly since few believe in any “quick fix” for
SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 CBS News Video: “Students fear lack of internet access could leave them behind with online learning” by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h janeb13 / Pixabay This new CBS News video holds no surprises to those of us who are teaching, but it’s still worth watching: ASCD Educational Leadership Publishes Great Open-Acce
NYC Educator: No Grade Should Fall in Spring

by Mike Simpson / 3d
No Grade Should Fall in Spring I just read a piece from a student journalist at Francis Lewis High School. In it, he describes the difficulty of navigating online instruction when there's stiff competition for the use of the home laptop. And alas, the home laptop may not be precisely state of the art, so there's that too. Worse, you may have to share it with half a dozen other family members. Th
Educators Get Creative To Serve Students With Disabilities | 89.3 KPCC

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Educators Get Creative To Serve Students With Disabilities Despite cranky computers, conflicting schedules, shaky Internet connections and stubborn software glitches, Danielle Kovach got her whole class together a few Fridays ago for a video chat. Kovach teaches special education in Hopatcong, N.J., and this Friday class session was a celebration: They'd made it through the first few weeks of di
The Pandemic: For Many Students It May Mean the End of the American Dream | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 3d
The Pandemic: For Many Students It May Mean the End of the American Dream Federal education policy, driven by laws like the 2002, No Child Left Behind and its 2015 replacement, the Every Student Succeeds Act, makes assumptions about the power of schools as institutions. These laws presume that a school institution can mitigate the academic effects of economic inequality among families and commun
Social-Emotional Learning Should Be Priority During COVID-19 Crisis

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Social-Emotional Learning Should Be Priority During COVID-19 Crisis In Wendy Turner’s class, social and emotional learning (SEL) comes first. “SEL is the foundation, the heartbeat of the classroom,” she says. “It’s about connecting everybody and making them feel safe and secure before you get to the academics.” The shift to full-time online learning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has br
James Kirylo: COVID-19 and Standardized Testing | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 3d
James Kirylo: COVID-19 and Standardized Testing In his piece below, Kirylo considers the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic upon standardized-test-dependent accountability. (A quick note: Kirylo briefly interviewed me for this article.) COVID-19 and Standardized Testing James D. Kirylo COVID-19 has obviously rocked our world, forcing us to change and adapt in so many different ways, incl uding how
Mike Klonsky's Blog: AOC and Sanders point the way for lefties

by Mike Simpson / 3d
AOC and Sanders point the way for lefties There’s this talk about unity as this kind of vague, kumbaya, kind of term. Unity and unifying isn’t a feeling, it’s a process. -- AOC There's no need for us to create crises. There's plenty of them to go around. Some occur naturally and others are man-made or politically manufactured. No matter how much we all yearn for a return to "normalcy" the storms
DeVos Offers $3 Billion In Education Emergency Block Grants To Governors

by Mike Simpson / 3d
DeVos Offers $3 Billion In Education Emergency Block Grants To Governors Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today that close to $3 billion is being made available to governors to “ensure education continues for students of all ages impacted by the coronavirus national emergency.” The money will be given out in block grants, meaning that governors are, mostly, free to use it as they see
One Week of Headlines: School’s Out FOREVER (until next year), No F’s in the Last Quarter, UTLA Pushes Back on Relocations and More… – Los Angeles Education Examiner

by Mike Simpson / 3d
One Week of Headlines: School’s Out FOREVER (until next year), No F’s in the Last Quarter, UTLA Pushes Back on Relocations and More… Well, it’s official. Yesterday morning, LAUSD announced that its buildings will be closed until the next school year giving time for more long-term planning to educate students in a safe environment while we wait for a coronavirus vaccine. Summer school will be off
CURMUDGUCATION: Florida's Troubled Cyber School Launches Alaskan Spinoff

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Florida's Troubled Cyber School Launches Alaskan Spinoff So Alaska's teachers were just getting themselves set up to handle distance learning, when their governor pulled the rug out from under them. He'd had a chat with everybody's favorite failed Presidential candidate and education-busting former governor Jab Bush, who suggested that Alaska would be an excellent fit for Florida's Virtual Schoo
CA Receives Approval for Crisis Response Funds - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

by Mike Simpson / 3d
California Receives Preliminary Federal Approval to Free Up Funds for Crisis Response SACRAMENTO —The U.S. Department of Education has granted preliminary approval to California’s request for flexibility in using federal funds to ease the immediate impacts of COVID-19 school closures. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond submitted the re
Remaking Schools In The Time Of Coronavirus–Online event with Jesse Hagopian, Noliwe Rooks, & Wayne Au – I AM AN EDUCATOR

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Remaking Schools In The Time Of Coronavirus–Online event with Jesse Hagopian, Noliwe Rooks, & Wayne Au Register for this event today! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/remaking-schools-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-tickets-102588025546 Iam excited to announce that I will be joining Professor Noliwe Rooks and Professor Wayne Au for this online forum titled, “Remaking Schools in the Time of Coronavirus”,

APR 14

Whitmer links Betsy DeVos to upcoming coronavirus stay-at-home order protest; organizers say she’s not involved - mlive.com

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Whitmer links Betsy DeVos to upcoming coronavirus stay-at-home order protest; organizers say she’s not involved Supporters of an upcoming “traffic jam” aimed at protesting Michigan’s stay-at-home order say U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has no connection to the event after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said it was “inappropriate” for a sitting Cabinet member to attack her politically. Whitmer didn
How covid-19 has laid bare inequities in public education - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d
How covid-19 has laid bare the vast inequities in U.S. public education There is something about a crisis that has a way of shining light on stark realities — and nowhere is that truer than in education. The closing of schools during the covid-19 pandemic and the quick switch to distance learning has laid bare the gaping and persistent inequities in educational opportunities that exist across th
ANDRE PERRY: Experienced teachers could retire in droves by the time schools reopen

by Mike Simpson / 3d
Experienced teachers could retire in droves by the time schools reopen Teachers could retire in droves by the time schools reopen The disruptions after Hurricane Katrina sparked a major exodus of experienced teachers. Could the same happen to schools nationwide after the coronavirus pandemic? Eventually we will flatten the curve, create a vaccine for Covid-19 and re-open school buildings that hav
Teacher Tom: Let's Not Forget What We Lose With Those Screens Between Us and the Other People

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Let's Not Forget What We Lose With Those Screens Between Us and the Other People I've been taking a lot of long and necessarily solitary walks these days. The weather has been glorious and, frankly, there's not a lot else to do. Occasionally, I encounter people coming toward me from the opposite direction. The protocol is for both of us to move as far to the right as we can in an attempt to crea
“The Coronavirus Just Might End School Privatization Nonsense” | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d
“The Coronavirus Just Might End School Privatization Nonsense” This is an essay I wrote for Education Week . I thank them for their close reading, fact-checking, and careful editing. The vast majority of the nation’s schoolchildren are out of school because of the deadly coronavirus. Parents are frantically trying to figure out how to keep their children engaged in learning, and many districts a
Louisiana Governor Closes School Facilities for Rest of School Year | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Louisiana Governor Closes School Facilities for Rest of School Year Louisiana governor, John Bel Edwards plans to issue a formal proclamation closing Louisiana schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. WDSU.com includes a video in which Edwards declares the following during a April 13, 2020, press release while in Monroe, LA: It is my intention to announce that school will not resume
Grading for the Pandemic Term | JD2718

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Grading for the Pandemic Term How are we going to do it? That’s a great question. Soon the UFT will meet with the DoE to shape guidance to schools. This would be a great moment for teachers to weigh in, which is exactly what a group from Francis Lewis has done here . I actually was invited to sit down with them (metaphorically, I’m not allowed in the same room as them irl today), but could not m
CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Court Delivers Another Blow To Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 4d
FL: Court Delivers Another Blow To Public Education Florida's HB 7069 is the gift that just keeps on giving. Or rather, taking. This cobbled-together Frankenstein's monster of a bill included a variety of methods for draining the blood from public education, and one of its most astonishing pieces of legalized theft was just upheld by the court. The bill was shepherded through by then-House speak
School Nurses Join Fight Against Coronavirus - NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 4d
School Nurses Join Fight Against Coronavirus After a grueling shift, exhausted nurses and doctors walk out hospital doors, their tired faces red and raw where masks have rubbed against their skin for many long hours. But when they’re met by a chorus of cheers and salutes from firefighters, police, and EMTs, those tired faces break into smiles, and, a lot of the time, tears. Among them is Sue Wei
Teacher Bashers Gonna Bash — Even In a Pandemic | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d
Teacher Bashers Gonna Bash — Even In a Pandemic Teaching during a pandemic is challenging. And some teachers are facing more hardships than others. There are teachers who have been infected with Covid-19. There are teachers who have family members who have been infected and are currently fighting for their lives. There are teachers who have family members who have already died of Covid-19. There
Teacher Tom: I Am Not Afraid; I Am Afraid

by Mike Simpson / 4d
I Am Not Afraid; I Am Afraid I'm not afraid of this virus. I'll either get it or I won't. My immune system will either fight it off or it won't. It's like every other virus in that sense. I'm practicing social distancing, staying home, and washing my hands because that's what we're doing to keep our healthcare system from being overrun, but I'm comfortable with the fact that I will one day slip

APR 13

When will schools reopen after the coronavirus? - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 4d
When will schools reopen? It depends on where you live, who’s in charge and whether they believe Anthony Fauci. When will schools reopen in the United States? The unsatisfying answer is that it all depends — on where you live, who is in charge and how much the decision-makers respect the opinion of infectious-disease specialist Anthony S. Fauci and the other scientists leading the fight to stem
How Remote School Can Work in the COVID-19 Pandemic - The Atlantic

by Mike Simpson / 4d
What Teachers Need to Make Remote Schooling Work The coronavirus pandemic is increasing academic gaps, and educators are scrambling to reduce them. Editor’s Note: This story is the 14th in our series “ On Teaching ,” which aims to collect the wisdom and knowledge of veteran educators. As the coronavirus pandemic has forced the vast majority of American students to learn at home or remotely, we’r
“Schools and Communities First” Records Breaking Number of Signatures - LA Progressive

by Mike Simpson / 4d
“Schools and Communities First” Records Breaking Number of Signatures ackers of the Schools and Communities First Ballot Initiative didn’t let a little thing like a global pandemic stop them from submitting 1.7 million signatures to the California Secretary of State to earn a spot on the November ballot. The measure needs 50%+1 vote to pass. California’s fiscal analyst estimates it would raise a
Please Accept My Resignation From The 'Ed Reform' Movement - Philly's 7th Ward

by Mike Simpson / 4d
PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION FROM THE ‘ED REFORM’ MOVEMENT To all my disrupter friends, please accept this letter as my resignation from the so-called “education reform movement.” For more than 20 years I’ve been lost in the reform forest, but no more. For too long I’ve relied on false prophets who have filled me with false consciousness and bribed me with bank statements. I have new advisors no
Millions of public school students will suffer from school closures, education leaders have concluded - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Millions of public school students will suffer from school closures, education leaders have concluded Only weeks after the coronavirus pandemic forced American schools online, education leaders across the country have concluded that millions of children’s learning will be severely stunted, and are planning unprecedented steps to help them catch up. In Miami, school will extend into the summer an
Mind the Gap: The Violence Of Pandemic Dashboards – Wrench in the Gears

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Mind the Gap: The Violence Of Pandemic Dashboards It is vitally important that people of the world recognize how public health policy in many nations has been harnessed to global markets. Instead of serving those at risk of sickness and death, these policies of financialization are constructed to benefit social impact investors. Transnational global capital demands the creation of new investment
SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Video: “How countries have informed the public about the coronavirus” by Larry Ferlazzo / 37min enriquelopezgarre / Pixabay I’m adding this new CBS News video to: A BEGINNING LIST OF
John Klyczek: Proposed Federal "Distance Learning" Rules Help Big Tech Shut Down Brick-and-Mortar Public Schools, Replace Human Teachers with AI | Dissident Voice

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Proposed Federal "Distance Learning" Rules Help Big Tech Shut Down Brick-and-Mortar Public Schools, Replace Human Teachers with AI | Dissident Voice Proposed Federal “Distance Learning” Rules Help Big Tech Shut Down Brick-and-Mortar Public Schools, Replace Human Teachers with AI The DeVos Department of Education’s new “Proposed Rules” for federal regulations of “Distance Education and Innovation”
David Berliner: How “Successful” Charter Schools Cull and Skim Students They Don’t Want | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
David Berliner: How “Successful” Charter Schools Cull and Skim Students They Don’t Want I recently wrote an article that referred to charter schools that succeed by excluding students with disabilities, English learners, and others unlikely to get high scores. The editor questioned if this claim was accurate. I turned to several expert researchers to ask their view, and they all agreed with my a
Russ on Reading: Celebrating Poetry Month: Poems From the School Hallways

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Celebrating Poetry Month: Poems From the School Hallways Once more in honor of April being Poetry Month, here are three poems that all derived from incidents I observed during my more than 50 years in school hallways. Those hallways always seemed a beehive of activity to me. I try to capture some of that here. These poems are from my book, There's a Giant in My Classroom, Infinity Press, 2013. P
Cleveland Plain Dealer Cuts Experienced Education Reporter and Eliminates Full Time Education Beat | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Cleveland Plain Dealer Cuts Experienced Education Reporter and Eliminates Full Time Education Beat Late Friday afternoon, Advance Publications, the corporation that owns the Cleveland Plain Dealer , along with the separate newsroom at the cleveland.com website, finished purging the experienced beat reporters at the Plain Dealer . Patrick O’Donnell, the newspaper’s longtime education reporter, wa
Bernie Sanders Supporters Have Every Right to Be Furious | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Bernie Sanders Supporters Have Every Right to Be Furious Dear non-Bernie Sanders supporters, Shut up. Seriously. Sit down, and shut the fuck up. You’ve been doing an awful lot of talking lately, and there’s a few things you need to hear. We, the Bernie supports, are sick and tired of the never-ending flow of bullshit coming out of your mouths. For the past five years you’ve called us Bernie Bros

APR 12

Johann Neem: On Unbecoming American | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Johann Neem: On Unbecoming American Johann Neem is the author of Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America , in which he describes the creation of public education between the American Revolution and the Civil War and recognizes public schools as an essential building block of a robust democracy. Neem’s family came to America from India when he was a. Dry young child. They set
The digital equity issues of confronting coronavirus with online education

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Should schools teach anyone who can get online – or no one at all? What Washington schools have learned about the digital equity issues of confronting the coronavirus with online education The Northshore School District, in an upper-middle-class suburb of Seattle, was among the first in Washington state – and in the country – to close due to the coronavirus. Less than a week after the March 5 cl
Sac City schools distance learning begins with computer shortage

by Mike Simpson / 5d
Sacramento City Unified School District distance learning begins with computer shortage District said roughly 13,000 computers still needed SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) is starting distance learning Monday. Thousands of families are picking up district computers this weekend to prepare for class. However, roughly a third of students will be without distric
When this is over, what will education researchers want to study about the 2020 covid-19 crisis? Here’s some answers. - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 5d
When this is over, what will education researchers want to study about the 2020 covid-19 crisis? Here are some answers. When this is all over, what will researchers want to study about how American education was affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic that has shut down public life in most places around the world? Joshua Goodman, an associate professor of economics at Brandeis University, aske
CURMUDGUCATION: What Do We Want To Measure When We Get Back?

by Mike Simpson / 6d
What Do We Want To Measure When We Get Back? I have railed against this for years, but now it's apparently time to take the railing up a notch. Lots of folks are worried about--or at least pretending to be worried about--the notion that students may lose a step or two during the coronahiatus, and that's reasonable concern. Every teacher knows that September, not April, is the cruelest month, the
EdAction in Congress April 12, 2020 - Education Votes

by Mike Simpson / 6d
EdAction in Congress April 12, 2020 For next COVID bill, NEA urges Congress to think big As a fourth coronavirus legislative package begins to take shape, NEA is urging Congress to address immediate needs like funding as well as long-festering problems ranging from the homework gap to student loan debt. On April 9, NEA sent every member of Congress a detailed list of top priorities for students
Yaw Really Homeschooling Or Nah? - Philly's 7th Ward

by Mike Simpson / 6d
YAW REALLY HOMESCHOOLING OR NAH? Before we get into today’s piece, let’s get a few things clear from the top: My wife and I have five… yes, one, two, three, four, five … kids at home with us right now. They range from 9 to 17, but frankly that doesn’t matter*. There are five of them. Our lives weren’t set up for them being here all the time. (*After further review, it does matter. I was just sha
JEFF BRYANT: Homeschoolers want you to believe the pandemic has a silver lining — they’re wrong | Salon.com

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Homeschoolers want you to believe the pandemic has a silver lining — they’re wrong | Salon.com Homeschoolers want you to believe the pandemic has a silver lining — they’re wrong While the public experiences a health calamity, the homeschooling movement sees a big opportunity In the early days of the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S., when the number of known cases was barely cresting 1,000, a
Pandemic Wake-Up Call: Easter 2020 | The Crucial Voice of the PeopleThe Crucial Voice of the People

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Pandemic Wake-Up Call: Easter 2020 The coronavirus pandemic is our newest wake-up call. But instead of listening to the call from our political leaders, how about listening to others? ##### This is a wake-up call for the nation from Laura Bowman, Parents Across America Board Member. We need to focus on what’s truly important for our children . What is important is their face-to-face interactions
Biking and Debating Which Schools Are “Good” | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Biking and Debating Which Schools Are “Good” I published this post over a decade ago. While I no longer can climb Mt. Hamilton in the Bay area, the arguments a small group of bikers had on their ride up the mountain continue to resonate among Americans. “Why do people argue so much about education?” I heard this question as I pumped up Mt. Hamilton. Biking up a California mountain forces you to
A Special Message to the Readers of This Blog | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d
A Special Message to the Readers of This Blog This blog was started on April 12, 2012. Today is its 8th anniversary. During that time, you have been wonderful readers. Your support has kept me going. I’ve shared with you the news stories, posts by bloggers I respect, occasional humor, and even some personal advice. My goal for eight years has been to create a broad awareness of the failure of pr
Happy Pandemic Easter! | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Happy Pandemic Easter! Given the social distancing necessary for combating COVID-19 pandemic, this Easter will undoubtedly find most church buildings empty– a scenario that is not completely unheard of. You know, the first Easter was not one of filled chuches. On the first Easter, there was no celebration. The previous Friday, one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, sold Jesus out to the religi
CURMUDGUCATION: Happy Easter

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Happy Easter I love Easter, love it better than Christmas. I have decades of Easter traditions piled up, and of course, today, none of them will happen. I love tradition, but on the other hand, tradition can become an enabler, a means of just sleepwalking through life. I love tradition, but I always told my yearbook students that they were not allowed to make any decisions about the book "becaus
Louisiana Educator: America Needs More Science and Less Stupid Politics

by Mike Simpson / 6d
America Needs More Science and Less Stupid Politics Note to readers of this blog: Most of my readers know that I started my career in education as a science teacher at the high school level. I still consider myself primarily a science teacher. That’s why I feel compelled to examine our country’s reaction to the current Covid-19 pandemic from the point of view of the relevant science. In addition
Like Vultures, They’re Still Planning to End Public Schools and a Professional Teaching Workforce!

by Mike Simpson / 6d
Like Vultures, They’re Still Planning to End Public Schools and a Professional Teaching Workforce! There’s a movement underfoot to end the way children learn. Look carefully at who says “we need to reimagine” or “this is the time to reassess” schools. These can be signals from those who’ve led the charge to dismantle public schools for years. Like vultures, they’re scheming how to use this pande

APR 11



TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 4/11/20 #REDFORED #tbats

by Mike Simpson / 7d
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 4/11/20 ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post The real story of New 


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