Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, December 12, 2011

U.S. Education Department Announces New Measures to Safeguard Student Privacy | U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Education Department Announces New Measures to Safeguard Student Privacy | U.S. Department of Education:

U.S. Education Department Announces New Measures to Safeguard Student Privacy


Contact:
Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov


The U.S. Department of Education today announced new regulations to safeguard student privacy while giving states the flexibility to share school data that can be helpful in judging the effectiveness of government investments in education.

"Data are a powerful tool needed to improve the state of education in this country," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "At the same time, the benefits of using student data must always be balanced with the need to protect students' privacy rights and ensure their information is protected."

The regulations announced today will strengthen the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by protecting the safety of student information, increasing the Department's ability to hold those who misuse or abuse student data accountable and ensuring our taxpayer funds are invested wisely and effectively.

In the past, uncertainty about where state sunshine laws left off and where FERPA picked up created confusion for institutions about when and with whom student information could and should be shared. Schools need the flexibility to pursue routine uses of information without getting prior consent while allowing them to prevent those who may misuse or abuse student information from accessing it. The regulations announced today allow schools to do just that.

The new regulations announced today will also help the Department of Education more effectively hold those who misuse or abuse student information accountable for violating FERPA. When FERPA was first conceived in the 1970s, it only applied to institutions with students in attendance—like high schools and colleges. Since then, a growing number of institutions and entities without students in attendance—like student lenders for example—have access to student records that should be protected by FERPA, but aren't. Today's announcement fixes that gap in student protection.

The changes announced today will also help policymakers determine if state and federally funded education programs are adequately preparing children for success in the next stage of life, whether that is in kindergarten or the workforce. States will be able to determine which early childhood programs prepare kids for kindergarten. High school administrators will now be able to tell how their graduates did in college. And states will be able to enter into research agreements on behalf of their districts to determine how best to use limited education funding during tough economic times.

Today's announcement comes on the heels of several efforts undertaken by the Obama Administration to ensure that private student data is protected. These include the appointment of Kathleen Styles as the Department's Chief Privacy Officer, the establishment of a Privacy Technical Assistance Center, and the publication of guidance documents on best practices for protecting confidential information about students.

The full regulation may be found at: www.federalregister.gov.


IF YOU’RE NOT A JAIME ESCALANTE, GET OUT OF TEACHING! « Teachers Fight Back

IF YOU’RE NOT A JAIME ESCALANTE, GET OUT OF TEACHING! « Teachers Fight Back:

IF YOU’RE NOT A JAIME ESCALANTE, GET OUT OF TEACHING!

The Chicago Tribune newspaper,(otherwise known as Teacher Bashing Central), ran an editorial today that talked about the large high school dropout rate, and all the troubles high school dropouts faced later in their lives.

The article mentioned a few possible improvements for schools, such as emphasizing early childhood development and more school counselors. Then they arrived at their favorite conclusion for whatever ails schools, and that is, it’s the fault of all the incompetent teachers!

The article stated,” Nothing is more important than getting excellent teachers in front of the classroom. Great teachers engage kids. But studies show the students who are most at risk of dropping out are also the least likely to have great teachers. That’s why we’ve strongly backed school reforms that attract and reward powerhouse teachers and weed out underperformers. We need incentives for teachers who are willing to teach the toughest kids to reach.”

I’m so angry, I don’t know where to begin! So, the big high school dropout numbers are the result of underperforming teachers. Perfect. With that thinking, any teacher who isn’t on a par with Jaime Escalante,

School Tech Connect: I Don't Get It Either

School Tech Connect: I Don't Get It Either:

I Don't Get It Either

I love Barbara Flynn Currie, in spite of the fact that she has the audacity of hope to disagree with me from time to time. Here's a clip of her on the floor of the House today, where she basically repeats what she's been readingover at Fred's.

Popout

She voted for the tax breaks for CME and Sears, although her friends on the other side of the aisle didn't join her in voting for the earned income tax credit for poor wage earners. There's so much kabuki in these tax deals, I

From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model - NYTimes.com

From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model - NYTimes.com:

From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model

Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author, had a simple question for the high school seniors he was speaking to one morning last week in Manhattan: “Who here wants to be a teacher?”

Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author, with students at the Dwight School in Manhattan.

Schoolbook

A new Web venture featuring news, data and conversation about schools in New York City.

Out of a class of 15, two hands went up — one a little reluctantly.

“In my country, that would be 25 percent of people,” Dr. Sahlberg said. “And,” he added, thrusting his hand in the air with enthusiasm, “it would be more like this.”

In his country, Dr. Sahlberg said later in an interview, teachers typically spend about four hours a day in the classroom, and are paid to spend two hours a week on professional development. At the University of Helsinki, where he teaches, 2,400 people competed last year for 120 slots in the (fully subsidized) master’s program for schoolteachers. “It’s more difficult getting into teacher education than law or medicine,” he said.

Dr. Sahlberg puts high-quality teachers at the heart of Finland’s education success story — which, as it happens, has become a personal suc

More Blood & Guts: JosephK Says Vote NO on the UTLA Tentative Agreement

More Blood & Guts: JosephK Says Vote NO on the UTLA Tentative Agreement:

More Blood & Guts: JosephK Says Vote NO on the UTLA Tentative Agreement

by JOSEPH K. on DECEMBER 13, 2011

More Blood and Guts

By Joseph K

Public education has been nothing but blood and guts the last few years, but the gore spread across the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) has been particularly copious of late. Let’s start with the latest. December 15 is the deadline for California’s Department of Finance to announce its final revenue numbers for the year. For those of you with short attention spans, you may not remember how Governor Brown and the State Legislature reached a budget agreement earlier this year: through magic. One day it was announced the State’s economy, much to the surprise of everyone, was doing really well and

Community | Children’s Council of San Francisco

Community | Children’s Council of San Francisco:

COMMUNITY

Including Samuel - Film Screening and Q&A with Dan Habib

Tuesday, January 10 - 6:00 to 9:00 pm, Free and Open to the Public
The Bay Theater at the Aquarium of the Bay, Pier 39

Samuel HabibJoin us for a free screening of the award-winning documentary, Including Samuel. The film chronicles the Habib family’s efforts to include their son Samuel, who has cerebral palsy, in every aspect of their lives. It also portrays the journeys of four other individuals with disabilities and their families.Including Samuel is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion.

Program Highlights:
• Film screening and Q&A with Dan Habib
• Learn about the “I am Norm” nation inclusion campaign
• Preview of Habib’s new film, Who Cares About Kelsey?
• Get a copy of Essential Best Practices in Inclusive Schools, from
the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability

This is a free event - Click here to register. Visit the Including Samuel homepage for a preview.

Public Awareness

Children's Council is a child care policy and planning leader in the state of California. Children’s Council engages families, providers, businesses, local and state organizations, legislators, and media in order to raise awareness of child care and other issues affecting families.

Think Child Care

Access to quality, affordable child care is vital to a healthy community. Child care makes it possible for parents to work, pay taxes, and support large and small businesses. In addition, quality child care is an essential building block in preparing children for K-12 education, college, and the workforce.

To learn about the benefits of quality child care for children, adults, businesses, and a healthy society, visit think child care.


LIVE: Highlights of the #D12 West Coast Port Shutdown | OccupyWallSt.org

LIVE: Highlights of the #D12 West Coast Port Shutdown | OccupyWallSt.org:

WATCH LIVE: #D12 West Coast Port Shutdown

Watch live streaming video from globalrevolution at livestream.com

Note: The following highlights are not comprehensive. For a full list of participating Occupations and more solidarity actions across the world, see West Coast Port Shutdown.

Oakland

  • 2:20pm PST: From @OccupyOakland: "Please come to the rally at OGP today at 3PM and march to the port at 4 and 5. We do not need people at the port till then. Bring lots of warm clothes for tonights march and sleeping bags for the shut down the port action tonight!"
  • 12:00pm PST: Occupiers have found huge numbers of police in riot gear and formation hiding behind vans near the ports. Some have beanbag shotguns. Requesting all supporters come down now!

An Open Letter from America's Port Truck Drivers on Occupy the Ports

We are the front-line workers who haul container rigs full of imported and exported goods to and from the docks and warehouses every day.

We have been elected by committees of our co-workers at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York and New Jersey to tell our collective story. We have accepted the honor to speak up for our brothers and sisters about our working conditions despite the risk of retaliation we face. One of us is a mother, the rest of us fathers. Between the five of us we have 11children and one more baby on the way. We have a combined 46 years of experience driving cargo from our shores for America’s stores.

We are inspired that a non-violent democratic movement that insists on basic economic fairness is capturing the

Big Education Ape: 12-12-11 PM New kind of school privatization on the rise EDition #edreforrm #ows

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now:

Published by Coopmike48 – 8 news spotters today

Wis. School Districts Move Toward Merit Pay for Teachers

edweek.org - Published Online: December 12, 2011 ByErin Richards, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT)On a Tuesday afternoon in mid-October, between 40 and 50 Cedarburg School District educators sat in a small audi...

DianeRavitch

Braun: New kind of N.J. school privatization on the rise

blog.nj.com - Public education in New Jersey has been roiled recently by conflicts over charter schools, vouchers and "virtual" schools — but, now, a new type of privatization is on the horizon: allowing public ...

DianeRavitch

Class Matters. Why Won’t We Admit It?

nytimes.com - Durham, N.C. NO one seriously disputes the fact that students from disadvantaged households perform less well in school, on average, than their peers from more advantaged backgrounds....

DianeRavitch

Live Twitter stream on

@coopmike48/big-edu-ape-news-11

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 Big Education Ape: The Unaddressed Link Between Poverty and Education - http://t.co/OkW4obX7 -http://t.co/zmEfZDfY16 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 Big Education Ape: Frank Biden and Privatizers Buying Nation’s 11th-Largest School District - http://t.co/fpxGoTeI16 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 Big Education Ape: The Unaddressed Link Between Poverty and Education - http://t.co/OkW4obX7 -http://t.co/UTe1k17p16 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 Big Education Ape: Whose Children have been left behind? by Diane Ravitch « Parents Across America -http://t.co/8y0EmECv16 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

EducationSee all

Emanuel welcomes out-of-town charter schools

wbez.org - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel put out the welcome mat for out-of-state charter schools Tuesday.“I want all the charter operators who don’t yet operate in the City of Chicago to see this as an opportun...

mikeklonsky

Growing Push in Newark to Retake School Reins

nytimes.com - NEWARK — For a generation of Newark students, every education decision, including choices on curriculum, spending and superintendent, has been made by state officials in Trenton. That l...

mikeklonsky

Class Matters. Why Won’t We Admit It?

nytimes.com - Durham, N.C. NO one seriously disputes the fact that students from disadvantaged households perform less well in school, on average, than their peers from more advantaged backgrounds....

mikeklonsky

SocietySee all

Time to Throw Money at the Problem « InterACT

accomplishedcaliforniateachers.wordpress.com - It’s a well-worn phrase: you can’t just throw money at the problem. Well, what if the problem is a serious lack of money? Essentially, that’s the issue playing out in the Colorado court system. Th...

leoniehaimson

WorldSee all

85% of unions that voted, recertified

whby.com - Text Size:December 12, 2011S M T W TF S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 12 13 14 15 16 1718 19 20 21 22 23 2425 26 27 28 29 30 31WHBYCBSNews » WEAC: 85% of unions that voted, recertified Dec...

fklonsky

One arrested at Occupy protest in Port Hueneme

latimesblogs.latimes.com - One Occupy protester was arrested Monday at the Port of Hueneme after laying down in the roadway and refusing to move, backing up truck traffic, authorities said. That was the only confrontation in...

coopmike48

Hundreds march to Port of Oakland for shutdown

sfgate.com - (12-12) 06:18 PST OAKLAND -- About 200 protesters are marching this morning in hopes of shutting down the Port of Oakland as part of the national Occupy movement. Organizers have pledged to march t...

coopmike48

PoliticsSee all

Depression and Democracy

nytimes.com - It’s time to start calling the current situation what it is: a depression. True, it’s not a full replay of the Great Depression, but that’s cold comfort. Unemployment in both America and Europe rem...

fklonsky

Nullifying Democracy | OurFuture.org

ourfuture.org - By Digby December 12, 2011 - 12:15pm ET Popular This WeekDecember 06, 2011December 05, 2011more» Also Worth Reading James Fallows: Before the episode recedes fully from the news, please read this ...

coopmike48

BusinessSee all

Major corporations pay few taxes

sacramentopa.blogspot.com - 265 Major, Profitable U.S. Corporations' Tax AvoidanceCosts States $42 Billion Over Three Years; Sixty EightCompanies Have At Least One Tax-Free YearCitizens for Tax JusticeDecember 7, 2011http://w...

coopmike48

HealthSee all

How to get arsenic out of juice « MomsRising Blog

momsrising.org - I am ready to pluck that juice box out of my kid’s sticky little hands, no matter how big the juice-splosion. It’s not about the sugar this time – oh, no – it’s because of the arsenic! A Consumer ...

coopmike48

#twillSee all

#p2edSee all

Media1

  • leoniehaimson

Photos1

  • DianeRavitch