Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, January 21, 2012

John Thrasher Wants to Ban Lawmakers from Holding Jobs at Post-Secondary Schools They Fund but Silent on Doing the Same for Charter Schools | Scathing Purple Musings

John Thrasher Wants to Ban Lawmakers from Holding Jobs at Post-Secondary Schools They Fund but Silent on Doing the Same for Charter Schools | Scathing Purple Musings:

John Thrasher Wants to Ban Lawmakers from Holding Jobs at Post-Secondary Schools They Fund but Silent on Doing the Same for Charter Schools

From the Tampa Bay Times:

TALLAHASSEE — Amid a clamor to overhaul a state university system lawmakers say isn’t cutting it, Sen. John Thrasher wants to ban lawmakers from holding jobs with public colleges and universities they fund.

Given past scandal, Thrasher said it’s best to eliminate the “conflict of interest.”

Really? A conflict of interest? Thrasher must be feeling pressure at some level to have gone this far, but it must

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Evening Posts #ows #edreform 1-21


Hawaii teachers reject contract in ‘blow’ to Race to the Top - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Hawaii teachers reject contract in ‘blow’ to Race to the Top - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Hawaii teachers reject contract in ‘blow’ to Race to the TopBy Valerie StraussPublic school teachers in Hawaii have rejected a contract that called for a move to a performance-based evaluation and compensation system, as required by the Race to the Top grant that the state won from the Obama administration.The rejection comes shortly after Hawaii was warned by the U.S. Education Department ... more »

Educational technology and distance education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Educational technology and distance education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:Bill Introduced: H.R.3793 To establish State infrastructure banks for education.Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Educational technology and distance education - 20 minutes agoTo establish State infrastructure banks for education.Bill Introduced: H.R.3776 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding school libraries, and for other purposes.Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Educational technology and distance education - 20 minutes agoTo amend the Elementary and Secondary Edu... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Follow Up Story on Slaves Picking Oranges in Math Lessons

Missouri Education Watchdog: Follow Up Story on Slaves Picking Oranges in Math Lessons:Follow Up Story on Slaves Picking Oranges in Math Lessonsby stlgretchenDo you remember the outcry about the math word problems for third graders which used slaves picking oranges? The example was used to integrate history lessons into math, one of the goals of common core standards. The parents of the students were outraged that slaves would be used in the math problems and that math shouldn't be taught ... more »

School Tech Connect: Crane Community Rallies For Its School

School Tech Connect: Crane Community Rallies For Its School:Crane Community Rallies For Its Schoolby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Heck of a night over at Malcom X.CPS was having it's community hearing before destroying Crane High School right down the street. I'm far too tired to do a detailed piece, but let me just make some quick observations.First of all, Crane showed up in force. These kids love their school, and they're not going to let it get "phased out" without a fight. I've ... more »

Daily Kos: Half a year -

Daily Kos: Half a year -:Half a year -by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)Yesterday was the final day of 1st semester. Monday is a teacher's work day to put grades in, but mine were in as of Thursday morning. On Thursday there were students in my 1st 5 classes who still had midterms to take, so I gave them the period to study (they were unlikely to learn anything I attempted to teach them), and for my last, in fairness I let them ... more »

NCLB waivers: The devil is in the details - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

NCLB waivers: The devil is in the details - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:NCLB waivers: The devil is in the detailsby Valerie StraussThis was written by Jack Hassard, professor emeritus of science education at Georgia State University and a former high school teacher. He is the author of these books: The Whole Cosmos Catalog of Science , Science Experiences , Adventures in Geology , The Art of Teaching Science (2009), and most recently, Science As Inquiry . Specialities ... more »

Diane Ravitch: Embattled teachers need support, not more testing - California Teachers Association

Diane Ravitch: Embattled teachers need support, not more testing - California Teachers Association:Diane Ravitch: Embattled teachers need support, not more testingLodi News-Sentinel -Diane Ravitch believes public school teachers are getting bashed for problems beyond their control. She's strongly critical of standardized testing, which she says is corroding public education, not building it.She is an author, professor, and former Assistant Secretary of Education who is speaking in Sacramento Friday to the Coalition to Save Public Education. Many local teachers plan to ... more »

Diane Ravitch shares her views on education reform - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Diane Ravitch shares her views on education reform - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:Diane Ravitch shares her views on education reformShareBy Melody Gutierrezmgutierrez@sacbee.comPublished: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 3BWith a sharp tongue and unapologetic gaze, Diane Ravitch has spent the past two years touring the country with a message of support for teachers and criticism for the high-stakes testing culture she helped create.Ravitch, a research professor of education at New ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts 1-20 #edreform #ows

Missouri Education Watchdog: Hansel Gretel In Teach For AmericaBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-3 hours agoMissouri Education Watchdog: Hansel Gretel In Teach For America:Hansel Gretel In Teach For Americaby AnngieWe all remember the story of Hansel and Gretel. They got lost in the woods and came across a house made of gingerbread. Facing a candy smorgasbord in the midst of their incredible hunger was too much for them. That was all it took for the evil witch to trap ... more »

Report From Diane Ravitch’s Speech Tonight In Sacramento | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Report From Diane Ravitch’s Speech Tonight In Sacramento | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:Diane Ravitch Speaks In Sacramento!likeShareEmailEmbedHere are some tweets that Alice Mercer, David B. Cohen, and I sent out during Diane Ravitch's speech at the Sacramento Convention Center tonight, January 20th, 2012. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, Linda Darling-Hammond, and others also spoke....Testing critic Diane Ravitch to address teachers, public - sacbee.comEducation historian Diane Ravitch, an outspoken critic of the movement to reward or penalize teachers ... more »

Modern School: Is U.S. Planning Military Force to Suppress Unions and #OWS?

Modern School: Is U.S. Planning Military Force to Suppress Unions and OWS?:Is U.S. Planning Military Force to Suppress Unions and OWS?by Michael DunnImage from Flickr, by World Can't WaitAs I reported on Modern School recently, the U.S. government has committed Coast Guard ships and helicopters to defending the interests of private capital in Washington State against striking ILWU members. The Coast Guard will supposedly be protecting empty ships as they arrive in the port of Longview, Washington to pick up ... more »

Mother Crusader: Of Course

Mother Crusader: Of Course:Of Courseby darciecimaI got all of 6 hours to enjoy the fourth denial of Tikun Olam. I went out to dinner with my closest co-conspirators, our kids and our husbands to celebrate. And then I came home and read Jessica Calefati's piece in the Ledger:Noticeably absent from today’s list were proposed charter schools in high performing suburban districts like Highland Park, South Orange-Maplewood and Montclair.Good so far, keep going...In recent months, parents, teachers and elected officials in ... more »

How Do You Assess Understanding and Learning? « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

How Do You Assess Understanding and Learning? « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:How Do You Assess Understanding and Learning?January 20th, 2012 by Klea ScharbergIn this video, two educators discuss informal assessments in the social studies classroom. What are the ways you deal with assessments in the classroom?

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools: Spreading the Hate?

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools: Spreading the Hate?:Charter Schools: Spreading the Hate?by DukeSometimes it all comes together, and we are allowed a clear, unfiltered look at the truth. Case in point:My favorite new blogger, Darcie Cimarusti, made a great catch today:An Asbury Park Press reporter detailed a heated exchange between Governor Christie and one of those four vocal residents, Alan Erlich of Cherry Hill about the Governor’s relationship to Kahn:But after Erlich charged the charter school’s approval was a favor for ... more »

Schools Matter: Tapping Out: The Underwhelming TAP Achievement of the Milken-McIntyre Schools

Schools Matter: Tapping Out: The Underwhelming TAP Achievement of the Milken-McIntyre Schools:Tapping Out: The Underwhelming TAP Achievement of the Milken-McIntyre Schoolsby Jim HornA significant piece of the Broad corporate education plan in Knoxville, Tennessee involves turning over control of curriculum, professional development, and instruction in Knoxville's poorest schools to the phony-baloney corporate ed scam run by the corrupt Milken Brothers. Four schools have been TAP schools since 2006, and another 13 schools are in transition to TAP with the help ... more »

Universal Public Education Is Dead (Expanded) | Dailycensored.com

Universal Public Education Is Dead (Expanded) | Dailycensored.com:Universal Public Education Is Dead (Expanded)Written by Paul ThomasEducation, PoliticsJan 20, 20120diggShareThe National Education Association (NEA) received criticism forpublishing an Op-Ed with Teach for America (TFA). Ken Bernstein found the piece to be “unbelievable,” while raising the possibility that union members felt betrayed. Anthony Cody first responded with “I just don’t get it,” and then raised this question:“I wonder how it is possible to fight vigorously for a minimum one-year residency program and ... more »

Review Finds Studies of Charter Schools Flawed, Problematic - State EdWatch - Education Week

Review Finds Studies of Charter Schools Flawed, Problematic - State EdWatch - Education Week:Review Finds Studies of Charter Schools Flawed, ProblematicBy Sean Cavanagh on January 12, 2012 5:19 PMMost studies of charter schools use unsophisticated methods and are flawed in ways that prevent researchers from accurately gauging those institutions' impact on student achievement, a new review concludes.And while researchers have options for collecting more accurate information about charter school performance, they also face obstacles along the way—some of them related ... more »

New York Teacher | Edwize

New York Teacher | Edwize:New York Teacherby W.J. LevayHighlights from the Jan. 19 issue of New York Teacher:Mulgrew: Mayor lost in fantasy world“The mayor seems to be lost in his own fantasy world of education, the one where reality doesn’t apply,” declared UFT President Michael Mulgrew in response to the mayor’s State of the City speech on Jan. 12, in which, among other proposals, he threatened to fire half the staffs in 33 schools receiving federal School Improvement Grant support.UFT ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Afternoon Posts 1-20 #ows #edreform

RheeFirst! » Federal Department of Education is looking for information on NCLB cheatingBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-2 minutes agoRheeFirst! » Federal Department of Education is looking for information on NCLB cheating:Government seeks help to stop teacher-led cheatingfromRheeFirst!byadminWritten by Greg Toppo for The Washington Post. Read theentire article here.“The Obama administration is creating a manual showing how schools can fight teacher-led cheating on standardized tests, asking educators to help stomp out “testing irregularities.”Bob Schaffer of the Nationa... more »

Kansas City schools chief: ‘We are NOT the worst district’ - KansasCity.com

Kansas City schools chief: ‘We are NOT the worst district’ - KansasCity.com:


Kansas City schools chief: ‘We are NOT the worst district’

Interim superintendent points to improvements and rails against “campaign political rhetoric.”

JOHN SLEEZER
Interim superintendent Steve Green
 Mayor Sly James

Ravitch: ‘No Child Left Behind has been a disaster’ | Davis Enterprise

Ravitch: ‘No Child Left Behind has been a disaster’ | Davis Enterprise:

Ravitch: ‘No Child Left Behind has been a disaster’

Diane Ravitch, education historian and prominent critic of federal education policy, made time for a wide-ranging 30-minute one-on-one interview with Enterprise reporter Jeff Hudson on Friday morning at Sacramento State University. Here are Ravitch’s thoughts and observations on education policy under President Obama, California Gov. Jerry Brown and other topics, presented in a question-and-answer format.

Q: Give me an overview of the difficult situation that public education now finds itself in because of the Bush Administration’s No Child Left Behind legislation, and high stakes testing of students.

A: My view as an education historian is that NCLB has been a disaster. We’ve had 10 years of it, we’ve seen our schools transformed into test-prep factories. There’s a kind of a robotic view of children, that they can be primed to take the test, and that the test is the way to determine if they’re good or their bad, and if their teacher’s good or bad, and if their school should be closed. This wave of mandated testing and of punishment that goes with testing, or bonuses that go with testing, we’ve never seen anything like it in the history of American education. It